Welcome to our Sixth Form
Our ethos is that of a school-based Sixth Form college: while students enjoy extra freedoms and responsibilities, the focus remains on academic achievement. Policies and protocols are designed with this end in mind: to keep students purposeful and engaged in their studies, while allowing some freedom to prepare for life after the Sixth Form.
As an integral part of Lampton School, the policies and protocols of the school apply in the Sixth Form except where explicitly stated. All students will be issued with a Sixth Form handbook on enrolment which contains all policies; students must agree to abide by these policies as a condition of enrolment. The information contained below is a brief summary of key points.
School Day & Term Dates
Sixth Formers should arrive at school at 8.30 ready for registration at 8.40. All students should remain on site until the start of lunchtime, even when no taught lessons are scheduled. If students have no lessons in the afternoon, they may leave school at the start of lunch. The school term follows that of the main school
Study Support
Students will have some periods on their timetables where there are no taught lessons – instead these are designated as “Study Support”. Students will be directed to a supervised private study session where there are both silent study facilities, and access to PCs or laptops. These periods are supervised by staff, to ensure a silent and productive atmosphere prevails.
Pastoral Care
Students are supported by an extensive team of Sixth Form staff – we take pride in knowing each student as an individual and are quick to intervene where we are concerned about student well being or academic achievement.
Each student will be assigned to a form tutor who will take charge of student wellbeing, supported by the Head of Year and Director of Sixth Form. Where more specialist support is required, students may be referred a mentor or in certain circumstances to a counsellor.
Attendance and Punctuality
We aim to encourage all students to develop positive habits in terms of attendance and punctuality – this is an important aspect in exam success and a necessary aspect of preparation for life after the Sixth Form.
We expect all students to meet our attendance target of 97%. This means that ‘days off’ should only be taken where absolutely necessary. Where students have a cold, are feeling ‘run-down’ or ‘under the weather’ they should still attend school to ensure continuity in their studies. Please see the guidance below for more information Lampton-Sixth-Form-Attendance-Punctuality-Guidance.pdf
Absences
A parent or guardian should contact the attendance supervisors – telephone 0208 572 1936 (x291 Year 12 & x290 for Year 13) or email Ms Fernandes (Year 12) sfernandes@lampton.org.uk or Ms Lane (Year 13) rlane@lampton.org.uk with a valid reason for the absence.
If the student has arranged to attend a university open day, masterclass or similar then they should email their Head of Year to request permission to attend with evidence of their attendance (such as email confirmation of booking).
Driving tests, dentists and opticians appointments and other such occasions should be arranged in afternoons where students have no scheduled lessons – authorisation for absence will not be granted.
Term time leave cannot be granted for weddings, holidays, family visits etc. If a student is absent for ten days or longer, then in line with school policy they will be removed from the school roll.
Punctuality
Students’ punctuality is monitored weekly – where students have three or more late marks to morning or afternoon registration they will be issued with community service on Friday at 3.20pm.
Students with poor attendance and punctuality
Where students’ attendance falls below 90% this represents a major cause for concern due to the likely impact on students’ learning. Where this is the case the parent or guardian will be required to attend a formal attendance panel where an attendance contract will be discussed and signed. If attendance falls below 85%, this may lead to withdrawal from examination entries.
Behaviour
Sixth Form students are expected to model outstanding behaviour to students throughout the school at all times – in lessons, around the school and in the local community.
Many students become mentors to younger students to explicitly role model positive behaviour, while other students are employed as Lunchtime Supervisors.
Outstanding behaviour in lessons is key to success in exams and teachers will expect this from all students at all times. This means taking an active part in lessons: asking questions; working collaboratively with other students; engaging in debate and discussion.
The Lampton School behaviour policy applies to all Sixth Form students: where there are transgressions of the policy these will be dealt with according to the procedures and sanctions as explained in the Behaviour Policy.
Library
The library is used extensively by Sixth Form students and represents both an excellent collection of learning materials and a place to conduct private study.
The collection is up-to-date and constantly being expanded with both print and electronic media, including the 6th Form Extended Reading book collection to support students’ applications for university.
To borrow library resources, you only need to tell us your name. If you fail to return a borrowed item, you must respond to our reminder letters immediately. If you lose or damage a borrowed item, you are responsible for paying for a replacement copy.
Sixth Form students may use the available computers for private study, except at break time and lunchtime when they are reserved for students in Years 7-11.
Mock Examinations
All students will sit two ‘mock’ examinations during the course of each academic year. These are a key staging post for students to prepare for the challenge of the final official examinations at the end of Y13. Students who are not on track to achieve their target grades will be highlighted for extra support.
Public Examinations
All students will be entered for May and June examinations in Year 13 (note provisions on attendance, progress in mock examinations and coursework completion). Prior to the examinations, students will receive a Statement of Entry from the Examinations Officer: students must liaise with the Examinations Officer and their subject teacher to ensure that they are entered for the right examinations.
Special Consideration
Where students fear that their performance in examinations has been adversely affected by a circumstance outside of their control they may apply for special consideration (link to http://www.jcq.org.uk/faqs/special-consideration). In the first instance, students should inform their Head of Year of any circumstances that may affect performance in the examination (no later than the date of their examination). The Head of Year will liaise with the Examinations Officer to apply for special consideration.
Coursework
In some subjects students will need to complete coursework as a routine method of assessment. Teachers will set internal coursework deadline dates, and these are non-negotiable. Failure to complete coursework by the deadline may lead to a 0 mark being awarded, and consequently the entry for the subject being withdrawn.