Fortismere Sixth Form values very highly the input and support of parents because we know that this is a major contributory factor in ensuring the success of our students.

We will always seek to keep you informed of any significant developments within the Sixth Form, and of the progress of your sons and daughters. You will be involved in every aspect of their education at Fortismere, from their entry into Sixth Form to the plans they make for their Higher Education and their careers. It is very important to us that you feel that you have a direct link to members of staff who can help you with any queries or concerns. At any time, you can contact us in the Sixth Form Office by email at sixthform@fortismere.haringey.sch.uk or by phone on 0208 365 4453. Whenever possible, we will help in any way we can.

Sessions for Parents We hold a range of sessions for parents, and these are intended to provide information and ideas in order to facilitate your effective support of your son or daughter. The following list is not necessarily comprehensive, as other events may be added, but it gives an indication of how we will seek to interact with you:

In September of Year 12 an Information and Social Evening offers information on how parents can help to ensure that study time is fully effective in supporting the work done in AS lessons. It also provides a welcome for all parents of new Sixth Formers allowing you to meet each other as well as members of the Sixth Form team. This event enables you to share your experiences in an informal and friendly environment.

In December of Year 12, you and your son or daughter will be invited to an Academic Review meeting at which you can discuss his or her progress with a member of staff, and set ambitious targets for the rest of the year.

In March of Year 12, a Parents Evening will offer you the chance to discuss specific elements of your son or daughter’s performance in all of his or her subjects with all the relevant teachers.

In April of Year 12, a Higher Education Evening will offer you information on the process of applying for university, and will seek to answer some of the questions that parents often ask, such as “Should my son have a gap year?”, “How can my daughter make her application stand out among those of other high-achieving students?” and “How can I help my son to prepare for university entrance interviews?”

We hope these sessions will be helpful, and would like to hear from parents if they feel that a particular area of importance has not been covered by our provision.

Application and Induction

Most students applying for the Sixth Form at Fortismere will be offered a guidance meeting. This is because all research shows how important it is for students to take courses that suit their abilities, interests and ambitions, and we will wish to ensure that the choices that students make are appropriate. We will always invite parents to attend these meetings, as this is such an important stage of the process of application, and we will seek to answer any questions you have about individual courses or how combinations of subjects will work. As every Advanced course presents a different challenge, each individual course will set its own requirements of students that reflect the skills and abilities needed for successful completion of the course. Students and parents should consult the course descriptions in the subjects section to identify these requirements.

In addition to attending guidance meetings and reading the descriptions of subjects, we would strongly recommend that students and parents attend the Prospective Sixth Form Students and Parents’ Evening on January 13th 2007. At this event, parents will have the chance to hear talks on the provision within the Sixth Form, and to discuss courses with Heads of Department, teaching staff and current students. A detailed note on timings for this evening is in the News section of this prospectus. We would also like to offer the opportunity for parents and students to make an appointment  to visit the school on one of our Open mornings on January 27th and 28th (full details are available in the News section of this prospectus).

Once students have made applications and been offered places, we will invite them to the Induction Event which we propose to hold in the first week of July. The purpose of this is to help students to finalise choices, and meet their new tutors. If necessary, students may still make some changes to subject choices after this event, although we cannot guarantee that we will able to accommodate every request for alteration.

Monitoring and Information on Progress

In addition to the Academic Review Day in December and the Parents’ Evening in February noted above, we will use several other means to inform you of the progress of your son or daughter. Teachers will regularly assess the work being done by the students in their classes, and will provide a progress level (1-4) for two pieces of work in every half-term. They will also provide, in every term, summary progress levels and indications of concerns that may exist relating to attendance, homework, organisation and coursework. All this information will be contained in a summary Learning Review that will be sent to you during every term of their Sixth Form. If these reviews suggest that it is necessary, meetings will be held at which parents and students can discuss concerns about progress with a senior member of the Sixth Form team.

Exam Results and Value Added Performance

Fortismere Sixth Form has a very good record of success at A Level, AS Level, and Intermediate Level. The key statistics are listed below, and full subject results are available by clicking on the results section.

The ALPS reports for Fortismere Sixth Form demonstrate consistently strong value added. The ALPS organisation award grades to Sixth Forms based on how well their A Level students have performed against established baselines, and in a national context. The grades indicate the level of performance on a scale of 1 to 9:

Fortismere’s ALPS grades for the last four years have been as follows:

These grades indicate that Fortismere’s Value Added performance at A Level has been either ‘outstanding’ or ‘excellent’ every year for the last four years. However, we are aware that there are always some subject areas that have not been as successful as others, and are constantly reviewing the work of our departments to spread best practice throughout the Sixth Form as we strive to achieve even more successful outcomes for our students.

Progression beyond Sixth Form

As a result of the high level of their achievement in the Sixth Form, Fortismere students are able to access a wide range of educational and career opportunities after they leave school. In 2006, 159 students applied successfully to Higher Education institutions or to Art Colleges. The range of courses for which they applied was staggering, reflecting the wide range of educational opportunities that they had in the Sixth Form. These opportunities include challenging and inspirational extra-curricular activities, which are described in more detail in the Student Life section.

We feel that it is a vital part of our job to ensure that students make appropriate and ambitious applications, and we run training sessions for students and for the tutors who will advise them at key points of the application process, and who will write their personal and academic references. Extra advice sessions on volunteering, work shadowing and on the opportunities for career development in specific areas will help students to make long-term plans that will help to focus their decision-making in Year 13. Students or parents who have questions about progression routes or any concerns about the processes involved in making the next vital steps can contact the Sixth Form Office at any time.