Sixth Form Curriculum
- The ability to communicate and interact with people in different situations and settings
- Preparation for life beyond school.
These drivers underpin everything we do within the Sixth Form; they inform the key skills we teach (see skills ladder).
There is a focus on students gaining functional and meaningful Maths and English skills at a level that is appropriate to each individual. We provide real opportunities for students to put the skills they learn into practice; this includes Community Access, Forest Schools and Maths/English/Enterprise through cooking. All our students in the Sixth form are able to gain accreditation though AQA, ASDAN Towards Independence or ASDAN Transition Challenge for Sensory Learners (for more detail please see our Sixth form overveiw).
Our Programmes of Study concentrate on providing our students with key life skills which include enterprise, towards independent living skills, an understanding of how to keep healthy and safe and employability skills. Programmes of Study are accredited through work towards an ASDAN in Personal and Social Development (PSD).
Our ‘Choices’ and Sport programme centre around providing our students with a range of skills that allow them to make informed choices about how they choose their occupations both with regard to employment and leisure. Students are able to gain a Towards Independence ASDAN or Sports/Young Leaders accreditation for their work in sessions.
Community Access is a strong focus in the Sixth From. When out in the community students are able to put all the skills they have learned in English and Maths into practice. It is also an opportunity for them to practise their travel skills including road safety, stranger awareness and use of public transport. They also learn about what is available in the local community, how to access facilities and how to use banks. For some students there is the possibility of them attending college one day a week for a term; this is an opportunity for them to put their skills and knowledge into action in a different environment.
At Hazelbeck we believe everyone is a leader. In the sixth Form leadership opportunities are built in throughout all lessons both on an individual level, within small groups and where appropriate the opportunity to lead the lesson. Students are able to take part in various leadership opportunities with younger students for example through the ‘Learning Stars’ and ‘Waiters and Waitresses’ programme. As we believe that leadership is a crucial skill to develop, we encourage students to work towards an accreditation for leadership such as the Young Leaders Award.
Employability skills are built into many of our sixth form lessons; this includes, developing their ICT skills, application filling and interview practise. In addition, students have the opportunity to take place in a variety of work experience opportunities during their time in the sixth form. For some this may be within the Beckfoot Campus, for others it may involve going to one of our other schools in the Trust. We also provide opportunities for students to complete work experience within alternative settings through the Xperian programme. Our ‘Ready for Work’ days give students an opportunity to hear from different employers, learn about different opportunities in the world of work and to take part in a short activity associated with each employer.
Assessment and Accreditation
When a student enters the sixth form a baseline is completed based on their iASEND levels at the end of Year 11. With this information we set a flightpath which informs the level and quantity of accreditation we expect a student to attain. The flight path for each student will be personalised dependent on their interests, starting points in the sixth form and their hopes and aspirations for the future. From this we will determine which accreditation is going to be the most suitable for individuals to work towards.
Transition will have started to be discussed during the EHCP review process by the time a student reaches the sixth form. However, once they are in the sixth form we actively encourage parents to come in for a meeting to find out about the transition process and hold termly coffee mornings about ‘life after school’. We have a yearly ‘Bright Futures’ event where post 19 providers come to speak to parents about what is available. As a school, we have strong links with our post 19 providers and students have the opportunity to visit a range of different provision during Yr 13 and 14 to help them to make an informed decision about what they may want to do in the future.