Key Staff
Mr Mike Heffernan – Assistant Headteacher, Director of Sixth Form
Mr Chris Wiggall – Deputy Director of Sixth Form
Mrs Jackie Todd – Sixth Form Pastoral Manager
Ms Vicky Brenton – Careers and Transition Manager
Miss Jo Brown – Core and Enrichment Lead
Facilities
Our first class, purpose built, specialist accommodation, including top quality study facilities, foster a friendly and professional environment where students are valued and treated as adults. The Advanced Centre houses Sixth Form only classrooms, two common rooms and a large study area. As well as two common rooms, with plenty of bright colourful seating and a kitchen area, the Sixth Form building is equipped with a large study room with ICT facilities for use during students’ free periods. Manor Catering make a delivery to the Sixth Form foyer every lunchtime where there is a wide range of delicious food on offer!
Information, advice and guidance
Individual support, advice and guidance ensures that our students leave us and progress to their next steps with confidence. Our dedicated Sixth Form team help plan appropriate courses of study, monitor progress, provide information and support life after Hardenhuish. Advice and support with applications to university, specialist colleges or employment are given and over 80% of our students go on to study degree courses at university, many gaining entry to top institutions, including Oxford and Cambridge.
Enrichment and the wider life of Sixth Form
The Enrichment Programme in Sixth Form gives students valuable applied experiences, enhances confidence and helps our students to become responsible and outward facing young adults, who make a positive difference to the communities around them. Our wide-ranging enrichment programme also provides valuable practical experiences that students can draw on, either when writing a personal statement for university, an application for an apprenticeship, or a curriculum vitae for employment.
There are lots of trips, visits and other extra-curricular opportunities. Many subjects offer relevant trips or events to enhance the curriculum. Some of these are residential field trips in the UK or abroad, including to Berlin and Iceland, as well as the chance to participate in a Camps International expedition – the next trip is going to Cambodia. In Year 12, all students also go on a university taster day trip so they get an idea of what a university is like, and an understanding of what to look out for on university open days.
All our Year 12 students participate in a work experience programme which includes a week long work placement at the end of the summer term. Students are supported in finding suitable placements which will provide valuable experience linked to their future aspirations. There is also a Sixth Form Speaker Programme, which regularly welcomes in external speakers and alumni to raise awareness of a wide variety of different future study and career options. This year, there are external speakers giving talks on topics including; Oxbridge, apprenticeship insights such as accountancy, and career insights such as Law. Both the work experience, and these talks, encourage students to be aspirational and to actively consider their future.
In Year 12, all students participate in at least one hour of volunteering per week. The volunteering can take many forms to suit the interests of the individual student, and the needs of the school, and wider community. This may be external volunteering, for example in local community groups such as Army Cadets, local schools such as St Nicholas School, or health care settings such as Chippenham Community Hospital. Alternatively, there are a range of enriching internal volunteering opportunities for students, including supporting Key Stage 3 lessons, one to one mentoring of Year 7 or GCSE pupils, or within support teams such as the ICT Support Team. This volunteering provides students with a valuable experience that develops personal skills such as communication and leadership, and skills related to either a specific subject or career.
Students have the opportunity to participate in Sixth Form Sport on a Wednesday afternoon. The sessions are run by members the PE staff, and give the option to participate in recreation sessions, with fun activities such as Zumba, climbing, rounders, or competitive sessions, with sporting fixtures in netball, football, and rugby. Sixth Form Sport gives students the opportunity to participate in weekly sports sessions, improving their physical and mental health, in a fun, social environment.
In addition, there is the opportunity for students to apply to a member of the Student Leadership Team, which currently consists of roles with responsibility for whole school teaching and learning, student leadership, charity, events, and enrichment, and wellbeing.
This empowers our students to be involved in matters relating to student life both in the Sixth Form and lower school. The Student Leadership Team also regularly represent the school on formal occasions such as open days, remembrance services and awards evenings. Furthermore, some of our Sixth Form students are closely involved in the work of the School Parliament, a group of pupils and students who meet regularly to contribute to school development.
Overall, these extra-curricular opportunities form a hugely valuable part of the Sixth Form experience.
16-19 Bursary Fund
Hardenhuish School has a small fund available to help support students from low income backgrounds with their post-16 education. Students whose household income is below £25,000 a year can apply for help from the fund.
Destinations
Our students have a long standing track record of progressing to top universities. Of the students who decide not to enter into Higher Education study, many choose to undertake apprenticeships or training via a vocational route into their career. Apprenticeships now encompass a wide range of careers, including accountancy, law and the civil service. Some students undertake Art Foundation courses at college before applying to university. Other students go to specialist colleges, such as drama school. In recent years, a number of students have successfully progressed to pilot schools in the UK and overseas and are now flying for commercial airlines.
We have a dedicated Careers and Transition Manager who supports young people as they come into Sixth Form to ensure that they are making the right choices for their future pathways.
This is followed by specialist advice and guidance with university, higher level apprenticeships or employment choices as well as the UCAS application process and interview techniques.
The Sixth Form team also provide specific support, advice and guidance for those young people applying to Oxford and Cambridge and those applying for medicine or veterinary sciences.
Sixth Form Student Handbook
This handbook provides detailed information on many aspects of sixth form life. Please take the time to read this carefully so that you are suitably prepared for September.