Ofsted Good GP Colour

Birmingham Road, Kidderminster, Worcestershire, DY10 2BY

School Office - 01562 822929

Sixth Form Curriculum

The curriculum policy at Holy Trinity School and Sixth Form Centre relates directly to the School’s Mission Statement.

Students are at the heart of the educational process and should be encouraged to participate fully in the life of the school whilst in the Sixth Form. All students regardless of age, gender and background should experience personal fulfilment through the Post 16 curriculum. Thus our curriculum is guided by the following aims and principles:

  • The need for advice on subject choice based on prior attainment, course content and method of final assessment.
  • The need for coherence and progression.
  • The need to provide opportunities for all students to learn and achieve.
  • The need to prepare students for the opportunities and the responsibilities of adult life.
  • The recognition that the curriculum must be continuously evolving, forward looking and under constant review.

Curriculum design

In designing the Sixth Form curriculum the following are taken into account:

  • The school ethos, values and aims
  • Curriculum priorities (both statutory and “in house”)
  • Curriculum enrichment
  • Packaging and labelling of the curriculum
  • Inclusion, extension, challenge and scaffolding

Cost implications

Our emphasis is on providing a rounded education with excellence as our priority, not only in academic standards, but also in the whole range of curricular and extracurricular work. We aim to provide an extended and enriched curriculum through the timetabled curriculum and a wide range of activities offered outside normal school.

  1. At KS5 most of the curriculum is delivered in separate subject lessons but careers, relationships and sex education and preparation for the world of work are packaged together in programmes run by specialist and Form teachers under PSHE.
  2. Teachers cater for individual students’ interests and capabilities through scaffolded activities and targeted support in timetabled lessons and independent study support.
  3. To aid the transition between KS4 and KS5, there is bridging work that is set over the summer of transition between the end of Year 11 and the start of Year 12.
  4. One way of helping students to move onto KS5 seamlessly, is to reflect the style and content of a range of qualifications covered in GCSE lessons.
  5. Much more emphasis is placed on independent study with supervised areas in the Sixth Form Centre for this to be supported. Subject staff, form tutors and outside speakers provide guidance on study skills, revision techniques and time management.

Timetabling the curriculum

The curriculum at KS5 is based on 30 X 55 minute periods per week. Most students will study 3 subjects but some will study 4. Each subject has 10 periods per fortnight of teacher contact time with up to 10 hours of independent work set per subject. This means that Sixth Form students have “study periods” within their timetable which are spent in the Sixth Form Centre during Year 12 but are spent at home in the afternoons in Year 13. The impact of Coronavirus and social distancing have meant that both year 12 and 13 students are currently allowed off site in their study periods to facilitate less movement and mixing around school.

Please see below for curriculum offering at KS5:

The academic curriculum in the Sixth Form (Years 12 & 13) offers a choice of 14 A level subjects and a vocational course in Business from the Cambridge Technicals suite. We are also introducing an Information Technology Cambridge Technical qualification from September 2022.

Students choose 3 or 4 subjects to take through to the full A level after 2 years of study (we do not offer AS courses after one year). The non-examined PSHE programme is delivered through form tutor time for 30 minutes each morning and through Wednesday afternoon enrichment. Students also take part in assemblies, group and individual activities, presentations from outside speakers, sports, advice regarding UCAS and/or apprenticeships, CV writing workshops, mock interviews, work experience, and leadership responsibility roles.

The A level subjects offered in the Sixth Form are:

Art & Design and/or Textiles – A levels
Biology – A level
Business – Cambridge Technical (Level 3)
Chemistry – A level
English Literature – A level
French – A level
Geography – A level
Graphic Communication – A level
History – A level
Information Technology – Cambridge Technical (Level 3)
Law – A level
Mathematics – A level
Physical Education – A level
Physics – A level
Psychology – A level
Spanish – A level