King Edward VI School Wilton Road Southampton SO15 5UQ Tel: +44 (0)23 8070 4561 Fax: +44 (0)23 8070 5937 Email: enquiries@kes.hants.sch.uk www.kes.hants.sch.uk
sixth form
prospectus
welcome The Sixth Form is one of the most exciting times in your education – an opportunity to explore new ideas and challenge yourself. For the first time you can choose what you really want to study and the curriculum at King Edward’s offers you the chance to engage, in depth, in the sciences, the arts or to create a mix to suit you. Beyond your studies you will have the chance to embrace experiences which will prepare you for university and the world of work. You will learn to lead others and to develop the teamwork and presentational skills which will give you the confidence that is a mark of our students. You will be able to explore new horizons; perhaps an exchange visit to the USA or Spain, an expedition to Alaska or field work in the jungles of Mexico, the chance to participate in a new sport, direct a play or record your own music.
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Your time in the Sixth Form is a bridge between compulsory schooling and higher education. King Edward’s has the experts on hand to advise you, whether you want to apply to read history at Oxford or go to Music College, develop a career in the law or take a chance on the stage. With highly professional careers and higher education advice, together with the energy, industry and drive of our students, it is no surprise that almost all proceed to study at university, with over 80% in the top 25 institutions. The Sixth Form at King Edward’s is hard work but it is also fun. You will make friendships that can last a lifetime and create memories that should sustain you in whatever you go on to do.
AJ Thould HEAD MASTER
think King Edward’s Sixth Form has an outstanding record of academic achievement. As you study for your AS and A2 levels, you will need to be self-motivated and committed but you will always have the security of inspirational teaching to support you in your work and your future choices. Whatever your subjects, you will be encouraged to think for yourself and to question and debate in a way that develops and stretches your mind. Much of the teaching is close to that which you will experience at university with a seminar approach and plenty of time for reflection and discussion. You emerge at the end of the Upper Sixth as an informed, articulate and confident individual. You can also seek out further challenges amongst the opportunities available via the Extended Project, Foundation Studies, Open Forum and the wide range of academic and other clubs and societies. You can choose to hear from speakers with a vast array of experiences, improve your cooking, learn Mandarin or develop your IT skills.
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nurture Sixth Form tutor groups are small and comprise Lower and Upper Sixth students. Individual attention is therefore a feature of the guidance on offer within the intimacy of a group of ten to twelve tutees. Your tutor will assist as you put together your university application or consider the options for work experience or perhaps a gap year. The Sixth Form offers freedom of choice and autonomy in many respects but you will be guided along your gradual path to independence. In the Sixth Form at KES we will nurture you and encourage you to develop your individual talents and skills alongside your academic studies. Although the focus will be on your academic progress we will actively encourage you to take part in sporting, cultural, co-curricular and charitable activities. These will contribute to your enjoyment of the Sixth Form and also allow you to acquire personal skills such as leadership, teamwork and self-motivation, thus providing you with an education in the broadest sense of the word.
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express You can become involved in creative arts in the Sixth Form whether or not your academic subjects include them. The School offers a first class set of facilities including a fully equipped theatre, recording studio, recital rooms, art workshops and purpose-built dance studio and allows students of all levels to become involved, develop their creativity, showcase their talent and perform. Each year there are opportunities to participate in musical ensembles, drama productions, concerts, art exhibitions, dance workshops, master classes and related trips. Every other year this culminates in the impressive Arts Festival in which Sixth Formers play a vital role in the management and organisation. As a Sixth Former you are invited to take a lead in inspiring younger pupils with your creative talents. The Music Department relies on the talent in the Sixth Form to lead and improve the standards of its musical groups whilst each year the Drama Department actively encourages and supports Sixth Formers in producing and directing performances.
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explore The range of co-curricular trips on offer at King Edward’s ensures that learning at KES is not solely confined to the classroom. You will explore the wider world around you and these experiences, which will challenge your resilience, adaptability and independent thinking, will develop a whole range of finer personal skills. At the same time these trips will create unique memories and be a tremendous amount of fun. Each year students take part in international expeditions and trips. In recent years groups have been trekking and glacier climbing in Alaska, diving in Mexico, visited art galleries in New York, played netball in the Caribbean and taken part in a cricket tour of Sri Lanka, to name but a few. You may also explore destinations closer to home with field trips to places such as Wales or Devon or language exchanges to partner schools in France, Germany or Spain.
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serve King Edward’s is committed to charitable and partnership projects both at home and abroad. As a Sixth Former you can become involved in organising a myriad of fund-raising activities helping to make a difference to the local community and further afield. Charitable work is an important part of the ethos of KES and each year the School raises thousands of pounds for good causes through its annual calendar of events and activities. On a personal level, involvement will allow you to take part in unforgettable lifetime experiences from which you will also gain an enormous sense of satisfaction and self-fulfilment. Every summer a team of Sixth Formers travels to South Africa to work with the Goedgedacht Trust, north of Cape Town, to support its programmes assisting the local population. Closer to home, the Summer Camp team accompany a group of young carers on an activity-packed holiday to Swanage. Partnerships with local schools also play a key role as senior students help junior school pupils in a variety of projects.
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compete Developing a healthy sense of competitiveness, learning the value of team work and shared endeavour and good communication are all wider skills that you can learn through sport and physical activity. The School offers outstanding sporting facilities with a comprehensive range of indoor and outdoor facilities for netball, rugby, cricket, tennis and hockey on the Hill Lane site and at the Wellington Sports Ground. The senior school teams across all the major sports compete at regional and sometimes national level and further opportunities to take part in dance, sailing, fencing, golf, basketball and other sporting activities are also on offer through co-curricular clubs or the games programme for Sixth Formers. Regular overseas tours are also a feature of the sporting experience at King Edward’s. Sport is readily accessible to those for whom it is just good fun at King Edward’s whilst the best athletes are also fully supported in their efforts to reach their full sporting potential.
www.kes.hants.sch.uk
participate Outside of the classroom there is something in which all students can participate. King Edward’s offers over 50 co-curricular clubs and societies many of which are run by Sixth Formers allowing you to develop leadership and organisational skills as you become a positive role model for pupils lower down the School. These clubs also enable you to try something new, mix with others from outside your usual social circle and bring a healthy balance to the inevitable stresses of a busy academic timetable. Break dancing, rock academy, politics, creative writing, hospital visiting or debating‌.the list of what you can take part in is endless! There is also a flourishing Duke of Edinburgh programme. Each year, the scheme tests the physical and mental endurance of hundreds of students, with between 25 and 30 gaining their Gold award. We have our own specialist centre for expeditions on Dartmoor but we use a range of different environments to help you acquire the experience you need.
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succeed The vast majority of Sixth Form students leaving King Edward’s will continue into Higher Education. On average over 80% proceed to one of the top 25 universities with10-15% of each cohort taking up offers at Oxford or Cambridge. The Student Guidance staff will provide support and help with your university applications and subsequent interviews and organise visits to prospective universities. Advice is available from a specialist Gap Year Co-ordinator for those students who decide to take a year out. We will also continue to help you with your university applications during your year out to ensure that you are fully prepared for when you return. At King Edward’s we are proud of the very broad education that we provide for our students enabling them to move into adult life as confident, motivated and mature individuals who have an understanding of the world around them as well as a portfolio of excellent academic results.
www.kes.hants.sch.uk
prospectus