Learning on the Hill

Fortismere School Sixth Form seeks to offer you an excellent education, in all senses of the word. We believe that all students should:

• be enabled to choose a combination of courses that helps them to develop a wide range of skills, interests and abilities
• be helped to explore and then follow suitable pathways in Higher or Further Education, or in employment
• be encouraged to aim as high as possible in terms of academic and personal development through the provision of very good teaching and of a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities
• feel part of a diverse and vibrant school community, and be enabled to become fully active members of that community

We value the successes of all students equally, whether these successes are in academic or extra-curricular fields, and work hard to ensure that all students develop a sense of belonging. We value the independence and maturity of our students, as well as the input of parents and carers, and ensure that regular reports are provided, allowing students and their parents and carers to monitor their progress.

Curriculum Choices

Fortismere offers a very wide range of Advanced Level courses, and we encourage all our students to make the most of the opportunities provided to follow a varied and appropriate curriculum. Most students taking Advanced Level course will follow four AS courses in Year 12, and three or four A2 courses in Year 13. Traditional academic subjects such as Chemistry, Mathematics and Further Mathematics, English Literature, History and Physics are well represented at Fortismere, and we have great strengths in the areas of Arts and Technology, and the Performing Arts. We are always looking for ways to expand our curriculum offer, and in recent years have added Advanced Level courses in subjects such as Religious Studies, Music Technology, and Film Studies. We are also keen to develop our range of vocational subjects, at Intermediate and Advanced Levels.

Setting Targets, Achieving Goals

At Fortismere, you should always be aware of how your progress relates to your potential achievement. In November of Year 12 subject teachers will set target grades that will take into account prior achievement, as well as the quality of the work that you are doing, and will give feedback on how well you are progressing towards these grades. With these target grades and feedback in mind, you will negotiate individual working targets with your form tutor. These targets will be regularly reviewed and updated during the course. Your tutor will provide a regular point of contact for you, offering support and guidance on a range of matters. A Learning Mentor is attached to the Sixth Form, and will provide help to those students who need it.

Parents and carers will receive either written or verbal feedback on the progress of their sons or daughters at least once per term. This will take the form of Learning Reviews and Parents Consultation Evenings.

Resources and Spaces

At Fortismere, we can offer a wide range of specialist accommodation for subject teaching and for extra-curricular activities. Our rapidly evolving campus already boasts a separate Sixth Form Centre housing the large and well-equipped school library and learning resource centre, with a floor dedicated to Sixth Form students. The Centre also provides a common room that includes a canteen open only to Sixth Form students, and well-equipped Photography and Media Studies suites, as well as many classrooms set aside for Sixth Form use. The school campus also includes an all-weather pitch and sports centre, and excellent facilities for the teaching of subjects such as Biology, Chemistry, Art, and Product Design. Plans are in place for development and improvement of the campus in the near future, and all Sixth Form students will benefit from this.

Finding the Pathways Forward

The vast majority of Fortismere Sixth Formers progress on to Higher Education. We regularly receive information from universities that confirms how successful many of our students are after they leave us, following a wide range of courses at a variety of institutions, from RADA to the London School of Economics to Cambridge University. We understand how important it is to ensure that all students leave us with a clear idea of what they want to do, and how they can go about achieving their goals. Therefore, we work very hard to give you good advice on your choices of courses and institutions, when you are considering how to apply through UCAS. We run a UCAS training day for all students in July of Year 12, and from that point on your tutor will discuss your application with you regularly. We also arrange for all students to attend the major Higher Education Fair that is held in Central London in March of Year 12, and provide a range of special events, including sessions designed to help those students considering applying to Oxbridge, or to Medical or Dental courses. In addition, we hold a Higher Education Evening for Parents and Carers in Year 12, which provides information and advice for those supporting students in the process of application.

Our careers staff, our linked Connexions adviser, a well-stocked careers library, free internet access and information on university open days all aid students in making well-informed and appropriate decisions. We help students to arrange work shadowing placements at the end of the summer term of Year 12, encouraging them to use this opportunity to gain experience in a field that they may enter in the future. Recent placements include those at the BBC, the Bank of England, the Financial Times, the International Bar Association, and the Royal Free hospital.

We are also concerned to ensure that you use wisely all the opportunities open to you for Gap Year activities after you leave us. Help and advice will be available from the careers and pastoral staff. Many of our students do truly extraordinary things during their Gap Years, and are kind enough to tell us about their adventures.

Learning in the Open

We firmly believe that not all the learning that students do should take place in the classroom. Consequently, we ensure that there is a huge range of extra-curricular opportunities at Fortismere. Popular options include:

• sports, including representative football (in season 2005-2006, our First and Second XIs were both Middlesex champions)
• music groups, working with a range of students from Year 7 to Year 13
• representing your form or your year group in Sixth Form Committee and School Council
• the Young Enterprise scheme
• the Engineering Education scheme
• the Global Young Leaders Conference in Washington DC and New York
• trips abroad, including language exchanges, ski trips, and subject-based visits to Barcelona and Euro Disney
• masterclasses at a variety of universities
• reading partnerships with Year 7 students
• organising and running events for students with significant physical disabilities from the William Harvey School
• taking part in national debating competitions
• helping with lower school library lessons

We strongly recommend that all students become involved in at least one of these activities. If you want to do something that is not on our list, then tell us!

Making the Right Choice

You will be faced with a wide range of options when considering what to do after your GCSEs. We believe that Fortismere Sixth Form can compete with the best in terms of the courses, the teaching, the facilities, and the extension opportunities that we offer. We are open to all students, regardless of where they have pursued their education prior to Sixth Form. If you think that you might consider coming to Fortismere, we would encourage you to:

• attend the ‘Prospective Sixth Form Students and Parents Evening’ on January 16th (full details are available in the News section of this prospectus), using the opportunity to discuss possible plans with specialist staff
• tour the school and Sixth Form on one of our Open mornings on January 23rd and 25th (full details are available in the News section of this prospectus)
• read all the information provided on courses carefully
• discuss the options available to you with staff at your school, and with your parents
• obtain an application form (you can download an application form the apply section)

If you apply, we will normally ask you to come to school for a discussion of your application with a member of the Sixth Form management team. Most of these meetings will take place between February and May of Year 11.

We may then make a conditional offer to you. All students should note that we expect you to have performed well at GCSE Level in order to show that the courses you wish to do will be suitable for you. The details below offer an explanation of what we are looking for from our applicants:

Criteria for access to Advanced Level courses

These traditional strongly academic courses form the main focus for 6th Form study at Fortismere. Because of the popularity of Fortismere 6th Form and the wide range of subjects on offer, we are able to meet almost every subject combination. In order to begin Advanced courses you will need to have at least 5 C grades or better at GCSE, and you will also have to meet the entry requirements for the individual subjects that you wish to study. In order to transfer from AS to A2 courses at the beginning of Year 13, you will need to have secured a solid pass in that subject. Students who do not meet the criteria for transfer into A2 may expect to be counselled as to their future options..

Most of our students are expected to follow four AS level subjects in Year 12. A large number, including those likely to make medical or Oxbridge applications, will continue with four A2 courses in Year 13.

Criteria for access to Intermediate Level Vocational courses

We also offer a small number of one-year Level 2 vocational courses for students who do not meet the criteria for the Advanced Level courses. In order to begin an Intermediate Level course you will need to have several passes at GCSE, some of which should be at grade D or higher. You will also need to have a genuine interest in the subject area, as students taking a one-year course will be committing themselves to only studying that subject for the year.