Absence

Please ring or email the Housemistress as early as possible to alert them to absences.

Admissions

Offers of Sixth Form places are made during the academic year in which GCSEs are taken. The offer is conditional upon our own entrance examinations in English and Mathematics and a reference including predicted grades. The entry requirement is a minimum of 6 GCSEs at Grade B or above and a minimum of grade A/ B in the subject to be taken. Girls not having these grades may be admitted subject to discussion with the Director of Sixth Form.   Subjects which can only be studied at A Level, such as Economics, have specific requirements which are included in the Sixth Form Course Booklet. Progression to the second year of  A Level is dependent on passing the AS year.  Applications for a Sixth Form place should be made by registering with the admissions office.

Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Levels

All girls take four or five AS Levels which they begin in the Lower Sixth.  The girls are encouraged to continue with all subjects at A Level but they are able to drop one subject if they wish. Although the AS examinations are taken at the end of the Lower Sixth, the results are not aggregated until the end of the Upper Sixth.

A Level Fair

This is an evening in mid October for Upper Fives and their parents to find out what subjects are available in the Sixth Form. All departments have a stand where textbooks and examples of coursework are displayed. Academic staff will be available to discuss the entrance requirements. The Director of Sixth Form gives a presentation along with the Headmistress.

Aptitude Tests

BMAT, UKCAT, LNAT, TSA are tests required for Oxbridge entry or for entry into certain universities for Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine or Law. Help sessions for these tests are provided in the Lower Sixth.

Art Exhibition

This is an annual event, taking place in November, which involves members of the Sixth Form displaying their artwork at the SW1 gallery.

Assemblies

Sixth Form Assembly takes place on Thursday morning in the PAC.  All Sixth Form students and tutors are required to attend.  The rota is organised by the Director of Sixth Form and often involves outside speakers. The assembly ends with notices which are then put up on the Sixth Form notice board outside Café 6.

Ballroom Dancing

This takes place every Friday evening in the Autumn term of the Lower Sixth. The Lower Sixth boys from The Oratory School and Shiplake College are invited to dance with the girls.

Bust up

This is an annual event which takes place at the end of the Autumn Term. It is organised by the Upper Sixth and all girls and staff dress up according to a common theme. The Upper Sixth put on a show for the whole school and this is followed by a disco for the younger girls.

Car Parking

Girls who wish to drive to school must park at Michell House and not in the school car park. If they are intending to bring another girl to school, permission for this must have been given on the Blanket Consent Form completed at the beginning of the year.

Careers and Gap Fair

This event is run in the Spring term by the Director of Sixth Form, Dr Valerie Vincent. It is an opportunity for all girls in Upper Four and above to find out more about universities, Gap providers and the world of work.

Higher Education

In the Lent (Spring) term there is a visit to a Higher Education Conference where all of the major universities exhibit and the girls have an opportunity to attend specific subject talks as well as collect up to date prospectuses. The girls are encouraged to visit the universities to which they are interested in, but should plan to do this outside of school hours wherever possible. Many universities hold Open Days at weekends. There will be extensive help given in the Summer term when students begin filling in their UCAS application forms and writing their personal statements. The girls write CVs and draft personal statements at the beginning of the Summer term and practice interviews, arranged for the entire Lower Sixth, take place in the second half of the Summer term. In addition to this the girls are offered careers advice on an individual basis and there is support with setting up work experience.

Café 6

The Sixth Form girls are allowed to use Café 6 at all times of the school day. If they wish to order lunch this must be done by 10am and they are required to register for lunch whether they decide to eat in the dining room or Café 6. The TV is only allowed to be on before school, during break and during lunch time since the girls are expected to be working in their study periods.

Colour Works

As part of the Lower Sixth Induction the girls have a presentation by The Colour Works which is designed to enhance team building by giving the girls the necessary skills to see where their strengths lie on the colour wheel of human behaviour.

Communications

All girls are issued with an email account and they must check this school email at least once a day since this is how their teachers will communicate with them. If they encounter difficulties they must seek help from IT Support.

Course Changes

Occasionally girls wish to change their options after they get their GCSE or AS results. These course changes are made by the Director of Sixth Form along with the tutors at the beginning of term. If girls decide to change or drop subjects after this they need to meet with Dr Valerie Vincent who will establish the reasons for this desired change and whether this is in the girl’s best interests. This means that the full implication of UCAS application will be considered.

Driving Tests

We expect girls to try to organise driving tests, both theory and practical, outside of school time although we appreciate that this is not always possible. Permission needs to be obtained from the Director of Sixth Form or Housemistress and the girl should inform staff whose lessons she will miss.

Examinations

Public examinations are taken in the Main Hall. The girls receive an Examinations Guide shortly before their examinations which is organised by the Head of Exams.

Exam Results

AS and A Level results are released in August. The Director of Sixth Form along with HODs and the Academic Deputy are present to offer support and advice.  There is an opportunity to request remarks or returned scripts and the time schedule for a priority remark is tight.  This is organised in liaison with the Head of Examinations.

Extra Curricular Activities

All girls are encouraged to make full use of the extra-curricular opportunities that are offered to augment their personal statement. The Sixth Form girls are also required to help with activities for the younger girls including supervision of Prep, House events and tea parties.

Early Leave

Upper Sixth girls may leave at 4.30pm on a Friday if they are not required in school and have permission granted by their parents. The Director of Sixth Form has a form for this which must be signed and returned at the beginning of the school year.

Extended Project

All Lower Sixth pupils are required to conduct and write up a research project at the end of the Lower Sixth. This would usually be based on the area they are hoping to study at university but does not necessarily need to be a written project. A girl may decide, for example, to make a dress or produce a piece of artwork. A supervisor is chosen before the end of the Summer term and the project is to be completed over the Summer holiday.

Extended Project Evening

This is held at the end of January and involves a celebration of the essays and projects completed by the Lower Sixth over the Summer holiday. The prize winners give a 5 minute presentation of their research and there is a musical interlude featuring musicians from the Lower and Upper Sixth. Pupils and parents from Upper Five and Lower Sixth are also invited to attend.

Fitness Suite

Sixth Formers are allowed to use the Fitness Suite during their free time once they have been through the induction process.

Games and PE

Sixth Form Games takes place on a Wednesday afternoon. There are many different options available to the girls and attendance is compulsory.

Head Girls’ Training

Head and Deputy Head girls from Queen Anne’s and other GSA schools are invited to lunch and a programme of inspirational women speakers followed by leadership training.

Induction

The Lower Sixth Induction programme is designed to develop bonds between the Sixth Form staff and the girls including those new to the school.  The event takes place at Wokefield Park over two days with one overnight stay. The girls are encouraged to try many new activities to develop their team and leadership skills using the method of ‘challenge by choice’.

Jobs

Taking a part-time job outside of school can affect a girl’s studies and therefore permission needs to be granted by the Director of Sixth Form. The number of hours needs to be limited to, for example, one evening a week.

Lateness

Girls arriving late to school must inform the Housemistress and office staff. Persistent lateness is unacceptable and will be dealt with by sending a letter home.

Leavers’ Day

This takes place on the last day before the May half term when the Upper Sixth go on Study Leave. The girls continue with seminar week in the morning and then, after lunch, there is cake and coffee in Café 6 and a presentation by some of the girls to the rest of their year group. Leavers’ Year books and hoodies are issued and all Upper Sixth tutors are invited to attend along with the Headmistress, the two Deputy Heads and the Director of Sixth Form.

Leavers’ Service and Leavers’ Lunch

These events take place after all of the A Level examinations are over. Upper Sixth and their parents are invited to a service in the chapel followed by a buffet lunch in the Forum. Tutors, Housemistresses, the Headmistress, Deputy Heads and the Director of Sixth Form will attend and any other staff who would like to come are welcome since this is the last opportunity to bid the girls farewell.

Library

The Sixth Form girls are able to use the library during their study periods and outside of school time.

Lower Sixth Ball

This takes place in the first half of the Lent term and provides an opportunity for the girls to compete with each other to see who has best mastered the ballroom dancing skills acquired in the Michaelmas (Autumn) term. The boys from the Oratory and Shiplake College are also invited.

Lower Sixth Reception Evening

This is an early opportunity for parents to check that their daughters have settled into the Lower Sixth. The event takes place in early October and all tutors attend along with the Director of Sixth Form who gives a 5 minute presentation about our expectations.

Meetings

The Director of Sixth Form meets separately with the Lower Sixth tutors and the Upper Sixth tutors on a weekly basis to ensure any potential problems are flagged up at an early stage. Although the Housemistresses have a separate weekly meeting with the Director of Sixth Form they are also included in the tutor meetings when possible. The Head and Deputy Head girls meet with key members of staff every Monday morning to go through the schedule for the week. Representatives from both Lower and Upper Sixth meet with the Deputy Head Pastoral, the Director of Sixth Form and the two Sixth Form Housemistresses twice a term at the Sixth Form Committee meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to air any grievances the Sixth Form may have.

Open Mornings

Sixth Form girls are expected to get involved in Open Mornings/Afternoons by taking parents on tours or meeting and greeting. All girls need to be dressed smartly in their suits.

Oxbridge

Pupils applying to Oxbridge are given interview practice at The Oratory School in a reciprocal arrangement organised by the Director of Sixth Form. These girls are also offered interviews with relevant key members of staff. The girls are encouraged to prepare thoroughly for any additional tests they may be required to take, e.g. the BioMedical Admissions Test, and help sessions are provided at school.

Parents’ Evenings

Although there is only one formal Parents’ Evening a year, parents are welcome to organise meetings via their daughter’s tutor if they have any concerns. Both Lower and Upper Sixth Parents’ Evenings take place in the Spring term and the girls attend with their parents.

Peer Mentoring

Peer mentors exist in Upper Five, Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth. Their role is to support the younger girls in many different respects from help settling in to school life to assistance with personal organisation. They also organise teas and socials for the younger girls in the Junior Houses.

Planners

Every Sixth Form student receives a planner which is tailor made to be suitable for their needs. Girls are encouraged to use their planners not only to record what Prep they have been given but also to record the amount of time spent on each piece.

Prefects

Prefects are chosen in the Summer term and all Upper Five, Lower and Upper Sixth girls are asked to vote along with staff. The successful girls will be informed of this when they return after Study Leave. They will then all attend Prefects’ Training where the Head and Deputy Head Girls are selected. Prefects are issued with a lapel badge to make them easily recognisable.

Prefects’ Dinner

This event takes place in the last couple of weeks before Study Leave commences. The girls will be invited to a formal sit-down dinner in the Forum which will be attended by tutors and Housemistresses along with the Director of Sixth Form and other key members of staff.

Re-sits

There are opportunities to re-sit AS examinations in January or June of the Upper Sixth. Any girl who has not achieved a Grade C in Mathematics or English is also given the chance to do this in the Sixth Form since these subjects are required for university entrance.

Seminar Week

There are two seminar weeks: one for Lower Sixth and one for Upper Sixth. Both of these take place in the last week before Study Leave commences.

Sixth Form and Beyond Day

This event is organised by the Director of Sixth Form for the Upper Five girls and involves a short presentation about choosing A Level options followed by a number of taster lessons.  Prospective girls are also invited.

Sixth Form Ball

The Upper Sixth Ball is organised by the Michell Housemistress and takes place on the final day of the school term in July. Parents are also invited and the evening commences with a drinks reception.

Study Leave

All Lower and Upper Sixth girls are given Study Leave to prepare for their external examinations in June. In the week preceding this they have their seminar week when revision sessions are organised by each department.

Study Skills

The girls have a talk about Study Skills both in PSHE and also via a presentation by an outside speaker. There is always additional support available to any girl who is having difficulties with time management, organisation or revision.

Trips

Many trips and extra-curricular activities are organised for the girls throughout the school year.

Tutors

A tutor is provided to support each girls academic needs. Girls are expected to meet with their tutors twice a week to ensure they get to know each other well ahead of UCAS references being written in the Upper Sixth.

UCAS

The Director of Sixth Form organises a comprehensive programme of support throughout the UCAS process. The Lower Sixth girls are invited to the Careers Fair in February and also to the Higher Education Conference at Reading University. In March the Director of Sixth Form organises the UCAS evening. There are sessions in Lower Sixth PSHE about writing a winning personal statement, taking a Gap Year and the importance of work experience and voluntary work. Upper Sixth PSHE sessions prepare the girls for university life by including sessions such as cooking on a budget, managing your finances and the reality of student life.

UCAS Evening

This event takes place in early March and is an evening for all Lower Sixth girls and their parents. The event is organised by the Director of Sixth Form who gives a short presentation which covers the Oxbridge application process, other university applications and Student Finance.  Lower Sixth tutors attend along with all key members of staff.

Uniform

In the Sixth Form the girls must present themselves in ‘office wear’ and are expected to look smart set an example to younger girls lower down the school. They are not allowed to wear blue jeans, UGG boots or hoodies. From next year a red blazer is being introduced for all girls in Lower Sixth in the mean time they may wear their suit jackets.

Work Experience

This is normally undertaken at the end of Upper Five, but the girls are encouraged to organise as much work experience as they possibly can in addition to this. Normally they would do this between AS and A Levels.

Year Book

This is organised by the Upper Sixth as a record of the girls’ time at Queen Anne’s. The Housemistress oversees the process in conjunction with the Director of Sixth Form. The Year Book is given to each of the girls on Leavers’ Day along with their Hoodies.