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Sixth Form

Staying on in the Sixth Form

“Life as a sixth former at St Mary’s feels very different from being in the lower school. You begin to feel like a ‘student’ and no longer a ‘school-girl’. In a way this is scary because you are left to work at your own pace and how much work you do outside lessons is your decision. The teachers give you a lot more independence ... it becomes much more relaxed...”   Sixth Former

Read what previous 6th formers have said:

Elizabeth Judge: Elizabeth was a student at St Mary’s from 1988 to 1995. She went on to study English at St Peter’s College, Oxford and now works as a journalist at The Times.
Lizzie Tuley
Claire Hickling
Livia Lai
Rebecca Blackburn

Elizabeth Judge

Entering the Sixth Form, the last thought on many students’ minds is academia. As one nears fully-fledged adulthood, a busy social life, lots of friends and planning for university or jobs seems much more important and the thought of a more ‘normal’ mixed environment is incredibly tempting.

When I was considering Sixth Form, like most other people I did the rounds but I decided to stay and here’s why:

The quality of your A Levels will determine what university you go to, what course you can do and hence what job opportunities will present themselves to you. If you leave St Mary’s, the risk is that fun will come first and, when the A Level results come through, things may suddenly look pretty bleak when you do not do quite as well as you might have.

There are also class sizes to consider. If you are lucky enough to have parents willing to pay for a private education where classes are small and some are even given on a one-to-one basis then I really wouldn’t turn it down.

There is no replacement for having a teacher who is interested in the subject and in you. After many years at a school, teachers get to know your strong and weak points - many in my case! When you start your Sixth Form studies at St Mary’s, you by-pass the tedious process of acquainting yourself with new teachers who may take a while to understand you.

Those who argue that St Mary’s does not prepare you for university are also wrong. Apart from the obvious fact of giving you a better chance to fulfill your potential, my experience of the Sixth Form was a relaxed, grown-up environment where you are encouraged to socialise, organise your time and work effectively and still go on theatre trips and take part in schemes like Young Enterprise and editing the School Magazine.

The school and teachers know that you are no longer children and need to be treated as such and that is exactly what they do. They trust you not to waste all your free periods chatting (though of course some might be filled in a less than academic way) and generally to get on with things. They also help you with crucial decisions, like filling in UCAS forms and writing CVs.

My advice then to those embarking on Sixth Form choices is to put to one side the clichés you will hear about why not to stay on at St Mary’s and think of what it has to offer.

Lizzie Tuley

What are you studying now?

I am studying Veterinary Science at Bristol University.

Which clubs have you joined at uni?

Freshers’ Fair is just an absolute heaven for people who like joining clubs and societies. Aware that I had a pretty heavy courseload ahead of me and slightly put off by the membership fees for a lot of the clubs that I was interested in, I restricted myself to the cross–country club. Next year I am hoping to join a choir though, now that I know what my workload is like, and I’ll also be living closer to all the action which will make participating much easier.

Which activities/trips did you take part in at St Mary’s?

I was a member of both choirs (Cantore and Allegro) and went to Salzburg on tour with Cantore. I was also a member of Orchestra and Jazz Band and played at Disneyland with the latter. I went to Lourdes in both the Lower and Upper Sixth and thoroughly enjoyed it. I also went with the Biology department to Honduras which was a fantastic experience. Young Enterprise is another activity open to sixth formers that I would recommend, along with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (in which I completed my Gold expeditions). There are so many good activities available to the sixth formers and I’d encourage everyone to take part in as many things as they can.

How did St Mary’s Sixth Form prepare you for university?

I found Sixth Form a good halfway point between school and university. I gained confidence and independence in the sixth form and it also altered the way I studied in preparation for the different methods of teaching that you discover at university. Being a member of the sixth form team also taught me some responsibility and, well, I must say it... how to deal with a bit of a crisis! St Mary’s also gave me a lot of help with the practical side of the transition to university — I had some excellent advice with regard to my university choice and my UCAS application, and of course the fantastic teaching that helped me to get the grades I needed to go to my chosen university.

What did you most enjoy about the 6th Form at St Mary’s?

I definitely loved the fact that it was fairly small and therefore very close knit. Everyone knows everyone else — either through lessons, friends of friends, or just socialising in the common room. All newcomers were made to feel very welcome and there was a definite cheerful, friendly atmosphere around the whole sixth form centre all the time which I think helped to keep everyone alive and kicking through the dreaded exam period.

Claire Hickling

What are you studying now?

Chemistry at Oxford University.

Which clubs have you joined at uni?

Rowing, Netball, Lacrosse, Drama. I’m also a member of Oxford Union, but then again everyone is!

Which activities/trips did you take part in at St Mary’s?

Rowing
Other sports clubs
Drama
Duke of Edinburgh award
Biology trip to Honduras in the U6

How did St Mary’s Sixth Form prepare you for university?

I think the best thing the Sixth Form did for me was to teach me how to teach myself. I found I was academically behind my classmates for Maths and I had to catch up by spending more time on it at home. I also found it helped with my time management because all of a sudden I had free periods and I could fill them how I chose, but I still had to ensure that I did my work within the time constraint. I think that it helped me most this way because now I get one large piece of work to do a week and I have to organise my time to finish it on time and without having to do an ‘all–nighter’, but I also have to have a social life and do other things.

What did you most enjoy about the 6th Form at St Mary’s?

Its size and the fact that the classes were very small. There was almost individual attention from the teachers and I found that helped quite a lot when I found the work harder. I particularly realised the advantage of this when I was studying Maths. I chose to stay because I got on very well with the teachers who were teaching my subjects and I wanted to ease the transition into A Level. I enjoyed being able to go out and come back when I chose. I really enjoyed the freedom that a small sixth form allowed me.

Livia Lai

What are you studying now?

Biochemistry at Imperial College, London

Which clubs have you joined at uni?

Model United Nations... sounds geeky but it’s a bit more intellectual than other clubs in uni like the ‘curry’ society I guess...

Which activities/trips did you take part in at St Mary’s?

Young Enterprise, Pottery, Rowing, Wine Tasting! And numerous amount of boarding activities like horse riding, candle making, Indian night, bowling, ice–skating, cinema trips, etc.

How did St Mary’s Sixth Form prepare you for university?

I am most grateful to my science teachers when I was in St Mary’s, who initiated my interest in biochemistry, most of my classmates in sixth form went on to do a science/medicine degree... I believe interest in your subject is one of the key factors in university, an important thing to keep you going to early lectures! The sixth form meetings also gave us hints on what university is about, I particularly remember we had a section about financing in uni... I had no idea at that time but I am glad that I was told that we should be aware of money management in uni especially when you have to pay bills and rents... of course, my tutor and head of sixth form helped me a lot preparing for university applications, writing personal statements and preparing for interviews.

What did you most enjoy about the 6th Form at St Mary’s?

I enjoyed the ‘Cake break’ during our Physics class and having tea and hot chocolate in Maths class most! Also doing some exciting ‘real’ experiments in chemistry which involves mixing of various chemicals (and we had no clue what would happen...) and in Physics we also did some rather exotic experiments with Dr Miller.

Rebecca Blackburn

What are you studying now?

Archaeology and Ancient History at Reading University

Which clubs have you joined at uni?

I joined an orchestra and the aikido club.

Which activities/trips did you take part in at St Mary’s?

I was in the Sixth Form choir and was an ICT director in the Young Enterprise company –Zephyr’. I also helped with the design of the performance of ‘As You Like It’.

How did St Mary’s Sixth Form prepare you for university?

I started some subjects that I’d never taken before with people who had. That meant there were some parts which they had already done at GCSE, and that I had never heard of. The same applied to University, where some people had been on excavations, and others had A levels in archaeology, or Ancient Greek. Being put in the same situation as I was at the beginning of Sixth Form, starting from scratch while other people had a ‘head start’, was actually comforting, because I knew that even if they did seem to know more, in a few weeks that wouldn’t matter. The lectures were not going to be a repetition of their A levels, just as A level isn’t a repetition of GCSE.

The small class sizes at St Mary’s were also useful in that they were similar to the seminars and tutorials that I have at uni. Smaller classes mean a greater chance of catching the attention of your teacher, so suddenly doing the preparation for the lesson seems a good idea. Getting into the habit of doing what you’re meant to sticks, and comes in very useful when in comes to deadlines.

What did you most enjoy about the 6th Form at St Mary’s?

At St Mary’s, there is always someone available to talk to, or to ask advice from, even if they are a little hard to find. But by the time you reach sixth form, you know all the hideouts, and can locate teachers effectively! The Sixth Form is large enough to have all sorts of interesting people, but small enough that you can get to know all of them. You suddenly have more responsibility and options available to have fun with, and somehow, even though the workload increased, so did our fun.