This document provides information for parents about supporting their child during their time in sixth form college. It outlines differences from secondary school like more independence and responsibility. It discusses the curriculum including subject choices, tutorials, assignments and exams. Advice is provided from past students and expectations are outlined regarding attendance, behavior, and academic performance. Support available from the college is highlighted as well as important dates and processes like UCAS, financial support options, and results day.

1. ‘My child’s coming
to Sixth Form!’
How you can support
your child at Post 16…

2. What’s different from
when I was at school!
• Raised Participation Age – 17yrs
• 4 subjects at AS (Yr 12)
• 3 subjects taken forward to A2 (Yr 13)
• BTEC’s are two year courses that cannot be
dropped at the end of Yr 12.
• Government focus on the Russell Group
Universities and getting more young people
into Higher Education.

3. Why is 6th Form
different to Yr 11?
• Mature adults – I will approach them in the first
instance if there is a concern.
• Study Periods
• Free Gym Membership
• Students can come and go as they please as long
as they attend tutorials and lessons and sign in
and out properly.
• Management of their own space and time
• No detentions, truancy call etc. Self motivation…

4. Tutorials
• Students have been placed into tutor groups according to
their subject choice and the tutors subject specialism.
• Tutor time is focused on preparing students for uni, higher
level apprenticeships and the world of work. We teach
them study skills and debate skills, how to divide tasks in
working groups and how to think independently.
• Workshops and guest speakers are a feature of assemblies.
They can find out here what student life is like, what free
summer schools are available, how to budget effectively
and avoid debt etc
• Tutors will be heavily involved in the writing of references.
• Yr 12’s are expected to attend Mon - Fri

5. Advice from this year’s leavers to new
students…
What advice would you give a Yr 11 starting
in September?
 Don’t leave revision until the last minute. X10
 Keep on top of course work, stay on track to
meet deadlines.
 Use free time wisely/ study timetable
 Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
 Make the most of any opportunities
 Pick the right subjects for you – don’t let others
influence your choices.
 Don’t become a Tourist
What advice would you give a Year 11 about
attendance in 6th
Form?
 Attend every lesson!
 If you miss a lesson make sure you catch
up straight away
 The more you attend the better you will
do.
 It’s more work trying to catch up on your
own

6. Summer Assignments
• All students will be expected to complete the
summer assignments in all of their subject
choices. These are somewhere between 6 – 8
hours worth of independent learning per subject.
• Whilst I cannot refuse a student entry to the 6th
Form if they don’t do it – no effort or no
assignment would be a very large alarm bell for
me that they were not right for A Level study…
• They need to get into the different way of doing
things at A Level where they are not told what to
do, they have to find out for themselves.

7. UCAS, Student Finance and University
• For most students the purpose of A levels is to study for
university. We do make sure students know all the options
available at the end of Year 13, but the majority will be
focused on uni. We will help them with the application and
support them with things like CV writing and interview
practice.
• We will have several workshops for students and parents
about the real cost of university and how to apply. They will
be advertised and there will be more than 1 opportunity.
• There are weekly support sessions at lunchtime, and after
school all year. Parents are welcome to attend the after
school sessions if they wish.

8. Study Leave 2015
• Next year there will be no study leave.
• All students will be expected to be in all
lessons until they have finished the exam in
that subject.
• Teachers have a cut off point of 11th May.
After this time there will be no new teaching.
• We firmly believe the best place for students
to revise is with their teachers. We can make
exceptions if need be, but they will be rare.

9. Swaps and Drops
• In the 1st few weeks students will be able to
swap to a different subject within the same
block.
• They will need you to sign a purple form if this
happens. No form – no swap.
• After this point a request to drop will be
refused.

10. EPQ…
• The Extended Project Qualification is worth the
same UCAS points as an AS.
• It is a 5000 word essay on a topic of their choice
with guided mentoring to help them on the right
path. They have to do a short presentation about
their project as well.
• It is something highly prized by Uni’s as it shows
they have the independent learning skills
required and it shows they are passionate about
a subject. It looks great on the Personal
statement.

11. EPQ – any topic, limited numbers
• We have a limited number of EPQ places.
• Previous topics included:
- Biography of a particular photographer
- The science of brewing
- The Death Penalty
- Altitude Training
- Music therapy
- The topic is totally theirs to decide, but most people use it
to show their passion for a particular subject at uni.
• Some students will begin this in Year 12 – most will pick this
up in Year 13

12. Transport, the Cornish Bursary & ALF
• Post 16 transport – the cheapest way is still to buy a school bus pass. The
application is made through County and costs £327 per year, although this
can be paid in termly instalments. Applications need to be made by 8th
August.
• ALF – Access to Learning Fund – all students with a combined family
income of £25, 000 or less are entitled to Government support. This is
paid directly to students and is intended to help them with things like
transport costs, materials, lunches etc. It is paid half termly and is linked to
attendance and attitude.
• The Cornish Bursary – I have not yet been told if we will receive this again
– but last year Cornwall gave every 6th Form a sum of money to support
Level 3 Cornish learners. We used ours to subsidise the transport for
events like the UCAS convention, we also purchased revision guides and
online subscriptions to support all learners in every subject. We paid for
unlimited amounts of exam papers and mark schemes. The remainder was
given to students who applied and was put towards things like UCAS fees,
Laptops, equipment etc.

13. New Academies
• Starting in September we will have a series of
Academies – they are careers opportunities.
• Teaching Academy
• Health Academy
• Medicine Academy
• STEM Academy
• Law Academy
• Sports Academy

14. Pressure Points
• Post 16 Exam week – December
• This is the only opportunity for students to
gain an idea of how well they are doing before
the final exams.
• Early April – coursework deadlines
• May and June – Final exam season
• BTEC will have deadlines throughout the
course at all times.

15. Support from home:
Keeping in the loop!
• Sixth Form Calendar – on 6th Form area of the
website
• 6thForm@TCC - twitter feed
• TCC College Facebook

16. Support from home:
Attendance
• Self motivated independent learners…
• Attendance below 90% will mean no automatic entry
to exams. Students may be asked to pay for their own
exam entries – this can be around £30 per module.
• No medical or dental appointments in lesson times.
• No driving lessons in lesson times.
• Only things like hospital appointments, driving tests,
one off special occasions and university Open Days will
be authorised.
• No holidays will be authorised in term time.

17. Supporting at home…
• Keep asking! Teens are tough to communicate with…
• Ensure they have a suitably quiet space to study and that they have
the proper equipment. Keep younger siblings away from then when
they are studying. Encourage them to use college study periods
well. (We will show them how to study effectively as an
independent learner.)
• At pressure points, excuse them from things like household chores.
(But make sure they do know how to use a washing machine, oven,
iron etc!)
• Encourage them to limit part time jobs during the run up to exam
periods.
• Encourage things like voluntary work and visits to museums and
libraries, online subscriptions to relevant publications etc.

18. What can you expect from us?
• 2 Interim reports with a grade and a ‘Why not
higher’ teacher comment. (Oct & April)
• 1 full report and parents evening. (March)
• Regular contact if there are concerns.
• High quality teaching and learning and the will to
support all learners to be the best.
• Please contact at any time if you are worried.
lear@torpoint.cornwall.sch.uk
07587774824 – my College mobile

19. Results day
• Thurs 21st August 10am
• I will be available ALL day until 4pm and again
the next day until 12.30pm.
• Please don’t assume that because they didn’t
get the 4 B’s or better, or 5 or more A*-C’s
including E&M that they cannot come to 6th
Form or study a particular subject.
• Entry into the 6th Form is at my discretion.

20. Thank you!