INFORMATION, ADVICE AND GUIDANCE

We are extremely proud of our students’ outstanding academic achievements and work hard to support them. 6th form is a critical period of transition between school and higher education or employment. When becoming a 6th form student there are a number of challenges: managing the academic adjustment from GCSE to A Level, taking more responsibility for independent learning and applying for university courses, school leaver programmes, higher apprenticeships or jobs. These issues may also coincide with social pressures, personal problems and emotional stress.  We have a very well-established structure of academic teaching, individual pastoral care and take the advice we give to our students regarding higher education and careers guidance very seriously. We ensure our students develop as young adults and leave the 6th form mature, confident, well-rounded and independent individuals. 

For students joining the 6th form the induction programme and pastoral system is designed to ease the settling in period, and support is available from the 6th form team throughout the transition process and into the academic year.  All new students are invited to join us for our Induction Days prior to commencing Year 12. Time is spent on taster lessons, team-building activities and meeting Form Tutors and fellow tutor group members. Students settle quickly into the learning, the new environment and high expectations that form part of being a Sixth Form student at Beaulieu.

6th form Tutors monitor academic progress and general welfare. Students are allocated a highly experienced tutor for the two years and are part of a close-knit tutor group. 

Tutorial sessions are held three times a week, when Form Tutors carry out pastoral work on an individual basis, or run a whole tutor group session. It is the Form Tutor’s role to have an academic and personal overview of each individual within their tutor group and to be the first point of contact between the student, parent or carer and the subject teachers. In addition, 6th form students and their families can call on the Director of 6th form and the 6th form team for help and support, both in academic and in personal matters. 6th form students with special learning needs work closely with their Form Tutors and the school’s Learning Support Department. 

At this stage of education we recognise that communication with parents and carers continues to be vital. We achieve this through regular Parental Consultation Evenings alongside tracking and reporting of progress throughout the year.  More direct contact happens where necessary. We host Parental Information Evenings (PIEs) for parents about 6th form life, explaining the university process, the transition from Year 12 to 13 and how the school supports the students in these areas.

Our 6th form team works hard to ensure that each student has an excellent personal reference whatever their future ambitions. Students are given detailed advice and assistance throughout the UCAS process. Specialist advice is on hand for Oxbridge applicants and other highly competitive fields such as medicine, veterinary and dentistry. Many of our students will be increasingly exploring apprenticeships and we host a wide range of informative events about these in school.

We value our 6th form students as individuals and as leaders of our school community. 6th form students are encouraged to take up posts of responsibility and Senior Prefect roles, as well as to participate in the pastoral welfare of students in the main school as peer mentors or paired readers. All students are also supported to gain experience of the world of work during the course of Year 12. Whilst the priority should always be A Level study, universities and employers are looking for balanced, well-rounded individuals who have not only achieved academic excellence, but have also contributed to, and benefited from, other activities. Some of these activities can be challenging, but ultimately we aim to make them enjoyable and personally rewarding.