For most Sixth Form students at St Chris, their study programme will comprise:
Which subjects to study is an important decision and at St Chris, you will be fully supported through this process in Year 11, or during the admissions journey if you are new to the School.
Please download our Sixth Form Curriculum to view the subjects offered:
The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is part of the extended curriculum in the Sixth Form and is designed to complement the A level programme by providing greater breadth and to help our students develop the skills they will draw upon later in their lives, such as research and independent study skills.
The EPQ is an excellent preparation for the types of skills needed at degree level and can give extra weight and value to a university application.
The EPQ involves the production of a project which can be presented as an extended essay, an investigation, an artefact, or a performance, plus the accompanying research, analysis and evaluation; it receives a grade (A*-E) like any other subject and is awarded more UCAS points than an AS level.
As well as being an excellent demonstration of a student’s study skills, intellectual capacity and perseverance the EPQ can also be a lot of fun, as there are wide parameters to what you can investigate!
Recent EPQ topics at St Chris have included: political art; science versus God; the causes of the Henrician Reformation; the migrant crisis and the definition of ‘good’; the reciprocal interaction between architecture and humans; and whether avant garde art is dead.
Study periods are used at a pupil’s discretion to independently study for their A-levels. It is likely that pupils will need to undertake a minimum of three to four study hours per subject, outside of lessons, per week to meet the requirements of their course.
Pupils can use the Sixth Form Centre’s quiet study rooms and the library during these periods.
“Using your study periods to get homework done earlier in the day is a lot more effective than leaving it until you are at home when you are tired and most likely want to relax. It’s a much better way of getting work done on time and to a higher quality.” Robert, Year 12
Personal, Social, Health, Economic Education (PSHE) is taught to Year 12 during dedicated weekly lessons by the Director of PSHE and the Sixth Form team, as well as visiting speakers.
The lessons cover a wide range of issues with the aim of developing the essential knowledge and skills needed by young people as they become more independent. PSHE topics include mental health, financial choices, diversity, relationships, first aid, driving safety, criminal law and substance use.
The lessons provide opportunities for students to extend their social literacy, including discussion, empathy and transferable skills. Through PSHE, students are also supported to undertake the application processes needed for future opportunities and career development.
St Chris provides comprehensive guidance and support to help students formulate their plans following Sixth Form through the PSHE curriculum and with dedicated sessions with our Careers Adviser. This includes study skills training and talks by visiting speakers.
Each pupil also has a programme of one-to-one meetings with a dedicated Higher Education Adviser, who provides dedicated higher education application guidance and support.
The Options programme at St Chris is an integral part of the curriculum which takes place on one afternoon a week for all students in Years 7 to 12.
The aim of Options is to give students an opportunity to expand their horizons, learn and develop new skills and discover new opportunities.
Sixth Form students participate in the Options programme for the first three Options blocks in the year and are able to select from a broad range of topics – creative, physical, community/social awareness and academic.
A list of recent Options includes:
For further information about the co-curricular activities offered in the Sixth Form at St Chris please see our Sixth Form Activities page here.
The main St Chris school day runs from 8.30am to 3.55pm and is made up of five lessons.
8.30 to 9.10am Registration or Morning Talk
9.10 to 10.10am Period 1
10.10 to 10.30am Break
10.30 to 11.30am Period 2
11.40 to 12.40pm Period 3
12.40 to 1.40pm Lunch
1.40 to 1.45pm Registration
1.45 to 2.45pm Period 4
2.55 to 3.55pm Period 5
Morning Talks, the St Chris name for an Assembly, take place three times a week for Sixth Form. They are for the whole school on a Monday and Friday, with a dedicated Sixth Form Morning Talk each Thursday.
There is a rolling programme of visiting speakers and Morning Talks also provide an excellent opportunity for music and performance – both as a collective and in smaller groups. Morning Talks also include a period of silence, a tradition which has long been held at the School, which gives pupils and staff alike the time and space to think about what they have heard in the context of their own life and that of the wider community.
You will be asked to participate in Sixth Form Morning Talks and have input into the subjects covered. In the past, students have delivered Morning Talks both in groups and individually – to the great benefit of all.
