Expectations & Life in the Sixth Form

Students must, at all times be aware of their position as role models to younger students and are expected to dress in a dignified manner, commensurate with their position as young adults within a professional working environment. Please be advised that clothes which over-expose flesh or expose underwear are not deemed appropriate forms of dress. Hoods and hats may only be worn outside in inclement weather.

The overall appearance should be of a formal nature.

Students must wear:

• Tailored trousers/skirt (knee length)
• Shirt/blouse
• Smart shoes
• ID and lanyard

Students must not wear:

• Denim
• Trainers
• T-Shirts
• Polo shirts
• Shorts
• Caps
• Hooded tops

Students are expected to follow the requirements of the dress code at all times including any periods of study leave unless they have been given specific dispensation. Any student not adhering to the dress code may be sent home to change and should return to school correctly attired for lessons as soon as possible. In some instances, offending items may be confiscated from students and only returned at an appropriate later time.

Study in the Sixth Form requires students to take ownership of their learning to prepare them for further post-18 study or the workplace.

There is a significant focus on study skills in Sixth Form assemblies during the first term during which learning expectations are outlined. Students have several study periods each week and are expected to work quietly in the Sixth Form common room or the library. Each student has a personal tutor who will mentor them academically throughout the duration of their time in the Sixth Form.

The Government expects each Year 12 student to undertake four hours per week of additional study per subject.  A student should typically be undertaking around sixteen hours of study in addition to timetabled lessons in order to achieve their Target Grades.

The government expects each Year 13 student to undertake five hours per week of additional study per subject.  A student should typically be undertaking at least fifteen hours of study in addition to timetabled lessons in order to achieve Target Grades.

Revision Tips and Techniques

The odd hour here and there isn’t enough. Make a revision plan you can stick to, with a daily outline that includes times for breaks and meals.
Know your strong and weak subjects and mix them up on your revision timetable, don’t do all the nightmare topics at once. Set targets that you know you can reach and tick them off as you accomplish them.
You will need help at some point; ask parents, siblings, teachers and friends for support.
Find somewhere quiet to revise. You could also try working with other people but, if you can’t concentrate, save get-togethers for breaks from the books.
Put your exams into perspective, they are only one aspect of life.

Seven Rules for Revision

• Make your own revision notes. You’ll learn as you write and, once you’ve got them, you’re halfway there.
• Be brief. Check the syllabus or ask a teacher to make sure you’ve got the key areas sussed.
• Don’t overdo it. Your concentration lapses after a couple of hours, so take regular breaks.
• Experiment with different revision techniques. Variety beats boredom.
• Focus. Don’t make pointless notes. Look at past exam papers and see how questions could be asked.
• Get confident. If you’re positive about exams, you should take in more information and remember it when it counts.

Five Simple Techniques

• Condense & Highlight. Rewrite & cut down as you go, target key areas using colours and symbols. Visuals help you remember the facts.
• Record. Try recording important points, quotes and formulae. If you hear them and read them, they’re more likely to sink in.
• Talk. Read your notes out loud, it’s one way of getting them to register.
• Test. See what you can remember without notes, but avoid testing yourself on subjects you know already.
• Time. Do past exam papers against the clock, it’s an excellent way of getting up to speed.

Useful websites

Get Revising

Student Life

Howtostudy.com

Mind Tools (http://www.mindtools.com/)

Revision Centre.co.uk

Skills 4 Study

Study Skills On-line

In order to aid transition from GCSE to post-16 study all students must complete a set of learning tasks related to each of their courses during the summer holidays. This allows teachers to determine whether students have the aptitude to study courses.

For each subject students are asked to undertake some research, prepare a presentation, write an essay or answer a set of questions. Each task needs to be completed and submitted on the first lesson for the subject in the first week of term.

Summer Learning Tasks will be published below in Summer 2024.

To enable our students to fulfil their expectations we operate the following regular monitoring system:

YEAR 12

• Subject teachers will send home letters for poor attendance, effort, punctuality or homework.
• Tutors arrange an Academic Review with individual students each term and look at grades, subject, staff comments and mock exam results (after January). Targets are set as appropriate.
• Interim reports are completed on a half-termly basis by subject staff, showing whether a student is on target. If a student is not on target a letter may be sent home to parents, requesting a meeting.
• A parents’ evening takes place in November in order to provide students and parents with the opportunity to discuss progress. All students are required to attend and parental attendance is also strongly advised.
• Where students are judged to be continually underachieving in all areas, the Head of Sixth Form may decide to discontinue a student’s study in one or more subject. If it is their opinion that a student can no longer complete any of their studies at Harlington School, they will inform the Local Authority who will arrange for a support worker to assist students with finding an apprenticeship or employment.

YEAR 13

• In addition to academic reviews, the results from the summer examinations will be updated onto the Sixth Form record system. The Head of Sixth Form and tutors will notify parents and students of any concerns.
• Tutors will write UCAS references using data provided by subject teachers in the reports at the end of Year 12. Grades achieved in Year 12 public examinations will be used as the basis for predicted grades.
• In January, the Head of Sixth Form will inform parents of mock exam results and compare them with target grades, to ensure students are on track.

• You will be given appropriate agreed targets (based on prior attainment and teacher assessment) at the beginning of a course. Continuation on a course is then subject to meeting those targets. Teachers reserve the right to remove students from courses if they continuously fail to achieve their target grades.
• Resitting an exam is a rare occurrence, and always at the discretion of the Curriculum Leader. Please note that If you meet or exceed your target grade you will not be able to resit.
• Students who have fallen 1 or 2 grades below their target grade are allowed to continue, with a POSSIBLE RESIT(S), again at the discretion of the Curriculum Leader.
• Students in Year 12 who follow AS Level courses must achieve DD (or equivalent) in order to progress to A2 study. All Mathematics and Science students must achieve at least a D in order to progress to Mathematics/Science A2 courses. Students following 2 year linear A Levels must achieve the appropriate grades on internally set end of year tests.
• If a student fails the June AS examination and therefore does not reach the agreed target grade they cannot progress to A2.
• Students who fail to achieve C grade (or equivalent) in their GCSE Mathematics/English resit are required to continue study for a further year.
• Students sitting BTEC exams will be entered during the appropriate test window.  They will also be given the opportunity to RESIT Mathematics and/or English.
• BTEC students will only be able to enrol onto A-level courses after they have successfully passed their BTEC course at a Distinction or Merit grade and have GCSE’s in Mathematics and English
• There is no study leave during mock exams week. Students will be granted discretionary study leave during the summer exam season.
• Students are solely responsible for ensuring they attend their examinations, following the timings, dates and days on their examination timetable.
• Students are not permitted to sit privately studied courses as external candidates.

• You must attend registrations and all the lessons which you are required to (based upon your study leave agreement with your form tutor).
• Any unauthorised ‘N’ mark means that you have not informed the school of an absence.
• Absences must be reported to the school (0208 569 1610) on the day of your absence and marked accordingly with ‘I’-illness, ‘M’-medical or ‘C’- other authorized circumstances.
• In addition a letter should be handed to the Sixth Form Study Manager when you return.  Appointments (such as driving lessons) which could have been arranged out of school time will not be authorised.
• Educational interviews will be marked as ‘C’, though the school must have a photocopy of the interview letter in ADVANCE of the meeting.
• Appeals regarding an unauthorised mark must be put in writing to the school and an amendment will then be made.  The cut-off date for this is two weeks from the date of the unauthorised mark
  Attendance details will be displayed in the common room on a weekly basis. Students can view the previous week’s reports and any absences you consider may have been wrongly attributed, should be taken to your class teacher for review.