SIXTH FORM
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WELCOME TO
The City of Leicester College Sixth Form Choosing your pathway for post-16 education is one of the most important decisions of your life. For many of you this choice will be about where to study and what to study. The City of Leicester College Sixth Form exists to serve the young people in our community. We are here to provide them with the opportunities they need to make a positive difference to their lives and the lives of others. We challenge them to be the best that they can be and we support them along their journey. We are a popular Sixth Form that is able to provide a first class education for all students. We believe in “Ambition for All”. • We want students to be inspired by their studies and be ambitious in their learning. • We want students to embrace wider learning opportunities. • We want students to lead the way for our whole school community. • We believe in all of our students and understand that by developing the right character anything is possible. We look forward to working with you and celebrating your successes.
Mr Dakin Assistant Headteacher - Sixth Form
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AMBITION FOR ALL
working together At TCOLC Sixth Form we have high expectations for both ourselves as an institution and our students. TCOLC Sixth Form aims to provide: • A varied and rich programme of study with courses that are taught by subject specialists. • A friendly and caring environment. • Support staff, including a form tutor and Sixth Form mentors. • A pastoral programme that will enable you to develop study skills and strategies for independent learning. • Support in progressing onto the next stage of your career (university/ the workplace/ apprenticeships). • A variety of enrichment opportunities that will enable you to develop skills outside of the classroom and experience opportunities related to your chosen career path. • Opportunities to work with students from other year groups in a mentoring/ support/ leadership capacity. • Regular progress reviews and opportunities to meet and discuss with your parents/ guardian. • Support for any special learning needs you have.
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Our expectations of students: • Attend and be punctual to all of your timetabled sessions; maintaining high levels of attendance (minimum 96%). Adherence to the college attendance policy. • Complete all work to a high standard. • To meet your deadlines for submitting work. • Show respect to all members of the college community. • Communicate regularly with your subject teachers; with regard to class work, independent study, deadlines and absences. • Act as a positive role model for younger students and behave professionally around the site. • Respect others right to learn. • Students will follow the college dress code.
“Moving into the Sixth Form is a really great experience; the teachers are very supportive…” SIXTH FORM STUDENT
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OVERVIEW
OUR CURRICULUM Academic Curriculum: • High quality teaching in a wide range of Level 3 subjects. • A Level and Vocational options. • Timetabled independent study. • Students select three main courses for their programme of study. • Core Maths. • Extended Project. • 3 progress points per year. • Mock Exams twice per year. Pastoral Curriculum: • Weekly assemblies. • Dedicated pastoral time with a named tutor. • Weekly small group mentoring. • Enrichment courses. • Work Experience for all Year 12 students. • Character Education - following our Character Pillars. • Careers advice & guidance. • Competitive sports teams.
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OUR VALUES
Character pillars
• Intellectual Character - to pursue truth, knowledge and understanding (Independence and Critical Thinking). • Moral Character - when making difficult decisions and choosing right over wrong (Respect and Honesty). • Community Character - when thinking of others instead of ourselves and making a contribution for the good of everyone (Citizenship and Civility). • Performance Character - to develop successful intellectual, moral and community character (Resilience and Determination).
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TCOLC GENERAL
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS For all Level 3 pathways five passes (9-4) or more at GCSE are required including at least grade 4 in Maths and English Language. The following Level 3 pathways are available: • 5 GCSE’s 9-4 inc. English & Maths. Subject specific criteria apply (see opposite). • Select 3 A Levels or 2 A Levels + 1 Applied General Course. • Students have the option to take Core Maths or Extended Project alongside their core subjects. • Core Maths is required if students are studying Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geography but NOT also taking A Level Maths.
Guide to Vocational Qualifications We offer the following Level 3 vocational qualifications: • BTEC/AQA/Cambridge Extended Certificate = 360 GLH or equivalent to 1 A Level • Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma = 360 GLH or equivalent to 1 A Level All courses are studied over 2 years. Equivalence is hard to define but in simple terms the qualification is worth the same number of UCAS points; so an A Level or a BTEC Level 3 Extended Certificate are worth the same number of UCAS points.
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Subject Specific Entry Criteria A Level
In addition to our main entry requirements, as outlined on Page 8, some courses have some additional criteria. SUBJECT
GCSE MATHS
Accountancy
Grade 6
Art
OTHER REQUIREMENTS
Grade 5 if taken for GCSE.
Biology
Grade 6
66 in Double Science; 665 in Triple Science with 6 in Bio.
Business Studies
Grade 5*
Grade 5 if taken for GCSE.
Chemistry
Grade 6
66 in Double Science; 665 in Triple Science with 6 in Chem.
Computing
Grade 6
Grade 5 if taken for GCSE.
Core Maths (AS)
Grade 5
Economics
Grade 5*
English Literature
Grade 5 if taken for GCSE. Grade 5 if taken for GCSE.
Extended Project Geography
Grade 5*
Mathematics
Grade 6
Grade 5 if taken for GCSE.
Media Studies Further Maths
Grade 7
Physics
Grade 6
Psychology
Grade 5*
66 in Double Science; 665 in Triple Science with 6 in Physics.
Religious Studies Sociology
Grade 5 if taken for GCSE.
Applied General Courses
* Grade 5 recommended but not essential
SUBJECT
REQUIREMENTS
BTEC Business Ext Cert
Merit at BTEC Level 2 if taken.
BTEC Health & Social Ext Cert
Merit at BTEC Level 2 HSC if taken.
Cambridge Technical IT Int Diploma
Merit at Level 2 if taken.
AQA Applied Science Extended Certificate
Grade 5 in Maths. Grade 55 in combined science or 555 in triple science subjects.
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SUPPORT FOR
high achievers Accelerate your path to the best Universities. Working with a regional collaboration of Headteachers across the East Midlands and top universities including Oxford, Sheffield, York, Exeter, Newcastle, St George’s Medical School, SOAS and King’s College London, The City of Leicester College now offers the Elephant Access programme to our Year 12 and 13 students. Elephant Access provides a range of activities and experiences to support students aspirations, attainment and applications to top universities, and ensure our most academically capable students access top third universities at the end of their time with us. For more information visit www.theelephantgroup.org Twitter: @Elephant_Group
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13
Accountancy
13
Art
14
Biology
14
Business Studies
15
Chemistry
15
Computing
15
Core Maths (AS)
16
Economics
17
English Literature
19
Extended Project
20
Geography
22
Mathematics
23
Further Mathematics
25
Media Studies
25
Physics
26
Psychology
26
Religious Studies
26
Sociology
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Applied General Courses
A Level Courses
KS5 curriculum - OUR SUBJECTS 29
Applied Science - AQA Extended Certificate
29
Business - BTEC Level 3
30
Health & Social Care - BTEC Level 3
30
ICT - Cambridge Technical Diploma Level 3
A LEVEL
A LEVEL
Accountancy
art
A qualification in accounting will always be helpful - whether it’s used professionally or personally. This course helps students to understand the responsibilities of the accountant and the impacts of their recommendations on the business and the wider environment.
This highly successful course will enable you to gain the skills and techniques necessary to create a rich and diverse portfolio of artworks. You will investigate and experiment with a wide range of media in order to express yourself through a number of techniques including drawing and paintings.
Students will build knowledge and understanding of key concepts, principles and techniques that they can apply to real-life scenarios, developing the ability to solve problems logically, analyse data methodically, make reasoned choices and communicate effectively.
From your personal research you will be encouraged to develop your own individual style that will lead to a final artwork that will become the main focus of your final exhibition. Throughout the course, you will be encouraged to demonstrate initiative and curiosity, to be visual thinkers and creative problem solvers. The study of history and theory of art is essential in developing your understanding of how fine art works on several levels.
A logical approach to problem solving and an interest in business is important but many enterprising and key skills will be developed that are crucial to life in the 21st century. The qualification has two key areas of study: Financial accounting & Management accounting.
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A LEVEL
Business studies The aim of the course is to enable students to develop an interest in and enthusiasm for Business. It will engage students and help them understand and appreciate the world of business.
A LEVEL
Biology Can your own body combat cancer? Can your bad diet affect the genes of your future offspring? How do drugs cause hallucinations? In A Level Biology we ask questions of what we find around us, we look at why and how organisms survive on our planet. We then use this knowledge to plan for a future where we can understand and cure disease, produce food sustainably and protect our planet for future generations.
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Wherever students go they will be stepping into a business, whether this is coming to school, going shopping or visiting the cinema with their friends. Businesses are everywhere. Therefore this course will help students appreciate how a business works and all the elements that come together to make a business successful. A Level Business will help students in the future as they are likely to work in one or even be in charge of their own business one day. This exciting course has four main themes over the two years. Students will build up their core knowledge of business concepts and apply them to business contexts and real businesses. They will then consider more complex business issues and take a strategic view of business opportunities and issues.
A LEVEL
Chemistry A Level Chemistry attempts to answer the big question ‘what is the world made of’ and it’s the search for this answer that makes this subject so fascinating. From investigating how one substance can be changed drastically into another, to researching a new wonder drug to save millions of lives, the opportunities that chemistry provides are endless.
A LEVEL
Computing Computer Science is a practical subject where learners can apply the academic principles learned in the classroom to real world systems. It is an intensely creative subject that combines invention and excitement, that can look at the natural world through a digital prism. The course highly values computational thinking, helping learners to develop the skills to solve problems, design systems and understand the power and limits of human and machine intelligence.
“Sixth Form students achieve well and make strong progress.” OFSTED
AS LEVEL
COre maths The Level 3 Core Maths course is an AS equivalent qualification (not a full A Level) for those who want to strengthen and apply their maths skills to support other numerate A Levels, such as Psychology, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geography, Business, Accounting and Economics. Core Maths can also help you predict the wider future: what will be the impact of global warming, oil running out, water becoming scarce and the world population hitting 9 billion? During your studies, you’ll look at how to use and apply maths in many different situations. You will read articles about interpreting data and understanding mathematical information, all from relevant and interesting sources.
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A LEVEL
Economics If you have an enquiring mind and are curious about the world around you, then Economics can satisfy your curiosity. It helps you to explain the big questions affecting individuals, businesses, governments and countries. For instance, is a professional footballer working for five weeks really worth the same as a nurse that has worked for forty years? Why are diamonds more expensive than water? Does our well-being in England really depend on people in other parts of the world being poor? Economics enables you to become a critical thinker and help you to understand the world better. Why are we in a recession? How could we solve the problem of unemployment? You will learn to apply the Economists toolkit to understand and explain the world as it is and make predictions about the future direction and possible solutions. Economics is held in high esteem by all Universities, including the Russell Group, due to its academic rigour. The A Level is structured into four coherent themes to support teaching and learning: • Theme 1: Markets and Market Failure. • Theme 2: UK economy - Performance and Policies. • Theme 3: Business Behaviour and the Labour Market. • Theme 4: Global Perspective.
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A LEVEL
English Literature The aim of the course is to encourage candidates to develop their interest in and enjoyment of literature and literary studies as they: • read widely and independently both set texts and others that they have selected for themselves; • engage creatively with a substantial body of texts and ways of responding to them; • develop and effectively apply their knowledge of literary analysis and evaluation in speech and writing. Component 1: Shakespeare and Drama and Poetry Pre 1900 (40%). Component 2: Close Reading of American Literature, comparative and contextual study (40%). Component 3: Coursework on a choice of texts (20%). • Purple Hibiscus - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. • A Street Car Named Desire - Tennessee Williams. • Ariel - Sylvia Plath.
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A LEVEL
Extended Project The Extended Project Qualification is an A Level standard, standalone qualification designed to extend and develop your abilities beyond the A Level syllabus and prepare for university or your future career. It’s worth half an A Level in terms of UCAS points and is recognised by universities and employers. The Extended project qualification provides an opportunity for you to extend your abilities beyond your sixth form course of study, stand out and prepare for university or your future career. You’ll be supported by your supervisor throughout the duration of the course, but there is also the need for students to demonstrate their own time management skills.
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A LEVEL
Geography Geography is all about developing an understanding and awareness of the human and physical world which you will study issues at a local, regional, national and global scale. The emphasis is on processes that cause change and these are extended through the study of case examples in countries at varying levels of development. You will be identifying patterns and suggesting why these might occur and change over time. This will help you to understand some of the pressing environmental, economic and social problems facing the world today.
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A LEVEL
Mathematics Over the two years, students will study a broad range of Pure Mathematics, Mechanics and Statistics. • The Pure Core content builds on students’ existing skills in Algebra and Trigonometry as well as introducing new topics. These include proof, functions, coordinate geometry, sequences and series, exponential and logarithms, differentiation, integration, and numerical methods. To succeed at this level students must be confident in using the Algebra met at GCSE Level, and also enjoy using it, as they will meet a lot of it! • Mechanics involves the study of forces and their effects on moving objects. Topics include Newton’s laws of motion, friction and projectile motion. It will also extend on their GCSE work on vectors. It is particularly useful for students also studying Physics at Advanced Level or wishing to study Engineering in higher education. • Statistics includes further study of probability and measures of the average and spread of data. Topics include population sampling, data representation, probability, statistical distributions and hypothesis testing. Statistics has useful applications to Biology, Economics, Business Studies, Geography and Psychology.
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A LEVEL
Further Mathematics Mathematics is a vast subject studying numbers, quantities, shape, space, their relationships, and a lot more. Further Mathematics, in turn, describes a course studied in addition to the standard A Level Mathematics. It provides deeper grounding in, and greater conceptual understanding of, both Pure and Applied Mathematics by introducing students to such topics as complex numbers, matrix algebra, differential equations, Taylor series, and others. All these ideas are extremely important for the establishment of many scientific concepts present today and, for those passionate about Mathematics, are very interesting to learn in their own right. By the end of the course you will have taken your mathematical aptitude to a higher level and developed further your logical, numerical and problem-solving skills. Students will study two compulsory Further Pure modules, and another two from a range of choices. The optional modules being offered usually range from Additional Further Pure, Mechanics, Statistics and Decision modules, some of which introduce entirely new maths, and some build on A Level maths content.
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A LEVEL
A LEVEL
Media studies
Physics
Media Studies is designed to allow students to draw on their existing experience of the media and to develop their abilities to respond critically to the media. It enables students to explore a wide variety of media, including digital media technologies, drawing on the fundamental concepts informing the study of the media: media language, institution, audience, representation and contexts. The course also encourages creative work to enable students to gain a greater appreciation of the media through their own production work and to develop their own production skills.
What falls fastest: a bowling ball, cat or an apple? How did the Universe begin? Does lightning travel up or down? In A Level Physics we ask questions of what we find around us. The discovery of why, what and how things work, as well looking at the biggest questions in the universe. The lessons are about exploration and are student-led, creating independent learners who question the world around them.
Component 1: Media Products, Industries and Audience - Written Exam (35%).
“Teachers match their teaching well to the prior attainment and current progress of students.”
Component 2: Media Forms and Products In depth - Written Exam (35%). Component 3: Media Production, NonExamined - Practical Coursework (30%).
OFSTED
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A LEVEL
A LEVEL
Psychology
Sociology
Psychology is the scientific study of human behaviour. It aims to understand and explain the human experience through looking at biological and non biological explanations. Psychology uses evidence to produce theories about behaviour. These theories have been applied to many fields.
Students will acquire knowledge and a critical understanding of contemporary social issues and changes. They will learn the theoretical and conceptual ideas in sociological debate and be able to understand and evaluate a range of research methods through active involvement. Students are encouraged to develop skills that will enable them to focus on their personal identity, roles and responsibilities within society and develop a lifelong interest in social issues.
A LEVEL
Religious Studies “The unexamined life is not worth living” Socrates. Ever since humans started to think, religion and philosophy have been a fundamental part of our development. In the 21st century, religion continues to address the same eternal human questions about life and death, values and relationships, right and wrong. An A Level in Religious Studies will develop your understanding and appreciation of religious beliefs and teachings, as well as the disciplines of ethics and the philosophy of religion.
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“Teaching in the Sixth Form is consistently of a high quality.” OFSTED
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“The good teaching helps students to be well prepared for their next steps.” OFSTED AQA EXTENDED CERTIFICATE
BTEC
applied science
Business (level 3)
Do you want to study Biology, Chemistry and Physics whilst carrying out practical science investigations? Then the Applied Science certificate course offers all of this. This Level 3 qualification delivers a broad practical introduction to Science and supports your progression to further study or employment. Lessons are designed to develop your fundamental scientific knowledge and practical skills valued by universities and employers.
The BTEC National Level 3 Business course focuses on the vocational aspects of Business with the aim to provide a coherent introduction to study the business sector through applied teaching and learning using a range of methods to include; case studies, visiting speakers, role plays, application to variety of different businesses and visits to industry. This a valuable course for students who wish to study the more practical aspect of business and who aim to progress to higher education and ultimately to employment in the business sector. To support effective learning, we also have the use of iPADs and MACs along with an extensive collection of text books and subject specific magazines to read.
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“The strong leadership of the Sixth Form is instrumental in building and maintaining the good quality of this provision and outcomes for students...” OFSTED BTEC
CAMBRIDGE TECHNICAL DIPLOMA
Health & Social Care (level 3)
ICT (level 3)
There are a wide range of topics covered on the Extended Certificate (1 A Level equivalent) and Diploma (2 A Level equivalent) course. Topics covered will include growth and development of individuals and how various factors can influence us, working in health and social care which includes exploring different careers and organisations, promoting public health, meeting care needs, complementary therapies, exploring additional needs such as disabilities and many more. There will also be a work experience opportunity for students who study the National Diploma course.
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Throughout this course, you will have the opportunity to learn a variety of essential and credible skills across different software packages. Independent research and through different means of assessment, the vocational course will allow you to demonstrate your understanding clearly to your teachers.
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SIXTH FORM Downing Drive, Evington, Leicester, LE5 6LN Tel: 0116 2413984 Email: office@tcolc.aspirelp.uk www.cityleicester.co.uk
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