AS Level Success

17th August 2018Mrs L Johnston

2018 saw our last cohort of Year 12 students to sit AS exams and they have done brilliantly. Congratulations to the students!, 60% of the AS grades were A or B – a fantastic achievement for these students. We’re excited to work with them to continue their success at A Level.

For students studying Level 3 equivalent  qualifications such as BTEC or Cambridge Technical qualifications, over a third of the ‘AS’ grades were Distinction* or Distinction. A superb outcome.

The AS was optional this year, with fewer than half of the year group opting to study a stand alone AS qualification. This mirrors the national picture where AS entries are down over 50% on previous years, Instead, many of our students have opted for qualifications such as Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), where we had huge success well over half of all grades were A* or A!

The change comes in light of recent A Level reform and a move to linear 2-year A Level courses, where the AS Level content is ‘decoupled’ from the full A Level content and no longer carries marks towards the final A Level grade.

Spotlight on Success for the Class of 2018

16th August 2018Mrs L Johnston

What a morning we’ve had in Sixth form so far! The overwhelming majority of students have been richly rewarded for their endeavour with an outstanding set of results.

The headline measures of 62% A*-B and 99.5% A*-E mean our class of 2018 make Sixth Form at King Edward’s one of the top performing Sixth Forms in the region. We’re especially proud that initial analysis indicates an exceptionally strong ‘value added’ score. This means students are performing at A Level half a grade higher than their GCSE attainment would expect them to do so. Effectively Sixth Form at King Edward’s are adding half a grade of progress to every student in every examination!

All in all we had 28 students who attained all A* or A grades and students are now heading off to a variety of destinations, including Higher Education, School Leaver Programmes, Higher Apprenticeships, employment and a gap year.

 

 

Sam achieved A*AA in English Literature, Classics and History and is heading to York to study English.

 

 

Tom, Rachel, Libby and Will are celebrating a string of A* and A grades. Tom, was our Head Boy, achieved four A* grades in Chemistry, Maths, Further Maths and Physics and is going to join the Ivy League in the USA to study at Princeton. Rachel and Libby gained A*A*A in Biology, Chemistry and Maths and they are heading to Sheffield and Surrey to study Medicine and Veterinary Medicine respectively. Will, who was leading man in our last school musical, achieved three A grades in Biology, Chemistry and Geography. Will is off to Nottingham to study International Environmental Science.

 

Emily is taking a gap year after Sixth Form and heading to Australia. She is planning on applying to study Neuroscience at a university in the United States. Emily achieved A* grades in Biology and Chemistry and an A grade in Maths.

 

 

Jena was our Deputy Head Girl and she successfully completed A Levels in Photography, Media Studies and Theatre & Drama. She attained outstanding grades of A*AA. An accomplished performer Jena is fulfilling her ambitions and going on to study Professional Dance and Musical Theatre at the University of Greenwich.

 

 

 

Layla was our Head Girl, continues the family tradition of straight A* grades! Layla is going on to study Medicine at Edinburgh after successfully achieving A* grades in Chemistry, Biology and Maths. Tim is going on to study Geography at Lancaster University after gaining A*BB in Economics, Geography and Psychology.

 

“We cannot express how proud we are of every single one of our outgoing Year Group. They have worked with tenacity and dedication thoughtout Sixth Form. They deserve all of the success that they have been rewarded with.” Fiona Long and Kate O’Neill, Year Team

A Level Results 2018

16th August 2018Mrs L Johnston

Sixth Form at The King Edward VI School goes from strength to strength.

Mark Simpson states, “This year sees our best ever attainment figure for A* to B at 62% and our second best ever Value Added figure. This means that on average students in Sixth Form achieve half a grade higher at A level, than their GCSE performance would suggest.”

“This is an amazing achievement across 34 subjects, almost 200 students  and with over 600 exam entries, and is testament to the hugely positive work ethic of our Year 13 students and the dedication of our staff.”

Our overall pass rate of 99.5% is also unprecedented and shows that our inclusive entry policy, exclusive experiences and outstanding advice and guidance sets students up for success.  The staff at King Edward’s would like to congratulate this year group on a fantastic set of results, and we wish them every success in the future, whether moving into Higher Education, undertaking an Apprenticeship or entering employment.

Leanne Johnston, Head of Sixth Form stated, “Our results are especially pleasing given that this year represents the biggest change in A Level courses across the country. Furthermore, given the significant funding challenges faced by education, we are really pleased to still be able to offer a broad curriculum with music, arts, humanities, social sciences and STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) equally represented.”

Kate O’Neill, Head of Year is impressed with the hard work, perseverance and determination with this year group to succeed. She is really proud of them and is looking forward to welcoming our new Year 12 in September.

We do still have places available for starting Year 12 in September 2018. Please contact [email protected] with any enquiries.

Post Results Service

25th July 2018Mrs L Johnston

Should students be unhappy with an exam result there are a number of options. The post results services form is available here for AS / A Level and here for GCSE, this explains the services available, the associated costs and the deadlines.

Paper copies of these forms will be available in school on results days. Students are strongly advised to speak to their teacher, a member of the Year Team or a senior member of staff before submitting an enquiry about results.

Bridging Week 2018

16th July 2018Mrs L Johnston

Bridging Week 2018 Lesson Resources Folder

Hard to believe that Bridging Week has been and gone and we’re now all waiting with great anticipation and possibly a little trepidation the August results!

Those that attended Bridging Week made such a positive impression on the Sixth Form team and the teaching staff. Many teachers commented on the enthusiasm with which students approached their lessons and learning, and are very much looking forward to new cohorts of students starting in September.

We very much hope that Bridging Week, allowed students to get familiar with their new surroundings – making the Advanced Study Centre their new base. Begin to connect and establish burgeoning friendships and try out A Level subjects that will help them on their way to their desired destination. The aim of Bridging Week is to begin that journey of development and increasing self awareness and to make informed decisions about futures.

During the week we partnered with Live-n-Learn, who spoke to students about developing their A Level Mindset. The aim of these sessions, was to give an indication of the breadth and depth of our Enrichment and Personal Development Programme, which is unique to King Edward’s, whilst also offering practical tips, strategies and advice on the differences between school and Sixth From.

Year on year, comments from both students and staff relate to the transitional phase between Year 11 and Year 12 and how ‘big’ the jump is from GCSE to A Level. The enrichment sessions on Wednesday, demonstrated by being fully informed and prepared, as well as adopting a motivated and positive mindset, there is no jump. Instead there are a plethora of opportunities and possibilities to be grasped, used and exploited to ensure that dreams, goals and accomplishments are all realised within Sixth Form at King Edward’s.

Students, please follow the link below to provide your thoughts on the week:

Student Feedback

Adventures of King Edward’s Alumni

16th July 2018Mrs L Johnston

This summer, two King Edward’s alumni – Yasmine Shafiq and Elwin Marshall – will be volunteering for eight weeks with the Cambridge Development Initiative (CDI). CDI is a registered charity and student-led organisation which works in partnership with local government agencies to improve the well being of communities in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

Operating in Dar Es Salaam’s informal settlements, where residents earn under $1 per day and lack access to adequate sanitation, the CDI Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) project implements a sustainable and community-centred solution. The WaSH project prevents water-borne illnesses by training and employing local technicians to build safe simplified sewerage systems, along with toilets. The new Year 13 students will recall Yasmine’s inspiring assembly linked to work experiences and enrichment and Year 11 students may also remember an assembly last Christmas from Yasmine about her previous work on this project.

To promote this initiative’s economic and environmental sustainability, the CDI WaSH team aims to offer biogas as a renewable alternative to charcoal. Since 2015, CDI has been testing biodigestor technology, which turns waste collected by the sewerage networks into biogas. CDI intends to ensure the continued benefits of the project by transitioning from the current biodigestor model to one that is locally sourced through a Tanzanian supplier. This shift will enable community members to efficiently undertake repairs while creating a social enterprise through which biogas sales will fund the construction of new sewerage networks. To accomplish this goal, CDI need to raise an additional £2,000.

Any donations, however small, from KEVI students, applicants, teachers or parents would make a huge difference to the impact that the CDI WaSH project could have this year. Please have a look at the JustGiving page for more information about the project (including impact reporting, photographs and video links) and consider donating if you can: https://www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/cdi/washproject.

Results Day Information

12th July 2018Mrs L Johnston

A Level Results Day 16 August

AS and A Level results will be available on Thursday 16 August. A Level Results will be available from 8am in the Advanced Study Centre.  AS Results for our current Year 12 will be available from 10am. Exam results which are not collected on the day will be posted home. Any students who would like someone else to collect their results will need to have given their written consent to the Sixth Form office before the end of term. The person collecting them will need to bring proof of identity with them. Please be aware that we are unable to email results.

Support from the Sixth Form team will be available, in person, on Results Day and the following Friday. Email contact to [email protected] will be available after that time for other queries.

GCSE Results Day 23 August

King Edward’s Students Only

  • Year 11 results can be collected from the Lower School Hall from 10.00am onwards. Please do not come before this time as results will not be available any earlier. Students will be requested to sign to confirm collection of their results.
  • GCSE certificates will be available during the following Autumn term. These will all be mailed out to students directly via recorded delivery. A payment of £3 is required from parents to cover this cost. Payment can be made via School Gateway from 2 July.

All students who have submitted an application to join our Sixth Form in September

  • All students wishing to attend Sixth Form must complete an online enrolment form on the school website http://kevi.the3rivers.net/sixth-form-enrolment/ or the Sixth Form website http://sixthformkevi.cheviotlt.co.uk/sixth-form-enrolment-2018/ to confirm their subject choices and enrol. The online form will be available from 10am on 23 August until 4pm on Monday 27 August. Students will be asked to either confirm or change their subject choices.
  • Students who request a change of subject choice will require an interview. This will be conducted on 4 or 5 September as part of the induction process. Acceptance onto alternative courses will not be confirmed at this interview, no guarantees can be made to any changes requested and will be subject to availability. Students will be kept fully informed during the process.
  • Students who do not attain the grades required for entry onto their chosen courses will be issued with an appointment slip indicating a time on Thursday 23 August to meet a senior member of staff to discuss their results and any other potential course options (please refer to the Post 16 prospectus for entry requirements). Please do not be concerned by this, all options can be explored during the conversation.  
  • Students who do not attain the grades required for entry into Sixth Form (minimum of 5 GCSEs at grade 4/C or above) will be issued with an appointment slip indicating a time on Thursday 23 August to meet a senior member of staff to discuss other pathways. Representatives from Newcastle College and Northumberland College will also be available in the Student Support Area between 9.30am and 12.30pm on Friday 24 August 2018 to offer further advice and guidance.

Bridging Week 2018 Resources

9th July 2018Mrs L Johnston

The week commencing 9 July 2018 sees the return of our hugely popular and successful Bridging Week. As a Sixth Form and School community we are delighted to welcome our applicants for 2018 to sample life with Sixth Form at King Edward’s.

Students are invited to sample a range of A Level and Level 3 subjects and meet their Form Tutor and the Sixth Form team. Students will follow a full timetable and immerse themselves in our inclusive community, embracing all we have to offer in terms of academic rigour, support and enrichment.

This year we are delighted to partner with Live-n-Learn to bring an exclusive opportunity to our prospective students to help them fully prepare and appreciate the transition from GCSE studies to Advanced Level. This will also give students a flavour of the quality and breadth of our Enrichment and Personal Development Programme.

We appreciate that some students are unable to attend the Bridging Week, but also that subject choices at A Level can be complex and difficult, and often decisions on subject choices are not fully certain until results. This is absolutely fine and normal! We will endeavor to meet subject change requests, this will be done during induction on 4 and 5 September. To assist with decision making and to support students unable to attend Bridging Week lesson resources, produced by our expert A Level teachers can be found via the Google Folder linked below:

Bridging Week Lesson Resources Folder

 

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Sixth Form team on 01670 501520 or [email protected]

Sixth Form Information Presentation 6 July 2018

6th July 2018Mrs L Johnston

Today we welcomed our prospective Year 12 students and their families, who have applied to Sixth Form at King Edward’s from other schools.

We hope that the event was welcoming and informative and reaffirmed Sixth Form at King Edward’s as your number one choice for Post 16 education. Please find below the link to the presentation from the afternoon for your reference:

Applicants from Other Schools Information Presentation 

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact Miss O’Neill, Fiona or Susan on 01670 501520 or [email protected]