Teaching and Learning

We provide a structured one to one Progress Review system that monitors both academic progress and pastoral needs to ensure students achieve their potential.  We also provide students with a range of Christian Action activities to develop their interests and responsibilities and enhance their future career. A rigorous system is in place for monitoring, reviewing and target setting which promotes achievement through an ethos of purposeful study in the Sixth Form.

Staff teaching in Sixth Form helps to shape the ethos we create. Sixth Form students respond to the different approaches Post-16 teaching demands. We must be aware that students choose their Sixth Form and it is the experience of the whole school that influences their decision. The provision of the Sixth Form Centre where much of the teaching takes place is the ideal setting to develop the sense of increasing autonomy and support the students' values. All staff are involved in the Pastoral Care of the students in our school. Each member of staff is responsible for the welfare and discipline of the students who are in our school.

Homework in the Sixth Form

Students increasingly need to develop strategies that enable them to become fully fledged independent learners. This is good preparation for university and also will stand them in good stead for times whenever they need to conduct their own research or reading. Because each Sixth Former has individual commitments inside and outside of school, it is impossible to be completely prescriptive about the learning of every aspect of a syllabus. We therefore expect students to complement the work done in class through self-started learning in the Rose Library or Notre Dame Learning Centre and at home which they must manage in their own time.

Students are encouraged to read around the subject by using the Sixth Form facilities in private study time, using the internet and textbooks.

We expect students to undertake a variety of tasks such as research, reading and seminar preparation as well as consolidating work they have completed in class by reading over and adding to notes taken.

In the Sixth Form we:

The Assessment of Sixth Form Assignments

Target grades for each subject based on prior attainment must be agreed and communicated to the students and Form Tutors as early as possible in the course. We use the ALPs system for aspirational target setting in Sixth Form.

Each student must have at least two pieces of work assessed against the appropriate end-of-course grades (level 2/AS/A2 grades) every half-term. The lessons observation programme will include their examples of work.

Student work must be assessed within assessment for learning principles and returned to the student within 7-10 school days.

Feedback should be constructive and specific, and give pointers for improving future performance. Teachers and students should record feedback advice in writing, which will form the basis of formal reporting on progress.

Students must record these "progress" grades in the appropriate format, i.e. The Sixth Form Planner, to be shared with the Form Tutor during one-to-one tutorials, Sixth Form Progress Leaders via Individual Learning Plans and Progress Reviews, Curriculum Leaders, parents/carers, and where it applies for guest students, with the home school.

Reporting arrangements
Sixth Form students will receive three 'Data Point' reports through the year as well as an end of year report which is sent home to parents. Meetings and support mechanisms will be implemented for students who are below their target grade via Progress Reviews, Attendance Reviews, Individual Learning Plans, Mentoring support and guidance from departments.