St Teilo’s Church in Wales High School Ysgol Uwchradd Teilo Sant yr Eglwys yng Nghymru

Sixth Form Handbook

EXCELLENCE • EQUITY • FAITH

Being fully the person God is calling you to be.

# T E A M T E I L O

Croeso! Welcome! Welcome to the Sixth Form at St Teilo’s Church in Wales High School. For many, your journey began with us in Year 7. For some, you are new to us this year. No matter what your experience at Key Stage 3 and 4 has been, Sixth Form is your opportunity to determine your path into higher education and employment. It is an opportunity to foster new friendships and working relationships and a time to reflect on the contribution you wish to make to your community, both in St Teilo’s and beyond. Sixth Form study is incredibly demanding, and students often refer to their surprise at the increase in both workload and challenge. This handbook is intended to support you in becoming the most effective sixth form learner you can be. It provides advice and guidance on managing workload and developing a positive study ethos, as well as practical information on the expectations of sixth form students. There are spaces to make a note of contact details and key dates, and advice and guidance that will help and support you in your transition in to the Sixth Form. Sixth Form study in a school setting presents a unique challenge: not only are you studying for qualifications in specialist areas of interest, you also take on the position of a positive role model and mentor to students in other year groups. It is a real privilege to be afforded this level of responsibility and it is important that you recognise the importance of your contribution to the wider school community. You will find that your experience of supporting students will prove hugely valuable for applications for employment and future study. The contribution you make to the wider life of the Sixth Form at St Teilo’s will also determine the experience that you have during your time here. You are encouraged to take full advantage of all of the opportunities that are presented you, from student representation to cultural trips and enrichment opportunities. Whilst study and success in your qualifications is your primary focus, it is important to have fun and develop wider experiences along the way. Be sure to use the information contained within this handbook to help and support you and, if you need any further advice or guidance, then contact a member of the Sixth Form Team. We wish you the very best of luck for your time in the Sixth Form and look forward to working with you over the coming months. With every blessing, The Sixth Form Team

“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what

you are doing or learning to do.” – Pelé

Key contacts Make a note of the contact details and email addresses of key contacts in this space. Sixth Form Achievement Leader:

Sixth Form Assistant Achievement Leader:

Sixth Form Administrator:

Safeguarding Officer (Designated Senior Person):

School Chaplain:

Form Tutor:

Librarian/Careers link:

Careers advisor:

Subject Teachers:

For more information, visit www.stteilos.com.

Attendance and Punctuality Attendance All Sixth Form Students are expected to be on the school site until 12.30pm. If you do not have a timetabled lesson, you should use this time for independent study in one of the study spaces in the Sixth Form area or the library. On the rare occasion that these are not available, the ‘free rooms timetable’ will be displayed on the sixth form notice board and you are welcome to seek permission to work in these spaces. If you do not have a lesson after 12.30pm and you are on track with your work, you are welcome to take your study period offsite. Please note: additional sixth form events can be timetabled at any point during the school day and all students are expected to attend these. Punctuality Outstanding punctuality is expected from all students at all times. In order to make the most of your lesson, where possible you should aim to arrive at the lesson venue a couple of minutes in advance. If moving through the school please do so in an efficient manner. If you arrive more than ten minutes late to a lesson, staff members are likely to direct you to work elsewhere. This is to avoid further disruption to the learning of your peers. In order to support your learning, students with persistent lateness issues will be invited to meet with the Sixth Form Team to address these. Absence In exceptional circumstances, absence can only be authorised when a phone call is received from a parent or carer to confirm the reason for absence. Please note: driving lessons will not be authorised during the school day. However, the driving test will be authorised as a permitted absence. Holidays Holidays will not be authorised during term time; it is a condition of your enrolment that you agree to attend for the whole school year. Year 12 students will return after the summer half term (Whitsun) break to commence with study for their second year. Excellent attendance during this period is a condition for students to return to continue their A Level study in Year 13.

Conduct Your time in the Sixth Form at St Teilos Church in Wales High School should prepare you for the world of work. If behaviour and conduct falls below expectations, then you will follow the procedures outlined below. The level of intervention will be determined by the severity, frequency and nature of the conduct issue. All issues will be recorded on your Sixth Form record.

WARN

Verbal warning from staff member – Opportunity to correct conduct.

Text message reminder about conduct and sixth form expectations.

INFORM

Meeting with Sixth Form Team about conduct.

Phone call home to inform parent or carer about

conduct.

Written warning – A letter home to parents, copied to

the student record.

REFORM

Parental meeting with Sixth Form Team – Plan for

student’s reforming and improving conduct.

Sixth Form Contract or Report for all lessons.

Extended school day.

If your conduct continues to fall short of the high expectations of Sixth Form Students at St Teilos Church in Wales High School then your sixth form place may be at risk. The Sixth Form Team reserve the right to issue both fixed-term and permanent exclusions if conduct and behaviour deems this necessary.

Dress Code All students are expected to follow the Sixth Form Dress Code. This code is displayed in the Study Centre.

Academic Progress and Examination Entries Your progress will be discussed with both you and your parents or carers at regular intervals during the year. In order to keep you informed of your progress, the sixth form will: Provide feedback on students’ progress through Parents’ Evenings. It is crucial that parents

attend these evenings in order to discuss your progress with both you and your teachers – a solid support network is a key part of Sixth Form success.

Provide regular information to parents on your punctuality and attendance through the Sixth

Form parent text system and provide an annual written report on your progress that gives purposeful information about your progress on your chosen courses and your attitude to learning.

Provide clear information on where you are currently performing in comparison with your

target grade through regular tracking and mentoring. Contact parents if there is a cause for concern with regards to student progress and invite

parents to attend a ‘moving forward meeting’ to discuss how both the school - and the family - can provide students with the support necessary to ensure that you achieve success.

Provide a parent and student information evening about the UCAS application process for

Higher Education and an information evening to welcome students into Year 13.

Examinations and Resits Entries for examinations will be at the school’s discretion. Only if a student satisfies the requirements for attendance, conduct and progress will they be entered for external examinations. The school reserves the right to withdraw students from examinations should they not satisfy this criteria.

Student Agency: Independent Study Expectations Success in the Sixth Form is multi-faceted. It is wrong to think that the only indicator for success in education post-16 is the final examination result received at the end of your time here. Rather, success in the sixth form is about developing independent learners that, with the appropriate guidance and support, are able not only to achieve their potential but secure aspirational goals and targets that prepare them for a smooth transition into higher education and employment.

A Successful Sixth Form Student...

Is well organised, with up-to-date files and

notes, devoting adequate time every

week to preparing for indepentent study and

planning revision

Develops their subject knowledge by

watching current affairs programmes,

reading quality newspapers and

appropriate magazines

Views learning as a two way process -

fully engaged, concentrates and

takes detailed notes, asks questions and

contributes to discussion

Is enthusiastic about the subjects they have taken, and will commit

to them even when the challenge is great

Seeks assistance whenever it is

required and acts on all advice provided by teachers and subject specialists to further

their skill

Has a clearly defined, realistic long-term goal and also a realistic plan of how to achieve this

“Learning is not attained by chance: It must be sought for with ardour and diligence.”

– Abigail Adams

Independent Learning and Effective Study Skills As Sixth Form classes are significantly smaller than those in compulsory education, it is essential that you are an active participant in lessons, contributing to both discussion and debate as well as higher-level questioning. The frequency students see teachers is likely to increase and there is an emphasis on developing a positive working relationship with them. In the Sixth Form, the role of the teacher is not to spoon-feed but rather to direct, advise, stimulate and encourage. Students must arrive for each lesson prepared to be lively, interested and involved. Reading ahead is a pre-condition of active and informed contribution to classroom discussion. New information and ideas emerge in the course of discussion and therefore students should be effective note-takers. Personal and intellectual motivation is needed throughout the year, not only in the run up to public examinations. Your aim should be to become an independent learner; this is the main feature of sixth form work. Remember that your class work and formal assignments are only part of your preparation – a regular review of your notes and files, as well as additional reading, is essential. Independent Study There is an expectation that all students in the Sixth Form match each hour of taught lessons per week with an hour of independent study. If you are studying four subjects, this means you should be undertaking a minimum of 16 additional hours of independent study per week. It is important that you get into this habit from the very start of the year in order to ensure that you keep on top of the demands of sixth form study. If a student is failing to complete the necessary independent study they will be required to remain on site for the full school day and engage with catch-up via ‘Lesson 6’ – an hour of supervised study that takes place at the end of the school day. Sixth Form Study Rooms and the Library The Sixth Form is fortunate to have a dedicated study room, use of the library and other Sixth Form spaces around the school. This dedicated space is a privilege and should be treated as such. If you are not studying, then visit the Sixth Form Café to chat and socialise – but remember the additional study hours you should be putting in. Study spaces are for just that: independent and group study. Noise and litter should be kept to a minimum in order to ensure a focused learning environment is preserved.

Referencing and Academic Style Referencing is incredibly important. All essays rely on research but it is incredibly important to acknowledge where you have got your ideas and information from. Failure to do this, whether intentional or not, can lead to ‘plagiarism’ which is defined by the University of Oxford as: “Presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own, with or without their consent, by incorporating it into your work without full acknowledgement. All published and unpublished material, whether in manuscript, printed or electronic form, is covered under this definition.” Referencing is an essential part of all higher level study, from Level 3 through to University and beyond. Professional publications also rely on referencing to acknowledge the authors and sources that have contributed to their work. In St Teilo’s, we use the most common form of academic referencing, Harvard Referencing. What Is Harvard Referencing? ‘Harvard referencing’ is a form of parenthetical referencing – which means that you credit the author in the body of your essay rather than in the footnotes. This really signposts where you have taken influence from other authors and makes sure that you are fully acknowledging your use of others’ work and ideas. What Should I Reference? The important thing is knowing when to reference. Examples of when you need to insert a reference are: Quoting a source directly Paraphrasing someone else’s argument Using a diagram or illustration from another source Using data or results from someone else’s research Summarising someone else’s beliefs or thoughts You do not need to cite information that is universally known or is considered to be common knowledge, such as “there are 365 days in a year” or “Cardiff is in Wales.”

Basic Citation Style Harvard Referencing, often referred to as ‘citations’, usually contains information about the author surname and year of publication, separated by a comma. For instance, The WI Book of Bread and Buns would be cited like this: Many people consider making bread complicated (Norwak, 1984). If the author is named in the text, there’s no need to repeat it in the citation. Moreover, if you’re quoting a source, you should provide page numbers: According to Norwak (1984, p. 4), it is ‘important to understand the ingredients involved’. Your Reference List Harvard referencing requires all cited sources to be included in a reference list/bibliography. This is where you give full publication information for the works you have cited. The details required here depend on the source type, but they usually include the title, place of publication and publisher, the author’s name, and a year of publication. Moreover, all Harvard reference lists should: List all and only sources cited in your essay (additional reading can be included separately) Order sources alphabetically by author surname List multiple works by the same author with the earliest first Provide names for all listed authors (no matter how many there are) The easiest way to do this is using the ‘referencing tool’ in Microsoft Word which will auto-generate citations for you. This information has been adapted from www.proofreadmywork.com.

Information, Advice and Guidance Personal Tutor Each student will have a dedicated tutor during their time with us. In the Sixth Form, the role of the Tutor is multifaceted, and includes pastoral support, academic mentoring and attendance monitoring. The Tutor will often be your first point of contact if you need support during your time in the Sixth Form. UCAS Mentoring In Year 13, each student will also be allocated a UCAS mentor. This will be a member of the Sixth Form Team or a subject specialist who will provide support and mentoring during the UCAS process in order to ensure that every student is on track to gain entry to university. This mentoring will take the form of both email communication or one-to-one meetings, where students will receive feedback on their personal statement and support and guidance in choosing the Higher Education pathway that is right for them. Careers There are appointments with the Careers Advisor from Careers Wales available weekly. These can be booked with the Lifelong Learning Manager in the library. All students will have an annual careers appointment as well as the opportunity to attend careers fayres, the UCAS Convention at Cardiff Metropolitan University and other Higher Education and Careers events. Counselling The Sixth Form is fortunate to have a dedicated Sixth Form Counsellor available weekly for sixth form students. Referrals to the counsellor are made through the Sixth Form Team and the number of sessions will be determined by the counsellor. External Agencies Sixth Form is a challenging time for many students, and some students may need the support of agencies external to the school. Some agencies that may be appropriate for students are listed below: Childline – 0800 1111 NSPCC Cymru - 01267 223932 Citizens Advice - 01267 223932 Samaritans - 01267 223932 Care for the Family - 029 2081 0800

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing

that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

# T E A M T E I L O

www.stteilos.com