Dear Year 11,

I hope you had a restful Easter break and you have had time to digest the information we received on the last day of term about how your grades will be calculated.

Last week we learned that your GCSE grades will be published on the original date, Thursday 20^th August 2020.
We are not able to discuss with you the grades that we are proposing so please can I ask that you do not put your teachers in a difficult position by asking them.

It has been made clear that no further work is needed to be completed by Year 11 students as this will not count towards your final calculated grades at this stage. However, it is really important that you complete all your courses.  Your teachers will continue to deliver the remaining last few aspects of those courses over the next few weeks.  I would also like to encourage you to take the time to tidy up and file away all of your subject resources as you may still need them, should you not be satisfied with your grade/s and decide to sit exams in the next school year. 

Your teachers will be arranging for revision resources to be made available to you in the next academic year, should you decide to take exams in any of your subjects.

Sixth Form “Head Start”:
We have taken the bold decision to begin Sixth Form early at The Buckingham School.

This will give you the opportunity to not only catch up on teaching time lost, but also get ahead in the coming months on your new Level 3 courses. This will be open to you all, to allow you to embark on some form of study in the courses you will be studying next year, even if you are moving on elsewhere.

As you are aware, your teachers are currently very busy organising evidence and moderating grades to be submitted to the Exam Boards for your final GCSE grades. Alongside this, they are also recommending your suitability into our Sixth Form.

This means that by early in June, all offers for Sixth Form places will have been made and will enable you to begin your courses as early as next half term. If school closures are still in place at that time, we will arrange for your tutorials and lessons to take place online, as well as set project work to complete over the summer break.

This is a great opportunity for you to transition to Sixth Form life with ease and take back control of your education.  It will also give you a significant advantage when the next academic year begins in September.

Joining Our Sixth Form:
The Buckingham School has made a commitment to ensure all students leave Year 11 on their most appropriate career pathway.

Many of you have applied to our Sixth Form; some of you have applied to other Colleges and Sixth Forms and there are some of you that have not yet applied for any Post 16 courses. Whatever your plans are for next year, please be reassured we are here to support you.

If you have yet to apply to our Sixth Form or you have already, you will be interested to learn of the continued achievements of the Buckingham School Sixth Form this year.

The Buckingham School Sixth Form is committed to ensuring students achieve the best possible grades they are capable of; students explore and exploit the opportunities on offer to them, explore and exploit the opportunities they make for themselves and leave the Buckingham School Sixth Form on the best career pathway possible.

Last year’s results were a great success again and were very positive when compared nationally to other Sixth Forms and Colleges. All students who applied to University last summer, not only received good grades but they also secured places on their chosen courses. None of our Sixth Form students needed to go through the clearing system to secure a place at University.

Recent Ofsted inspectors celebrated that ‘Leaders ensure that the curriculum extends beyond the subjects pupils must learn. Pupils believe that the timetabled enrichment programme provides them with unique experiences and opportunities to develop their cultural awareness and think about the world differently.’

‘Leaders have created a strong Sixth Form curriculum that provides progression for all students who continue studying at the school. A partnership with the local grammar school enables students to study some science A Levels there if they are not available at this school. Students enjoy studying in the Sixth Form. They spoke to us very enthusiastically about the support and advice they receive to make the right choice beyond school, including work experience.’

If you have already applied to Sixth Form and had an interview, we will contact you no later than by the end of the first week in June (after half term), to let you know if your application has been successful.

If you have applied to Sixth Form but not yet had an interview, we will contact you shortly to let you know when your telephone interview will take place. All interviews will be conducted by myself and again, we will confirm if your application has been successful no later than by the end of the first week in June (after half term).

If you are yet to apply, please download and complete the application form from the website. If you have any queries with the application process, please email Mrs Bones at sixthform@buckinghamschool.org.

If you are looking to leave the Buckingham School at the end of Year 11, we will continue to support you through offering short online courses which will continue to build your knowledge and skills needed when you begin your new courses in September. These online courses will be made available to all Year 11 the week commencing 4^th May 2020.

If you require support with careers advice and guidance at this time, please contact Mr Cunningham. We can support you in choosing courses, writing CVs and completing application forms. We can advise on future career pathways and how to build a competitive CV which demonstrates your achievements and the soft skills needed to be successful in your future careers.

Should you have any other questions at all regarding your next steps beyond Year 11, please do not hesitate in contacting any of the following key personnel:

Miss Keeping, Head of Year 11: vkeeping@buckinghamschool.org
Mr Cunningham, Careers Leader: pcunningham@buckinghamschool.org
Mrs Bones, Sixth Form Admissions: sixthform@buckinghamschool.org
Mrs Pykett, Assistant Head Teacher/Director of Sixth Form: spykett@buckinghamschool.org

With my best wishes

Mrs S Pykett, Assistant Headteacher
Director of Sixth Form, spykett@buckinghamschool.org