Support For Students
Attendance
Exemplary attendance is important to us. If students are not here, they are not learning.
We have an expectation of 95% attendance for all our students. Without a valid reason, students whose subject attendance in Year 13 falls below 92% must pay for their examinations. Circumstances beyond a student’s control will, as always, be taken into consideration when final decisions are made. We are proud of our rigorous attendance approach and welcome regular and thorough communication with our parents.
If students are unable to attend school due to illness or other unavoidable circumstances, they must telephone 01709 542147 or e-mail sixthform@wickersley.net as soon as possible.
Holidays should not be taken during term time.
If students wish to take a holiday during term time, they must submit a holiday request form, available from the sixth form office.
University
Our university and UCAS support programme is well-established and has helped many of our students secure highly sought-after degrees at some of the top universities in the UK.
Our sixth form team has many years of experience with university applications and will provide comprehensive support and guidance to all students who wish to submit a UCAS application.
Below, we have compiled a selection of websites and resources aimed at students who are considering university after sixth form. These resources are particularly helpful in the early stages of university applications.
Apprenticeships, Employment and Get Work Ready
We understand that not all students want to study at university after they’ve finished Wickersley Sixth Form – we’ve developed a 13-week work-experience programme aimed at students who want to enter employment or work-based training after they leave us.
We call it, Get Work Ready!
Get Work Ready consists of a mixture of classroom-based sessions and a work experience internship within Wickersley Partnership Trust. Our goal is to teach you everything they you need to know to be successful in the world of work, with sessions covering a wide range of topics
Once you have completed your classroom sessions, we’ll organise a work experience internship for you in a real work setting within Wickersley Partnership Trust. Students who would like to take part in Get Work Ready should register their interest via the sixth form team in the common room.
Below, we have compiled a selection of websites and resources aimed at students who are considering employment or further training after sixth form:
Mental Health Support
Your mental health and well-being are important to us. We understand that sixth form study can be intense, and at times, you may need help. You can access support via the sixth form team, who can signpost to other support within the school if required.
Our aim is to equip you with the essential skills to handle relationship issues and mental health challenges, both for yourself and others. To achieve this, we incorporate mindfulness and well-being subjects into our enrichment, lecture, and assembly programmes.
If you need to contact someone in the sixth form team, please use the information below to contact the most relevant person.
- Head of Sixth Form - Mr S Gaynor - sgaynor@wickersley.net
- Assistant Head of Sixth Form - Mrs A Cruise - acruise@wickersley.net
- Non-Teaching Assistant Heads of Year - Mrs K Chant, Mr S English, Mrs K Harrison - sixthform@wickersley.net
- Sixth Form SEND Mentor - Mrs S Denman - sdenman@wickersley.net
- Sixth Form Attendance - Mrs D Walker - dwalker01@wickersley.net
Study Support
Our sixth form has a dedicated support team that is on hand to support students with any personal or educational issues.
Students are encouraged to come and speak to a member of the sixth form team if they have any questions or worries. Alternatively, students can speak to their class teacher or any other member of staff in the school.
We monitor students’ progress closely and will intervene if they start to fall behind. We have several layers of support for students who are struggling with sixth form study
Directed Study
If we feel that a student is struggling to use their Independent Study time effectively, some of their Independent Study periods will be converted to Directed Study where they will receive additional support and direction.
Subject Support Plans [SSP] will help students improve their attainment. Each week, subject teachers will set students a task to complete in a Directed Study period allocated for that subject. This should be recorded in a Subject Support Plan, along with details about where [or when] they can access extra support. Completing these weekly tasks will help students achieve their overall target.
Subject Support Plans
Performance Review
The Performance Review process is a three-tiered process designed to support students and help them achieve their full potential. As part of this process, students will meet with a member of the Sixth Form team to discuss expectations, set clear targets, and agree on a review date. If we have ongoing concerns, parents will be invited to school to help identify any obstacles to learning and develop strategies to overcome them.
Financial Support
The 16-19 Bursary Fund is a government-funded scheme intended to help and support those young people who face financial barriers to continuing their education or training after the age of 16.
The bursary is intended to enable a learner to continue in education and should not be viewed as an incentive to attract young people into learning or to a particular institution. Bursary awards will be used towards essential course-related expenses and other costs associated with living and learning. Individual schools and colleges are free to establish their assessment criteria within the broad guidelines the government sets. Schools and colleges receive a fixed sum of money each year to allocate to students, which can mean that the amount of financial support an individual student receives may vary from year to year depending on the number of qualifying applications that are received.
Further details about the 16-19 Bursary Fund, and instructions about how to apply, can be found here
