Solihull School

There are about 300 pupils in the Sixth Form at Solihull School. About 120 of those pupils have entered the Sixth Form from other schools after their GCSE examinations, and around 100 of these entrants are girls. The School offers a very wide range of subject choices for A Level, and achieves outstanding academic results: in the last two years we have achieved 82% A or B grade passes at A level and in the last four years 56 pupils have been offered places at Oxford and Cambridge. There is also a very strong record in winning places to read Medicine or Engineering. In 2007, 82% of our leavers went to their first choice university.

Academic success is clearly very important for pupils. However, the school also provides a very rich experience through the Enrichment programme, through sport, drama and music and through a very wide range of extra-curricular activities.

In recent years the School has made substantial developments to its facilities. In 2002 the Bushell Hall was opened, the old Big School was transformed into the new Kent Library and the provision for Art and for the Sixth Form pupils was increased in the original School House. In 2003 the Alan Lee Pavilion was built and there is now a new teaching area, the George Hill building, providing 16 new classrooms for five departments. A new purpose-built Music School will open in September 2009.

Solihull School Sixth Form aims to challenge its students, not only through its academic life, but also through the many ways in which students at this level can contribute to the wider community. Students are encouraged to involve themselves with an array of extra-curricular interests and to lead the rest of the school by example. It is through such diversity and responsibility that our students explore their potential and discover their strengths.

Entry

Age:

Candidates should normally be sixteen years of age, but not yet seventeen on 1 September 2009.

Entry Qualifications:

Offers for admission to the Sixth Form will be made on the basis of an interview, a confidential report from the Head of the candidate’s previous school, predicted and/or mock GCSE results and a brief personal profile provided by the candidate. Such an offer will be conditional on achieving a minimum of six academic subjects in GCSE at grade B. Of course, the vast majority of candidates will get much better GCSE results than this. In addition, all subjects demand at least a grade B at GCSE for the subject to be continued in the Sixth Form and other new subjects, e.g. Psychology, Business Studies, Economics, require a B grade at GCSE in both Mathematics and English. The specific entry requirements for each subject can be found in the Sixth Form Booklet. Progress to A2 requires at least a grade 'D' in the subject to be studied.

Scholarships:

The school is fortunate in being able to offer a great number of scholarships to pupils coming into the Sixth Form. These scholarships are open to candidates from both inside and outside the school. In March 2008 scholarships were awarded to 37 pupils.

The Academic Scholarships are awarded on the basis of two written papers. Candidates applying for a Science or Mathematics Scholarship must take either Mathematics and Mathematics II or Mathematics and Science. Candidates applying for other Academic Scholarships must take a subject paper plus the General Paper. The General Paper involves a choice of essay questions based on topical issues. The scholarship examinations will take place on Wednesday, 25 February 2009. The tests for the Music Scholarship and the Design & Technology and Art Scholarship interviews and assessments will take place during March 2009. The closing date for entry to the Scholarship is Friday 6 February 2009.

A predicted grade A at GCSE is the minimum requirement for applying for any of the Scholarships. Scholarships are awarded in a particular subject and successful candidates will be expected to take that subject for A Level in both sixth form years. For further details and a Scholarship application form, please contact the Admissions Secretary.

Interviews:

In 2009, interviews will be held between 2 and 10 March. Provisional offers of admission will be made at the end of March.

Open Meeting:

There will be a meeting for parents and registered Sixth Form candidates at 7.30 pm on Monday 2 February 2009 to meet Heads of Department.

Open Mornings and Visits:

The school holds two Open Mornings in the course of the year, on Saturday 27 September 2008 and Saturday 17 January 2009. In addition, it is also possible for prospective pupils (and their parents) to be shown round the school and meet the Headmaster and/or Head of Sixth Form during the school day. Please contact Mrs Janice Edwards, the Admissions Secretary on 0121 705 4273 or e-mail admin@solsch.org.uk.

Applications:

Scholarship Application Forms, Registration Forms and other details are available from and should be returned to the Admissions Secretary, Solihull School, Warwick Road, Solihull, B91 3DJ. They can also be downloaded from the school’s website, www.solsch.org.uk

The closing date for applications is Friday 6 Febuary 2009.

The Sixth Form Curriculum

AS/A2

All members of the Lower Sixth will study four AS Levels. In the Upper Sixth it is normal for pupils to take forward three of these subjects to A2. The range of subjects is set out below. We cannot guarantee every possible subject combination, but it is rare that a pupil’s choice cannot be accommodated.

Candidates will be asked to make their preliminary choices prior to the interviews. However, there is the opportunity to change those choices up until the GCSE results, although, very late changes cannot always be guaranteed.  The School is willing to offer guidance about subject choice throughout the year, even before acceptance. Advice on choices may be obtained from the Director of Studies, Heads of Department and the Head of Careers, who are available throughout the year. We will also discuss subject choices as part of our interview process and Heads of Department and others are available at the Open Meeting on Monday 2 February 2009.

Enrichment:

In addition to lessons specifically directed at AS/A2 subjects, there is a programme of Enrichment with the purpose of widening students’ experience. In the Lower Sixth there are three periods set aside for this, during which students can be involved in a circus of subjects of more general interest, Young Enterprise, the Engineering Education Scheme, the Combined Cadet Force, Community Service, helping with the training of younger pupils. In the Upper Sixth there are six periods, which involve much of the above plus the opportunity to do some very different activities, including dancing and snowboarding.

General Studies:

General Studies at AS and A2 will be offered during the Sixth Form course. The majority of pupils take AS General Studies and a number take A2. There is no compulsion, however, to take one of these examinations, but General Studies has intrinsic value in broadening the curriculum.

Non-Academic Life

Participation in school life beyond academic work is central to Sixth Form life and we aim to ensure that there is something, or many things, for every student to enjoy.

Games:

There is a compulsory games afternoon on Wednesdays with very many different activities to cater for everyone. There is also a full range of fixtures against other schools both during the week and at week-ends. The games available include cricket, rugby, hockey, athletics, netball, rounders, tennis, golf, cross-country running, swimming, watersports, shooting, badminton, basketball, and clay-pigeon shooting. The major sports often organise substantial overseas tours: Rugby has visited South Africa (2004 and 2006) and New Zealand (2008) whilst boys' hockey went to South Africa (2004 and 2008) and Australia (2006). Girls' Hockey has visited South Africa (2004), Germany (2006) and Barbados (2008). In 2007 the cricket team visited Barbados to play in the Sir Garfield Sobers Tournament  and will return in 2009.

Extra-Curricular Activities:

Music

The School has a very strong tradition in music, with about a third of all pupils studying a musical instrument in school. There are over 20 different musical groups, ranging from the orchestra to the flute group. Each year there are two major concerts in the Bushell Hall, each of which involves over 100 musicians, and several smaller informal concerts, where musicians of different standards have the opportunity to play. There are also several choral groups, including a Chapel Choir and a Girls’ Choir. The Chapel organ has just been refurbished. Considerable success is achieved in music competitions. The musicians visited Prague and Salzburg in recent years and are due to visit Bratislava in 2008 .

Drama

The Bushell Hall, with a large stage and auditorium for 500, is the venue for theatrical events. Each year a major musical and play are staged.

Outdoor Pursuit

The Combined Cadet Force, which comprises an Army and an RAF Section, is open to pupils from the Fourth Form (Year 9), but many pupils, especially girls, join in the Sixth Form. There are about 60 Sixth Form pupils presently in the CCF of whom about 25 are girls. This activity takes place in school time, but also after school on a Monday and there are several camps in the course of the year. The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme is also open to pupils in the Sixth Form and several complete their Silver and Gold Awards during their time here. This scheme fits in with the School’s commitment to outdoor pursuits: in particular, there has been a major expedition overseas every other year, to Ecuador in 2001, Peru in 2003, Nepal in 2005 and Chile in 2007. In 2009 the expedition will be to Ladakh in North East India.There is also the chance to be involved in Community Service.

Pastoral Care and Careers Advice.

Academic and pastoral guidance is largely provided through the Form Tutor who is responsible for a form of about 15 pupils for the 2 years of Sixth Form life. Time is set aside in the school day for meeting between the Form Tutor and his/her form and the Form Tutor will be the immediate line of communication between the School and parents. The Form Tutor will also provide advice about university entrance in co-operation with the Careers Master and the University Admissions Advisers. The Head of Sixth Form, Mrs Lisa Fair, has overall responsibility for the Sixth Form and there is also a Head of Lower Six and a Head of Upper Six with responsibility for each year group.