Celebrating sixth form success at St Phillip Howard

St Philip Howard Sixth Form first opened its doors in 1965 teaching A-levels to just a small number of students.

It has since grown to be one of the top runners in further education in West Sussex delivering some of the best results, and welcoming a growing number of both SPH students, students from schools in the surrounding areas and from overseas but what is the key to its success?

SPH Sixth Form is one of the only remaining sixth form in the local area to offer AS Levels together with a choice of BTEC qualifications. When students join SPH Sixth Form they select to study four or even five AS Levels in their first year.

Once the exams have been completed they can then drop one subject and continue with three A-levels as they move into their second year. Not only does this give them more UCAS points if they chose to apply for university but it boosts their qualifications on any application.

This academic year SPH broadened its offering by introducing a number of BTEC qualifications to its subject list including BTEC computing, business studies and sport and plans to introduce additional BTECS in September 2019.

The support offered to its students is one thing that SPH Sixth Form shouts about the loudest.

Students studying in the main school from years 7-11 receive unrivalled academic and pastoral support and this support simply continues as they move into the Sixth Form.

The team, including the Head of Sixth Form, heads of year, sixth form tutors, teachers, Inclusion Department, P11 Coordinators, careers coach and sixth form coordinators all work together to ensure each student receives the best education and support in the time they spend in the Sixth Form.

From day one, when students are mixed in their tutor groups with both Years 12 and 13 coming together, students are encouraged to get involved and are given opportunities to grow, both in experience and confidence, and this is supported whole heartedly by the Heads of Year who know all that there is to know about each student.

In 2017 SPH Sixth Form introduced P11 assessments (an 11th timetabled lesson for each subject) which has proved to be successful, giving students the opportunity to practice exam questions under exam conditions.

The careers support offered within the Sixth Form is a dedicated function which supports students in a number of different areas from work experience support to life skills workshops and career and interview guidance.

SPH sixth formers are expected to carry out one week of work experience in the summer once they have completed their exams. This work experience is vital for all students but particularly for those who have chosen their career path and need to start building up their experience.

It also helps enormously when writing any competitive application, whether that be for university, an apprenticeship or moving into employment.

SPH Sixth Form encourages all students to research and find their own placements while being on hand to offer support and guidance where necessary.

For those students wishing to go to university on leaving SPH Sixth Form support starts when in year 12 each student has a 1-2-1 careers interview.

If university is their choice, students are encouraged to go on open days and understand more about the extra-curricular activities for their chosen subject(s) that will make their personal statement a more competitive read. Subject masterclasses at different universities are promoted and where possible experts in their chosen fields are welcomed to speak informally to students.

Springtime is the chance for all year 12s to visit the UCAS Convention in Brighton which gives them the opportunity to start talking to universities and employers if they have yet to do so and then in July all year 12s are taken to the University of Sussex for a campus tour where they get to find out more about university life.

On returning from the tour they have a day dedicated to ‘Next Steps’ where they are introduced to the range of options available to them on leaving the Sixth Form. Students are introduced to university, higher and degree apprenticeship representatives, a gap year organisation and employers talking about best practice CVS.

This is the opportunity where students start writing their personal statements for University applications or fine tuning their CVS for apprenticeship and employment applications.

In year 13 students continue to receive support when each student is given the opportunity to have a mock interview.

The SPH school community comes together and parents and occasionally grandparents from employers in the surrounding areas offer their time to interview and feedback to our students. Students are matched, where possible, with interviewers in key fields and are tested on questions about their future plans, their strengths etc.

Those students wanting to study medicine or veterinary medicine are interviewed using MMIS (multiple mini interviews) to help support them as closely as possible when they are in their real interview.

This support continues as the Sixth Form coach spends time with interested students to hone their interview skills and be the best they can be on the day of their University interview.

SPH Sixth Form’s careers coach has spent many years delivering training into different businesses and so brings this experience into the sixth form in the way of Life Skills

Workshops, offering up to three each half term. Students are encouraged to attend these sessions which cover subjects like, ‘delivering a great presentation’, ‘building good habits’ and ‘working effectively in teams’.

For those students wishing to study at Oxbridge, SPH Sixth Form provides students with the opportunity to visit St John’s College, Oxford to meet students, to sit in on lectures and to be tested on some of the tougher questions asked in an interview scenario.

Students are also introduced to a representative from Churchill College, Cambridge and are taken to the Oxbridge Conference at Epson Downs. They are also supported with additional assessments they may need to take. Those students interested in applying to US universities are also supported.

As the interest in both higher and degree Apprenticeships take off, SPH Sixth Form commends itself on the support offered to its students to ensure they know about all options available.

SPH Sixth Form works closely with Amazing Apprenticeships and already in this academic year has welcomed representatives to introduce students to both higher and degree apprenticeships and given them a taste of what an assessment centre (in the application process) will look like.

The Sixth Form has also welcomed in a representative from The University of Chichester to speak specifically about degree apprenticeships and what is on offer.

Surrounding all of this is the support each student receives to ensure they are making the most of their time during their studies in SPH Sixth Form.

Students are encouraged to be the best that they can be and to do the best that they can but all of this comes with as much support as each student needs and it is this that sets SPH Sixth Form apart.

Claire Novis, a Year 13 Student who joined the Sixth Form in Year 12, said: “Joining SPH Sixth Form has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. I have thrived within the community environment and made some lifelong friends.”