Sixth Form

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Welcome from Sixth Form

Welcome to our Sixth Form

The Sixth Form at St Mary’s will be the most exciting and rewarding two years of your school life. You will choose subjects that you want to study in-depth and be encouraged to explore new ideas and research areas of personal interest. There’s more freedom to manage your own time, more choice and more opportunity to make things happen.

We provide our students with an excellent academic education, strong pastoral care and a wide range of enrichment and leadership opportunities. You will receive outstanding teaching, achieve exceptional A Level results and quickly feel at home in a place that is buzzing with activity and fun. Our A Level classes are small, our teachers are all specialists in their subject areas and their lessons will challenge, stretch, and inspire. We draw students out of their comfort zones and encourage a spirit of enquiry and debate.

The highly experienced Sixth Form Tutor team will get to know you well as they support you in all areas of Sixth Form life, whether it be your A level studies, co-curricular activities, or successful transition to higher education. You will have opportunities to take a leading role in the life of the school, not only as part of the Head Girl Team but also as House Captains and Prefects. Our Sixth Form is not just made for our students; it’s made by them, too. You can run or participate in a range of clubs and societies such as Med Soc, Current Affairs Club and Law Discussion Group. We also offer you the chance to give back to the wider community through our Service Learning Programme, making this a time when you will learn as much about yourself as the subjects you are studying.

The Sixth Form is located in the beautiful Cedar House, a purpose-built dedicated block flooded with natural light. Our common room, complete with a small kitchen area, provides a relaxing space for you to eat and hang out with friends. The silent study room is the perfect place to work during your study periods, and a secluded courtyard garden provides a wonderful retreat in the warmer months. Our varied Physical Education sessions include competitive team sports alongside yoga and group fitness classes. The weekly Enrichment Programme, a lecture series that would do credit to a top university, provides our Sixth Formers with the opportunity to hear from dynamic speakers in careers such as criminal justice, the medical profession and film and television to name a few. These talks spark the imagination, allowing our students to engage with new people and places.

The majority of our leavers will head to their first-choice university, with the rest taking up excellent places at their insurance offers. Many of these will be on highly competitive courses at prestigious universities in the UK and abroad. But we know that’s not the sum of every student’s aspirations and whatever your chosen path, we will be there to guide you. When you join the Sixth Form at St Mary’s, you join a vibrant and supportive community that enables you to achieve you best. We look forward to working with you.

Mrs Alex Francisco, Head of Sixth Form