Page 10 - Sixth Form prospectus 2020

WHAT CAN KESWICK SCHOOL OFFER TO YOU?

By staying on at Keswick School you will be working with teachers who are known to you and who
know you well, in an environment you are familiar with and comfortable in. This means you will
settle quickly into your Sixth Form courses. We are very pleased to welcome a number of new
students every year, including boarders, which adds to the distinctiveness of the Sixth Form: we
find that new students settle in very well.

You will benefit from an experienced and highly qualified team of Sixth Form teaching and pastoral
staff. The experience and skill of the teaching body, coupled with a strong pastoral system which is
committed to the success of every student, means that we have a strong record in A levels and
other level 3 vocational qualifications.

OFSTED reported in 2014: “The Sixth Form curriculum is excellent. Sixth Formers are particularly
well prepared for future employment and higher education through the outstanding programme
of study they are given. They take full advantage of a myriad of opportunities to take
responsibility and consequently make a major contribution to the success of the school.” And in
2011: “Students achieve so well in the Sixth Form because teaching is consistently of the highest
quality. It is challenging, lively and purposeful at all times. It is consistent in promoting students'
thinking skills and their skills as independent learners.”

We have a purpose-built Sixth Form Centre. This gives the students work spaces which are
separate from the main school. The study areas are Wi-Fi enabled. These areas are permanently
staffed by the Sixth Form Learning Supervisors, who support students with their private
independent study. The students also have a social area in the Sixth Form Centre. The Head of
Sixth Form and Heads of Year have permanent offices in this building and are readily available.

The school offers excellent learning facilities in all subjects, including dedicated IT suites, Wi-Fi and
an award-winning library, staffed by a professional librarian. We have outstanding provision for
music, drama and dance in the Crosthwaite Music Centre, the Judi Dench Performing Arts Theatre
and the dance studio. In 2018 we completed the build of the new International Languages Centre,
containing dedicated modern classrooms equipped with superb IT facilities to support teaching
and learning, and the addition of a new physics lab to the science teaching rooms. There is a sports
hall, a gym, a climbing wall and a range of outdoor pitches offering first-rate recreational
opportunities.

Above all, we recognise that whatever step you take after your GCSEs in Year 11, it must be a
positive step that will take you forward and lead to success. We endeavour to help you achieve
this, but it must be a shared commitment. We are looking for students who want to return to
school, and who want to succeed.

The Sixth Form Tutorial Programme

Students undertake a tutorial programme, guided by their Form Heads. The main themes of this
will be the development of the necessary academic and interpersonal skills required to make a
successful transition to higher education or the workplace. For the former, we encourage students
to undertake super-curricular activities which broaden their profile of academic skills, knowledge
and understanding. For the latter, we base our approach on the principles of LORIC: Leadership,
Organisation, Resilience, Initiative and Communication. We have recently introduced a week of
work experience and have a programme of enrichment activities from outside providers.