Life in Sixth Form
Watch these videos from our Sixth Form staff, Mr Johnson and Mr Grout:
Life in the Sixth Form - Mr Johnson - Head of Sixth Form
Welcome to Berwick Academy Sixth Form - Mr Grout - Director of Post 16 Education
Life in the Sixth Form
With Post 16 study, you are able to choose 3 option subjects, guided by the sixth form team. Lesson time in these subjects will account for 45% of your working week in the sixth form. In addition to this, your independent study is central to your success at Key Stage 5. You will be expected to use the facilities available to you in our Sixth Form Centre and across the school, to complete your independent study, which is designed to support your learning. This independent study will be structured and set by teachers. For Every lesson spent in class, you will gain a full lessons worth of independent study to complete outside of class. Effective independent study is therefore equally as important as attending
lessons.
Furthermore, there is a full structured programme of pastoral support, which includes careers education and working with employers and universities to explore your options after Year 13. All students take the Extended Project Qualification which allows you to showcase your skills in your chosen field - from Art to Music to History to Physics, the choice is yours!
There is strong personalised support on offer from both your Head of Year (Mr. Johnson) and the Director of Post 16 (Mr. Grout), and you will have a personal tutor.
Your ‘Options’
Most students will take 3 x options subjects. If you have particularly strong GCSE grades, you may opt to take a 4th A level by negotiation, but most people concentrate on three subjects. We offer a wide range of subjects, so exploring your options to help you make the right choice is crucial.
Some vocational courses are a Double Award e.g. Engineering, so you would need to pick another option to make the equivalent of three subjects. Health and Social Care can be taken as a Triple.
What can I choose?
There are a wide range of courses on offer, which encompasses both subjects you will have already studied like English, Maths and the Sciences, and subjects which may be new to you, like Psychology and Sociology. It is vital to speak to the teachers of subjects you are interested in to explore what you will study if you take that option. You can take a mix of vocational (BTec/Cam Tech) Level 3 qualifications and A levels, or A Levels only.
Who can help me?
Your form tutor and PSHE teacher are able to answer questions, Mr Grout and Mr Johnson are also available for you to speak to and can be contacted via email. Our Careers Adviser is in school weekly, and you can request an interview at any time, but the sooner the better! Your subject teachers can provide advice about individual subjects, as can your Head of Year and Mr. Kesson.
