close

Menu

Portals

Monitoring and Feedback

Pupils’ attainment and attitude to learning is recorded in termly reports and at parents’ meetings. As well as their subject teachers, each pupil has a tutor who is there to offer advice and help him or her to get the most out of their time in the Sixth Form. If, for whatever reason, a pupil falls behind, their whole programme of study is reviewed, and it may be that the number of courses is limited to ensure the very best results at the end of the two years. The Head and Deputy Head of Sixth are constantly reviewing pupils’ individual needs and programmes to ensure that every pupil is growing and flourishing. Each pupil in each year of Sixth Form has at least two official meetings in which they are held to account in terms of their achievements but also their development and their intentions.

Checkpoint Exams

All pupils in the Lower Sixth are required to sit Checkpoint Exams in January (having had a term to settle into their subjects). These exams are sat formally and take the format that their teacher deems to be appropriate. These are seen as a helpful gauge for pupils and teachers to ascertain how well pupils have coped with the transition from the Fifth Form at KHS or elsewhere to the Sixth Form. Pupils either pass or fail these exams; if they pass, this demonstrates that their teacher is happy with the progress that they have made and are ultimately, at this stage, happy for them to progress into Upper Sixth in their subject.

Our policy is that pupils will not sit AS exams in Lower Sixth in subjects that they will be continuing and so these Checkpoint Exams are significant in terms of pupils’ progress. If these exams are not passed, pupils will sit further exams in these subjects at the end of the year in order to progress to Upper Sixth.

Continuance Exams

Pupils that fail their Checkpoint Exams are invited to a meeting with the Head of Sixth Form and their parents to discuss strategies for them to make significant progress before the end of the year. They also must sit a Continuance Exam in the May of Lower Sixth. Pupils should expect to achieve more than a ‘D’ grade in all three subjects. Pupils must seek to pass their Continuance Exams for, if they do not, their place in the Sixth Form is in jeopardy and progression into the Upper Sixth is called into question. In these circumstances, the pupil may be required to repeat Lower Sixth or make alternative arrangements in discussion with the Head of Sixth Form and the Headmaster.

We want all pupils to succeed and do not want them to begin the Upper Sixth without any chance of success; these exams have therefore been put in place in order to help and support pupils. Any conversations or meetings that take place are with the pupils’ best interests at heart.

Exams at the end of Upper Sixth

It is our experience that pupils stay focused and benefit more by having structured revision in school, where they can be supervised and have ready access to their subject teachers. Parents/guardians must request permission from the tutor if pupils wish to be absent from school for revision during the exam period. They will only be allowed to go home if all coursework and controlled assessments are complete. If pupils are absent from school without prior consent from their tutor then their absence will be recorded as unauthorised.

Formal Revision Period

The formal revision period ensures that pupils have finished their learning in every subject by a certain time. This then allows them to have more autonomy over their time: they can, by personal arrangements with each teacher, choose to attend lessons as normal, clinics with a specific teacher or personal revision in the Sixth Form Study Hall.

Post exam arrangements

When an Upper Sixth pupil has completed all their external A-level examinations they are permitted to be absent from school until Speech Day provided parents have notified the tutor. Before leaving, pupils must return all their textbooks. It is important to remember that ALL pupils must be back at school to attend Speech Day.