Sixth Form Handbook 2022/23
Contents O U R VA L U E S
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WELCOME
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Academic structure Habs Diploma Personal devices Co-curriculum Attendance and absence Facilities Leadership opportunities Rewards and sanctions University and career support Alumnae network Dress code Transport Exams and access arrangements FAQs SCHOOL MAP
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Our values Our brand values are what we hold dear as a school, the core beliefs that we stand for. They should drive all decisions and actions.
Ambition
We set our sights high in terms of what we want to achieve as individuals and as a community, in and outside the classroom, aspiring to achieve our full potential in whatever we put our minds to.
Curiosity
In a diverse world, we believe that growth comes from not standing still. We are driven by an unending desire to learn and improve, not standing still and having an open and inquiring mind to anything we face.
Courage
We believe in the courage to face challenge, embrace opportunity and step out of our comfort zones to grow and become our best selves, whilst also having courage in our conviction, remaining true to our moral compass and what we believe is the right thing to do.
Community
Since we were founded, we have had an inherent responsibility to our diverse internal and wider community and continue to dedicate ourselves to nurturing it and supporting each other to be our best selves.
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Welcome to the Sixth Form School It is a pleasure to welcome you to the Sixth Form at Habs. We are proud of our Sixth Form and the contribution it makes to the whole school community. Sixth Form life is about excelling outside the classroom and much as within it, meeting the high expectations that we have of you and building your skills to make the most of all the options available to you. You will be able to build a bespoke curriculum to feed your academic passions and spark new ones, developing as confident learners who are ready for their next step in life. LAURA MEE
HEAD OF SIXTH FORM
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Academic curriculum You will choose either three or four A Levels on discussion with the Head of Sixth Form or a senior member of staff, who will guide you in this important decision.
THE SUBJECTS AVAILABLE TO YOU ARE:
ART
ENGLISH LITERATURE
MUSIC
BIOLOGY
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
PE
CHEMISTRY
FRENCH
PHILOSOPHY
CLASSICAL CIVILISATION
GEOGRAPHY
PHYSICS
CLASSICAL GREEK
GERMAN
POLITICS
COMPUTER SCIENCE
HISTORY
PSYCHOLOGY
DRAMA
LATIN
RELIGIOUS STUDIES
DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
MATHS
SPANISH
ECONOMICS
FURTHER MATHS
You will have at least one subject taught in a co-educational group. For that subject, this could mean that you are based at the Girls’ School but in mixed gender classes, or that you are based at the Boys’ School in a mixed gender class. However, you will still ‘belong’ to the Girls’ School and all of your pastoral care and academic support will come from us.
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The Habs Diploma In addition to your core A level subjects, you will undertake activities that will contribute towards your Habs Diploma. The aim of this project is to ensure you leave Habs not only with outstanding qualifications, but also a sense of intellectual curiosity, a love of learning, a wide range of skills and a deep understanding of other cultures and perspectives.
The components of the diploma include: Extended research project A 3,000 to 4,000 word essay completed over the course of your Lower Sixth year. You will choose an academic area to research and be guided by an academic advisor during one timetabled period per week. You will gain skills in managing time, referencing, discussion and presentation.
Subject enhancement You will gain a deeper insight into one of your chosen A Level subjects, or an area that you are considering for university. You will think deeply and critically about that subject, preparing for undergraduate study and supporting your university application. These sessions take place once a week running from January of Lower Sixth to December of Upper Sixth.
Elective courses You will have the chance to pursue all of your academic interests through Elective Courses. You can choose six 8-week courses throughout your Sixth Form study. These may have elements in common with your A Levels or be completely new areas. Examples of courses are: Introduction to Feminism, Theory of Knowledge, Ab Initio Russian, Italian or Japanese, Electronics and Microchip Programming.
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Speaker programme There will be weekly talks from a range of speakers to fuel a global perspective, sense of scholarship and intellectual discussion. The speakers will be arranged by academic societies and will be experts in their field.
Community service Service is a core Habs’ value and all students are expected to play an active part in their community. We recommend that you undertake at least 20 hours’ of community service per year. Whilst you are free to initiate your own projects, we have partnerships with many organisations such as Watford General Hospital, the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Sunrise Senior Living, Penniwells Riding for the Disabled, English teaching at the Islington Migrant Centre.
Personal devices You may be aware that younger students all have access to a school iPad. However, we wanted to give our Sixth Form more freedom to choose a device that suits them. You may bring your own device into school for use in lessons.
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Co-curricular In the Sixth Form, you are very much seen as leaders of the school and as such, you can run clubs and activities of your choosing. These could be for the Sixth Form only or for younger age groups. Whether you choose to lead a club or just take part, there is something for everyone from Medicine Society, Politics Society, LGBTQ+ Society to a huge range of music, sporting and drama options. Additionally, you can undertake prestigious qualifications such as the Arts Award or Crest Award. You will also have the opportunity to take part in numerous trips, both in the UK and globally. It is through taking part in these activities that you will get the most out of your time in the Sixth Form.
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Attendance We are a school, not a Sixth Form College. As such, you must attend school all day every day. You are permitted to leave school on the 4.15pm coach or the 5.30pm coach if you have an after school activity or would like to study after school. All Sixth Form students are required to wear lanyards at all times whilst on the school grounds. This will help us to identify you, particularly when you are moving between the Girls’ and Boys’ School sites.
Absences For sickness, your parents should email the Head of Sixth Form, copying in absencesenior@habsgirls.org.uk For one day or less (for example, university open days) parents should email the Head of Sixth Form in advance. For absences of over one day, parents should request this from the Headmistress in advance. You are permitted to take driving lessons during the school day provided they fall during the same time each week and do not interfere with form time or registration. Parents should make this request from the Head of Sixth Form. Whilst the absence emails should come from your parents, we expect you to stay in touch with your form tutor and subject teachers. For example, if you are absent due to sickness, you should also email your subject teachers (provided you are well enough to do so) and request the work you have missed.
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Facilities The Sixth Form Common Room is your main area to relax and spend time with friends. You can buy food from here during break and study during quiet times. There is a dedicated Sixth Form Study Area for you to work outside of lesson times. This is the only space that Boys’ School students are permitted if you are completing group work under the direction of a teacher. All students may study in our Learning Resource Centre, which is fully equipped with educational books and resources to help you in your studies. Our Head Librarian, Mrs Hackett, has a wealth of knowledge and experience to help you find whatever you may need.
As a Sixth Former, you have the privilege to use our Mezzanine Café along with staff. You are able to have break and lunch here and also study during your free periods. You have access to our fully equipped Fitness Suite during your free periods or dedicated after school sessions. This is a great way to keep up your fitness, along with your weekly PE lessons, where you can choose a range of activities from yoga to badminton.
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Leadership opportunities There are multiple leadership opportunities that you can undertake during your time in the Sixth Form, furthering your skills and giving you examples for those all important job interviews and personal statements. The structure of our leadership prefects and committees can be seen below. Each school prefect will lead a committee made up of your peers and younger students. Committee members will work alongside their allocated school prefect to come up with new ideas and initiatives, helping both our school and the wider community.
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Duties As leaders within the school, we expect you to undertake duties to help the rest of the school community. This could be break or lunch duty, helping to check on younger students and making sure everything runs smoothly.
Sixth Form Student Leadership SENIOR PREFECT TEAM HEAD PREFECT AND DEPUTY HEAD PREFECT SENIOR PREFECT (GILLETT)
SENIOR PREFECT (GILLILAND)
SENIOR PREFECT (HAROLD)
SENIOR PREFECT (MILLAR)
SENIOR PREFECT (POWELL)
SENIOR PREFECT (SPRULES)
HOUSE LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE
House Leadership committees will be made up of five members - each assigned to a specific year group
SCHOOL PREFECTS
(Years 7 to 11)
ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT PREFECT
CHARITY PREFECT
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP COMMITTEES
CO-CURRICULAR PREFECT
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION PREFECT
Each School Leadership
ENVIRONMENT PREFECT
JUNIOR SCHOOL PREFECT
Committee will have a
MENTORING PREFECT
PUBLIC OCCASIONS PREFECT
School Prefect leading
DEPUTY MENTORING PREFECT
WELLBEING PREFECT
it and potentially the opportunity for an additional ‘Deputy’ role
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Rewards and sanctions Your teachers will be far more likely to give you rewards than sanctions. You might be given a house point for being kind, looking after the school or contributing well in class. A Cornflower is the next tier and rewards notable participation in an activity either in school or outside. The much coveted signing of the Excellence Book is our highest reward, which recognises exceptional participation in an activity. However, there is a system of sanctions for the rare occasions they are needed. These range from Level 1 - a lunchtime keep-in - to Level 2 - an after school detention - to Level 3 - suspension.
University and careers support Mrs Graham is the dedicated member of the Sixth Form team who will guide you through the university process, whether you want to study in the UK, internationally or consider a degree apprenticeship. She provides a comprehensive programme that takes place throughout your time in the Sixth Form. You can contact Mrs Graham by email for an appointment: egraham@habsgirls.org.uk
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Alumnae network Once a Haberdasher, always a Haberdasher. As such, you will benefit from our network of alumnae. Our alumnae officer, Mrs Karlekar can assist in putting you in touch with former students from a range of universities and professions: skarlekar@habsgirls.org.uk
Dress code Sixth Form students are leaders in the school and role models for the younger year groups - as such they need to be smartly presented at all times. The Sixth Form should be dressed in a manner that would result in them being taken seriously within a professional working environment. Students’ appearance should reflect a sense of pride in themselves and in the school. The following items are inappropriate: • • • • •
Leisurewear (including tracksuits, jogging bottoms,
Please note, it remains the right of the
combat/cargo trousers, hoodies, fleeces or sweatshirts)
Head of Sixth Form or a senior member of
Trainers, flip flops, Ugg-, or Doc Martin-style boots
staff to determine that an item of clothing
Denim
is not appropriate for school even if it
Leggings
technically meets the above requirements.
Clothes with obvious logos or slogans
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Transport to and from school We encourage you to take the school coach, as this is a more reliable option. If you have passed your driving test, you may drive to school and park at Aldenham Country Park. However, this is strictly at your own liability. There is no parking available for the Sixth Form on school grounds at any time.
Exams and access arrangements Exams are managed by Mrs Barrett, our exams officer (abarrett@habsgirls.org.uk) who you will meet once you have settled into the Sixth Form. You have access to our Head of Individual Needs, Mrs Baker (abaker@habsgirls.org.uk) who can advise you on matters relating to access arrangements for exams, in addition to helping with any individual issues you may have.
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FAQs Can I study at either school during my free periods? You are only permitted to study at the opposite school if you have been instructed to do so by a teacher. If this is the case, you can use the Sixth Form Study Area at the Girls’ School or within an academic department at the Boys’ School.
Can I have lunch or break at either school? If you have a lesson before or after break, you may spend break at the opposite school. In all other circumstances, you will return to your home school. You must return to your home school for lunch and will not be able to access the catering facilities at the opposite school.
If I have an academic or pastoral issue, who should I go to? Your first point of contact is always your form tutor. They will listen to any concerns you have and pass them on to the Head of Sixth Form or a senior member of staff as appropriate.
Finally, we hope that you enjoy your time in our Sixth Form, making the most of all opportunities available to you and leaving with a love of learning and lifelong relationship with Habs. 17
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