sixth form prospectus28b-web

2015
Sixth Form: Prospectus
Heart of England

Welcome
Welcome
I consider it both a great privilege and a huge responsibility to provide
our students with the best possible preparation they need for success in a
rapidly evolving global community. Our students will need to be flexible,
adaptable and have the imagination and creativity to cope with a world in
which there will be challenges and opportunities aplenty.
Given the rapid nature of change, it has never been more important
that our young people learn how to learn. Our students are inquisitive,
confident and ambitious for themselves and for their communities, fully
engaging in the richness and diversity of school life and all that lies beyond.
One of the fundamental strengths of the Heart of England Sixth Form over
the two decades I have known it, is that it is undoubtedly an environment
where academic excellence and educational fulfilment are given the
highest priority. One of our key responsibilities is to make sure that
the best teaching brings about the highest quality of learning across all
subjects, leading to outcomes in public examinations that are as strong as
they can be for each individual. Whilst academic results are our priority,
our Sixth Form achieves the balance that helps produce really well rounded
and successful individuals.
Welcome to an outstanding Sixth Form.
Maqsood Kiddy
Director: Post-16
Our Sixth Form at Heart of England has a long tradition of excellence. Not
only do our students achieve outstanding results, they do so in a kind and
supportive educational setting. Our staff care about people as individuals
and work hard to design learning experiences that motivate and inspire.
Jacqueline Hughes-Williams
Principal

Entry Criteria
Entry Criteria
In order to ensure that students embark on the most appropriate
pathway for themselves, we have established the following entry
criteria to help applicants make the best possible decision.
Each student will need to achieve a minimum average points score of
42 from their best 8 GCSE results, at least one of which should be in
Maths or English Language. This average points score is based on the
QCA points system which is as follows:
• A*=58, A =52, B=46, C=40, D=34, E=28, F=22 and G=16
This average can be made up of different combinations of grades, for
example:
• 4Cs, 3Bs & 1A
• 5Cs & 3Bs
• 6Cs, 1B, 1A
• 7Cs & 1A*
These are just examples of the grade combinations that would give
students an average of 42 or higher across their best 8 GCSE grades.
In some cases, there may be more specific subject requirements as
described in the individual subject information. Any concerns you have
about this can be discussed in detail with subject tutors.
www.heart-england.co.uk/sixth-form/choices-of-sixth-form-courses

A Levels
The 2015-2016 academic year is
an extraordinary year. Following
government reforms, some A Level
subjects (phase 1) will be taught as
new specifications which are quite
different to the current model.
Students can still study and sit
AS exams at the end of the first
year and receive a free standing
qualification but these results
won’t count towards the final
Phase 1 Subjects
AS exams can be sat but do not
count towards the full A Level
grade
Art
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Psychology
English Language
English Literature
Economics
Business Studies
History
Sociology
Computing
A Level grade. Instead, all exams
for the A level qualification will
be taken at the end of the course,
covering the content from the
whole two years. However some
subjects will remain in the current
set-up for another year and won’t
start this different format until
September 2016.
In September 2015 this will be the
picture:
Subjects for later reform
AS exams count towards the
final A Level grade
Design & Technology
Drama
Food Technology
Textiles
French
German
Spanish
Geography
Maths
Further Maths
Music Technology
PE
Philosophy
Health & Social Care
Government & Politics
Law
ICT
Media Studies
Within this mixed economy, a
change of government in May
2015 could also mean that the
proposed changes are halted
and ultimately reversed. Many
universities are unhappy with the
changes as they are strongly of
the view that for A Level students
AS Levels taken at the end of Year
12 are of significant educational
benefit. They allow students to
assess their academic progress,
review their A Level choices, and
make appropriate higher education
applications with confidence. Over
the years this externally assessed
exam has proved invaluable for all
parties.
At Heart of England School we are
keen to minimise the risk to our
students and we feel that we can’t
afford to opt fully into a system
that hasn’t become clear. Obliging
students who are studying a phase
1 subject to simply sit an exam
at the end of the course could
lead to inequality of experience
and inequality of choice when
compared to non-reformed
subjects.
Consequently the cohort of
students embarking on A Level
study at Heart of England in
September 2015 will all study
for and sit four AS levels in June
2016, regardless of whether they
are studying a reformed or nonreformed
A level.
Where students are studying a
reformed subject the full A level
qualification they take at the end
of Year 13 will cover the content of
the whole two years. The AS grade
they have achieved at the end of
Year 12 won’t ultimately count
towards their grade but it will have
served as an excellent external
benchmark of their progress and
will highlight any areas which need
attention before they sit the full A
level exam.
Students studying unreformed
A Levels will also sit AS Levels but
the points earned from these will
count towards their full A Level
and are, in a sense, ‘banked’.
This decision has not been taken
lightly and we believe that we
have made the right choice for our
students.

Choosing A Levels
Thinking Ahead
Intending to apply to a competitive/Russell Group
university
Deciding on which A levels to study, or not, is a
difficult choice. Whatever you choose now will
commit you to certain directions at university and
perhaps rule out certain careers. It is important that
your decisions are taken on the basis of complete and
accurate information and clear thinking.
A good starting point is the Russell Group Informed
Choices which offers a 5 step plan for making post 16
choices:
1. Know what you want to study: Check out
the entry requirements.
2. Not sure yet Keep your options open: Try
to choose at least two facilitating subjects.
Subjects that can be viewed as facilitating
subjects are:
• Mathematics and Further Mathematics
• English Literature
• Physics
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Geography
• History
• Languages (Classical and Modern)
There are some advanced level subjects which
provide suitable preparation for entry to university
generally, but which we do not include within the
facilitating subjects, because there are relatively
few degree programmes where an advanced
level qualification in these subjects would be a
requirement for entry. Examples of such subjects
include Economics and Religious Studies.
3. Understand the GCSE requirements for
entry to a competitive university.
4. Think balance: do you have a balance
of subject choices that reflect your
abilities, strengths and interests Have
you considered how certain subject
combinations relate to university courses
5. Make sure you know why you want to take
a subject: Do you have an aptitude for it
Will you find it interesting to study Does
the subject choice help with your degree or
future career options
www.russellgroup.ac.uk/informed-choices/

Courses
Your Choices
Heart of England Sixth Form offers a breadth of subjects available for
study.
All 3 Sciences: Biology, Physics & Chemistry are offered and have
consistently high numbers of students opting to study them.
Similarly the Modern Foreign Languages team offer three languages that
are taught here: French, German and Spanish.
Our Technology team are passionate about their subjects and students
have the opportunity to study Product Design, Textiles or Food.
The wide range of choice within departments is in addition to the
selection of subjects on offer across the curriculum.
Humanities Social Science Arts Digital Communication
English Literature
English Language
History
Geography
Philosophy
Psychology
Sociology
Law
Health & Social Care
Government & Politics
Business Studies
Economics
Art
Drama
Music Technology
Computing
ICT
Media Studies
Maths Sport Languages Science Technology
Maths
PE
Further Maths
French
Spanish
German
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Design
Textiles
Food

A Taste of Sixth Form
The Sixth Form is
outstanding. Students
make excellent
progress due to the
extensive range of
subjects offered,
strong teaching and
impressive care,
guidance and support.
Ofsted November 2013

Enrichment
Heart of England Sixth Form
students can take part in a wide
range of Enrichment Activities to
broaden their experience whilst
studying. There are activities to
expand their natural talents and
activities to access information and
resources for success after Sixth
Form.
Pit Lizards
The Greenpower Project
challenges students to design,
build and then race an electric
car within professionally drafted
specifications. Cars must be built
around a standard 24v electric
drive motor and utilise a pair of
12v lead acid batteries. We have
raced our car at a number of
well-known motor racing circuits
such as Silverstone, Rockingham
and Mallory Park. We encourage
Sixth Form students with a wide
range of interests to get involved
with the project, particularly
engineering, design, finance,
marketing and journalism. There
is scope to develop and enhance
many skills. Students also benefit
from solving problems as part of a
team and they gain in confidence
to work independently on this
student-led activity.
Debate Club
Taking a topic and putting forward
your view in a lively debate is
something we encourage our
students to do. Each week we take
topics to stretch and improve the
thoughts of our students. Some
of the topics covered have been:
‘Should prisoners be entitled to
the vote’, ‘Should smokers pay
for their own NHS treatment’,
‘Do video games induce violence
in young people’ Debate Club
helps with presentation skills
and keeping focus in order to be
persuasive.
Sport
Students have the use of the
facilities on site: Fitness Room,
Dance Studio and Sports Hall for
badminton, netball or trampoline.
We also have football, netball and
rugby teams who compete against
other sixth forms. A course of six
golf lessons at Stonebridge Golf
course which have been free to the
students have been arranged in
the last two years.
Drama
Productions are staged each year
at the school and the Sixth Form
students have the opportunity to
audition for parts and can assist
with all aspects of putting on a full
scale musical.
NCS The Challenge
Heart of England students can
gain new experiences in the NCS
challenge with a chance to learn
new skills and meet new people.
It’s an exciting opportunity to
discover new talent and realise
potential.
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
Students will have the opportunity
to take part in Bronze, Silver and
Gold Awards. This is a chance to
develop skills for life and work.

Mentoring
Giving Something Back
When our students start in Sixth Form many of them feel that they’d like
to help younger students to settle in and be successful at school. To this
end a large number of our students choose to become Year 7 mentors
and help students in lower school who might be finding homework hard
or who struggle with organising themselves.
This mentoring scheme has proved popular as every year over half of
our students volunteer, get trained and are assigned to students. The
mentors are part of the Leadership in Service Award and both our Sixth
Formers and our lower school students talk extremely positively about
the benefits that mentoring has brought. It has been a very successful
part of our students’ extra-curricular programme.
`I wanted to give something back to the school’
Year 12 student mentor
Becky mentored me for two years. I was thinking of leaving Heart of
England School just after I started in Year 7 but Becky helped me by
meeting me twice a week to go through everything that was bothering
me. It was lovely to have someone to talk to about everything.
Ellen, Year 9

Destinations
Name: Sarah Joy Marshall
Studied: Maths, Psychology,
French, Biology
Achieved: A* A* A A
What I’m doing now:
Studying BSc Education at the
University of Southampton
How Heart of England helped me:
Heart of England always gave
me the freedom to take roles of
responsibility within school, set
up various groups and share my
opinion on things which matter to
me. This nurtured my creative proactivity
and gave me confidence as
a leader - characteristics which will
hopefully be put to good use in my
future teaching career!
Name: Kelly Rees
Studied: Chemistry, Maths,
Further Maths, Physics and
History (AS)
Achieved: A* A* A* A A
What I’m doing now:
Studying Chemistry (MChem
with 6 month placement) at the
University of Southampton.
How Heart of England helped me:
Heart of England allowed me to
continue my studies in subjects
that interested me whilst also
allowing me to get involved in
other activities such as sport and
being on the charity committee.
The support given by members of
staff academically and throughout
the UCAS process helped me to
choose a course and university
that suited me and I’m thoroughly
enjoying pursuing my interest in
Chemistry.
Name: Danny Lee
Studied: Maths, Further Maths,
Physics, French and Geography
(AS)
Achieved: A* A B B B(at AS)
What I’m doing now:
Studying aerospace engineering
at the University of Bristol whilst
undertaking British Army officer
training with the University Officer
Training Corps
How Heart of England helped me:
The Sixth Form gave me the
confidence to make my own
decisions and not just follow the
crowd. Being Head Boy at Heart
of England enabled me to develop
leadership skills and talk to a huge
variety of people.

Student Stories
James Smith
Emma Lycett
Eifion Foster
Ben Hodges
I look back on my time at Heart
of England Sixth Form with great
affection. I studied Law, Economics
and History, benefitting largely from
the support of the excellent teaching
staff.
I am now in my third and final
year at the University of Sheffield
studying Law. I have recently been
successful in securing a training
contract with a Warwickshire-based
law firm with whom I undertook
work experience. If all goes to plan, I
should be a qualified solicitor within
three years of graduation.
I strongly believe that my
experiences at Heart of England
Sixth Form helped to shape me as
the individual that I am today.
In Sixth Form I did English
Literature, History and Geography,
achieving A*A*A*.
I am now in my final year at the
University of Exeter studying
English Literature. Seminars and
lectures are not quite the same
as the fun of English and History
classes with my Heart of England
teachers; they will always be
some of my fondest and funniest
memories of Heart of England
Sixth Form.
Since Sixth Form, I have completed
internships with Thomson Reuters
at their Canary Wharf offices, and
with Dennis Publishing in Soho.
These experiences have really
driven my desire for a successful
career and to enjoy the diversity
and excitement of living in London
after graduating.
During Sixth Form at Heart of
England, I studied an A level in
Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry
and Physics, as well as an AS level
in my favourite subject History.
These science subjects led me into
a mechanical engineering degree
at Imperial College London. When
I finish my degree in two years
time, I will enter a career in the
automotive engineering industry
or with the police force.
My time at Heart of England
taught me to work hard and gave
me a solid foundation in Maths,
which has helped me considerably.
Some of my fondest memories
come from the two years I spent
at Heart of England Sixth Form!
I studied Economics, Maths and
Physics, with English Literature at
AS level.
I am now in my third year at
Nottingham University studying
Economics. Nottingham is a great
city to be a student and I am
openly biased in recommending it
to anyone.
I recently completed an internship
over the summer at the Royal Bank
of Scotland and was fortunate
enough to receive an offer for
a permanent placement as a
graduate.

Application
Key Dates
All details of our courses and subjects are on our website along with our
application forms.
• Closing date for all application forms: Monday 5th January 2015
Internal applications should be given to Mrs Davis in Leveson
Block. External applications should be sent to Mrs S Davis,
Associate Director: Post-16 or via email: DavisS@heart-england.
co.uk
• Taster Day for all applicants: Friday 23rd January 2015
Applicants will have the opportunity to follow a Sixth Form
timetable to experience A Level teaching which is designed
to help your decisions about which subjects are right for you.
Please make sure that you hand in your Taster Day form with
your application form.
• Interviews commence: Monday 2nd February 2015
Interviews will be conducted by senior members of staff.
Offer letters will be sent late March 2015 once all the interviews
have taken place.
• Exam Results Day: Thursday 20th August 2015
• Enrolment for Sixth Form: Thursday 20th August 2015
Students will be able to enrol after they have collected their
exam results.
www.heart-england.co.uk/application

© 2014 Heart of England School
Colour background © 2008 Lucy Nieto
Heart of England Sixth Form
Gipsy Lane
Balsall Common
CV7 7FW
01676 535222
sixthform@heart-england.co.uk
www.heart-england.co.uk/sixthform
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