The Sixth Form at Christ College represents a major change from what pupils will have experienced previously. All of school life is a preparation for what will come next, but this is never more so than in the Sixth Form. Right from the start there will be an emphasis on preparation for university and for the wider life beyond school. This is not just academic preparation, although the Sixth Form will allow academic specialisation and the opportunity to explore areas of academic interest much more fully than before, but preparation in terms of confidence, skills, experience of the workplace and advice about the future.
If members of the Sixth Form are asked what is special or different about those final two years at school, they will almost always talk about their relationships with staff first. The distance between teachers and pupils reduces and many pupils will talk about real friendships with those who teach them, tutor them, and work alongside them in a range of activities.
Staff rely on Sixth Formers for leadership, for example in the houses, the CCF, on the games field, on tours and trips, in hosting visitors and in numerous other ways, and these leadership and social skills are vital assets in the competition for university places and for jobs.
A high-profile graduate placement specialist recently told me that qualities such as flexibility, openness to challenge, confidence and the ability both to lead and to be a member of a team were by far the most important qualities for future employment, particularly in a world where the job market is likely to look very different in five, let alone ten years’ time. Such skills are developed uniquely in the Sixth Form of a school like this, where there are numerous opportunities for teamwork, leadership and the development of communication and negotiation skills.
In terms of the experience of Sixth Form life, pupils will enjoy the distinguishing features of uniform, routine and privileges, as well as access to the attractive and well-equipped Sixth Form Centre with its programme of social events. There is greater freedom to choose when, where and how to study as the timetable increasingly includes study periods and there is greater opportunity for use of IT facilities, the library and the Careers Room. The other side of the coin is that Sixth Formers are expected to be self-motivated and increasingly independent, showing initiative and developing a sense of their own direction in life.
Sixth Formers’ opinions are sought and listened to; a recent consultation with a Sixth Form group has resulted in plans to introduce a refurbished work area in the Sixth Form Centre as well as improved entertainment facilities there, changes to the recognition given to academic, dramatic and musical achievement as well as sport, and the introduction of electronic privileges to allow Sixth Formers greater freedom in their use of the Internet. Such consultations have a genuine impact on school policy and Sixth Formers enjoy the opportunity to contribute in this way.
