1. WELCOME Year 12 Parents Information Evening
19th September 2019
Believe – Achieve – Succeed - Exceed
C Tonking

2. KEY DATES Monday 21st October – half term
Monday 21st February – half term
Monday 28th October – Training day
Thursday 19th March – Reports issued (Predict 2)
Monday 4th November – Monday 11th November – English & Maths GCSE resit exams (various days)
Tuesday 31st March– Year 12 PRE (parents evening with subject teachers 3.30pm-7.00pm)
Tuesday 19th November - Careers evening (Exhibition, Sports Hall) 5: pm
Monday 6th April – Easter holiday (back to school 20th April)
Thursday 21st November – Reports issued (Predict 1)
Monday 25th May – half term
Wednesday 11th- Friday 13th December – BEST Panto
Monday June 22nd – Friday 3rd July- Year 12 IPE (Internal Progression Exams)
Wednesday 20th December – last day of term
Thursday 18th June- Friday 19th June- Year 12 Next Steps Days (during the day)
Monday 6th January 2019 – Training day
Monday 6th- Friday 10th July - Work experience week
Thursday 23rd January - University Information Evening 7-8pm
Friday 17th July– Last day of term
C Tonking

3. first initial + surname @bestacademies.org.uk
The Sixth Form Team
Head of Sixth Form – Mr L Huckle
Assistant Head of Sixth Form, Head of Year 12 – Mr C Tonking
Assistant Head of Sixth Form, Head of Year 13 – Mrs S Hoad
Pastoral & Academic Support Officer –Mrs C Bonham
Admissions – Miss S Butler
Careers Coordinator– Miss E Foreman
Head of Sixth Form Enrichment – Mrs R Jackman
Independent careers advisor – R Birmingham
Staff
first initial +
C Tonking

4. Student emails and accounts
It is vital that students use and regularly check their student accounts and SMHW
“Show My Homework” is the online portal where homework will be set. This means tasks/assignments/prep tasks will be set with deadlines. The students should have no excuse for missing deadlines
Most students download the app on their phones/tablets
All students should have their log ins now. Some external students may not, and need to see Miss Butler in the 6th form office.
Parents also have their own log in details. Students have been given this too.
If anyone is having technical issues, students should go to the IT services office. Parents can Mr Hall
C Tonking

5. Timings of the Day Students must be in at 8:20
Gates will be locked at 8:30
Monday week A is assembly not registration
Week B students will have a house assembly on a specific day
Students are allowed off site at lunch
Sixth form students may leave at lunch, if they have not timetabled lesson period 5
Students must use their scan card on their lanyard to enter and exit the school at reception
Registration
8:20
Period 1
8:40
Period 2
9:40
Break
10:40
Period 3
11:00
Period 4
12:00
Lunch
13:00
Period 5
14:00
End of school day
15:00
C Tonking

6. Attendance We have an expected attendance percentage at 95%+
Students who reach this figure will be rewarded each term with blocks of time. This means they can select a 2 hour block of free/study periods/ prep times in which they either come to school late, or leave early
If students are not regularly attending registrations or lessons will follow our sanctions. This means a series of escalations if attendance is not improved;
Stage 1: letter home
Stage 2: tutor report
Stage 3: head of year report
Stage 4: head of 6th form contract
Stage 5: meeting with parents
C Tonking

7. Attendance
If students are absent from school for any reason, they themselves are responsible for contacting the Sixth Form office on the first morning of absence and all subsequent mornings;
Parents can also call;
If a student is not present in the morning an automated ‘truancy call’ will be made to the contact numbers on our school system
If any attendance falls below 80% it could lead to exam entry charges being paid by the student not the school AND issuing of a contract at stage 4 of the protocol.
16-19 Bursary Fund payments are not paid if a student falls below 80%
C Tonking

8. Dress code We have a ‘professional dress code’
We expect students to dress for a professional work place
Guidance is on our website, should you wish to see specifics
Common issues are; trainers/pumps, hoodies, denim jackets, sports students not in official SWA tracksuits etc
Lanyards are also an essential part of this
If students do not follow the dress code we ask that tutors give them a slip and a day to rectify this
If any student is persistently breaking the dress code we may ask them to go home and change, and so parents may be called to arrange this
C Tonking

9. The transition from GCSE to A Level
Timetables will seem very different to our students
Free periods / study time / prep time. All of these other hours should be used to study and prepare
We advise that every hour in lesson should equate to an hour out of lesson
Most courses will be running on 9 hours per cycle
The grading system is A*- E, so a departure from the new GCSE 9-1 system
BTEC and Applied courses use Pass, Merit, Distinction, Distinction*
Using their GCSE results, each student will be given a target grade for each subject. These are known as ALPS target grades
C Tonking

10. The transition from GCSE to A Level
C Tonking

11. What do our A Level students say…
Year 12 was really stressful.
A levels are so much harder than GCSEs
Prepare yourself
I cried a lot
Do what you enjoy
The freedom is better
If you don’t like your courses then change straight away
Coursework made me want to jump out of a window
I couldn’t go back to 5 periods every day
Teachers treat you more like an adult
C Tonking

12. How can students become more independent?
Use the systems that are in place. E.g.
Every Tuesday in registration, students will be planning their week ahead on an electronic student planner
All students have access to the google shared drive with all course resources
Ask teachers for extra work or more support
Ask for emotional support e.g. Mrs Bonham
Phone an admissions officer at university and ask about entry requirements
Speak with employers and arrange work experience
Travel to a university open day by themselves
Live more independently at home e.g. washing/cooking
C Tonking

13. Opportunities
Beyond their courses students will be given a multitude of opportunities
Some of these include;
Prefect & House roles
Subject ambassadors
Sports teams
Charity project
Oxbridge & RG society e.g. Group 4 Project (Prof Hubbard)
ILP programme for aspiring students (Prof Hubbard)
Sixth form lecture programme (Prof Hubbard)
Learning partner scheme
Rounded and grounded! We want our A Level students to leave here with more than just their grades
C Tonking

14. Enrichment The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) Further Maths
GCSE Retakes
Northampton Saints Rugby Development Course
Jack Collison Football Academy
MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses)
Teachers for Tomorrow
Duke of Edinburgh
Dance Ambassadors
National Citizenship Service
Reading Champions
Subject Ambassadors
Learning Partner
All students have also been asked to help in a year 9, 10, 11 lesson. They need to approach a teacher and arrange this in an hour where they have no lesson.
C Tonking

15. November 19th 2019 Samuel Whitbread Careers Convention 5:00-8:00pm
Invited exhibitors include:
~Local Companies~
~Institutions~
~Further Education Establishments~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Come along and talk to these experts to discuss your future career plans, work experience and Apprenticeship opportunities
(full details to follow in the coming weeks, via parentmail!)
C Tonking

16. Work experience week Week commencing 6th July 2020
All students have been given a work experience booklet (see Mrs McMillan or Mrs Jackman if they have not got one)
Parents must complete and sign the permission slip and medical form
These two forms need to be handed to Mrs McMillan (902) by 31st October
Students need to then find their own work experience placement and complete the placement form
This placement form is due in to Mrs McMillan (902) by 28th February
Mrs McMillan will then contact the company to ensure the placement is adhering to safeguarding and health and safety regulations
Student will then be ed to say that the placement has been authorised
During the work experience week, every student will receive either a phone call or visit to ensure they are at their placement
C Tonking

17. Additions to the sixth form
Setting more quality prep time/homework/exam practice work for OUTSIDE of lessons
Checking and monitoring the completion of this work – using it in lessons and/or giving extra written and/or verbal feedback to students.
Informing parents more quickly if point two above has not been completed
More support and challenge for the students targeted and aiming for the higher grades (A* and A grades) – Individual Learning Profile (ILP) led by Professor Lee Hubbard
Increased support and challenge to reduce the number of D, E and U grades. Giving students the best opportunity for their next steps.
More focus on the links between students organisation, attendance and attainment – Triangular checks in lessons with teachers:
L Huckle

18. Informing parents more quickly
If a student does not complete their prep time work, homework or any other piece of work – phone call or home to parents.
If not improved then an official academic referral letter will be requested by the teacher to be ed home to the student and parent informing them of:
What the issue is
What can be done to improve the situation
Parents make contact with the teacher for further discussion if needed
L Huckle

19. L Huckle

20. If you have any questions please feel free to stay behind
Thank you for coming
If you have any questions
please feel free to stay behind
L Huckle