A Guiding Hand: How we Support Scholarship and University Applications in the Sixth Form

In the Sixth Form, we expect all our pupils to consider themselves scholars. As such, every lesson should be approached with scholarly curiosity and a desire to enrich knowledge in the pupils’ chosen academic disciplines: our staff take great joy in extending their classes beyond the sometimes narrow confines of A Level specifications.

There are, though, also countless extra opportunities for our Sixth Formers to stand out from the wider cohort (both in the UK and abroad) with whom they will be competing for the most competitive university courses. Some of these opportunities take the form of participation in directed extension classes across a wide range of academic disciplines; there are classes that operate in parallel with taught subjects and those that open up new fields such as law and medicine. As such, every week we have Sixth Formers gathered together debating the ideas regarding the nature of geographic ‘truth’, the concept of the ‘Rule of Law’, musicology and theories of international relations (to name but a few).  

Pupils also have the benefit of weekly small group sessions with an Academic Supervisor who facilitates and manages their development and wider reading. In the Sixth Form, the number of academic clubs and societies grows and pupils are encouraged to participate in – but crucially also to lead – these; there are too many to list here but the Senior Science Society, the Herrick (our Sixth Form English Society), the Debating Society and the Senior Geography Society all have large and determined cohorts each year. Societies host speakers and discussions and generally provide a forum for scholarly endeavour outside the curriculum.

All pupils are encouraged to enter a plethora of exciting and prestigious competitions each year and we have recently had great success in, to name but a very few, the Julia Wood Prize (History), the John Locke Institute Prizes (various fields) and a range of scientific and Mathematics Olympiads. Many will complete Extended Projects (a research-based A Level qualification) and still more will complete exciting Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) run by top universities around the world.

We would hope much of the above is pursued for its own intrinsic joy and that pupils bring a love of learning to lessons and leave our Sixth Form committed to a life of scholarly endeavour. Clearly, though, some element of this is geared to winning places at the most competitive universities, including Oxbridge. As such, we believe that some of the benefits of our supercurricular work are seen in the large majorities (in the region of 75% each year) going on to Russell Group universities, the numbers winning places at medical schools and the thirty or so OMTs that you would meet wandering the streets of Oxford and Cambridge each year.

The above represents just one part of university applications: the important advice, guidance – and yes, the occasional nudge – is provided by our experienced team of UCAS advisors. These subject specialists take charge of small groups applying for degree courses in their fields and shepherd them through the process. Our advisors encourage research on courses, often using the excellent Unifrog platform to which we subscribe; they help with the administrative aspects of the applications; and, perhaps most importantly, they assist with the drafting of personal statements and write our references for applicants. Sixth Formers also receive important guidance on personal statements and the like from our Sixth Form Team and the wonderful Careers Department plays an integral role in the whole process (and has a wealth of experience in the growing field of Degree Apprenticeships, too).

The results of all of the above seem to be very pleasing!

If you have any questions about the scholarship in the Sixth Form or university applications, please do get in touch with me.