Sixth Form
St Albans School Sixth Form aims to provide the breadth of education essential for young men and women to take up their places in higher education or the world beyond. It aims to provide a wide range of academic courses, whilst at the same time providing the range of skills and experience necessary for life in the twenty-first century.
Aims of the Sixth Form Curriculum
• To enable students to study subjects in depth through and beyond Advanced level as a foundation for future courses in higher education.
• To encourage self-discipline in both the organisation of time and effort to enable students to maximise their academic potential.
• To provide an effective working environment which encourages a range of teaching and learning styles.
• To develop imaginative, enquiring and informed minds.
• To promote personal excellence in the pursuit of a wide range of sporting, recreational and cultural activities.
• To provide opportunities for self-expression and aesthetic appreciation.
• To develop moral and spiritual values and a respect for other cultures.
• To encourage students to assess and evaluate their own progression and development throughout their Sixth Form career.
• To provide a diagnostic assessment of skills and aptitudes related to further study and future careers.
• To enable students to adapt comfortably to the more liberal atmosphere encountered in college or university.
In common with the curriculum in all sections of the School:
• To promote the students’ intellectual, moral, physical, social and spiritual development and prepare them for future opportunities, responsibilities and experiences.
Entry Requirements
At St Albans School we aspire to maximise the potential of our students academically and to provide a broad educational experience in preparation for life beyond the school. As nearly all Albanians go on to higher education, particular attention is paid to gaining the necessary academic qualifications and to preparing students for taking responsibility for their own studies at university. Students entering the Sixth Form must show evidence of academic potential and a commitment to study. This will be reflected in their academic performance to date. The School’s minimum entry requirements are as follows:
• All students must achieve at least six GCSE passes of which at least four must be at grade A or better. Normally, these must be in each of the subjects to be studied at AS, or in a closely related subject when the equivalent GCSE is not available.
• English and Mathematics GCSE must be passed at grade C or better.
Whilst it may be possible to study some subjects at Advanced level without having taken them at GCSE, students intending to do so will be expected to show a similar level of ability and commitment in the GCSE subjects they have taken. In cases where the number of candidates opting for a particular subject exceeds the numbers it is possible to accommodate, preference will normally be given to those who have performed best at GCSE, irrespective of the usual minimum grade requirement for that subject.
All students will be expected to study four subjects at AS level with at least 3 of these being continued to A2 level in the Upper Sixth. In addition, all will take an AS General Studies course and AS Critical Thinking.
To qualify automatically to continue a subject to A2 level, a student will be required to achieve B or better in that subject. Progress onto the A2 course in a given subject from an AS grade lower that B will be subject to negotiation and is not guaranteed. A student who fails to achieve three grades of C or above at AS level does not qualify to enter the Upper Sixth.
Students who achieve less than four A grades at AS will normally be expected to continue either with all four subjects or with the three subjects in which they have achieved their best grades. Continuing with a subject in which grade B or below has been achieved at AS level, in preference to one in which a higher grade has been achieved, will not normally be permitted.
Parents and pupils should appreciate that the final decisions regarding admission to and continued attendance in the Sixth Form and the particular courses offered each year are at the discretion of the Headmaster.