Introduction

At St Thomas More School we pride ourselves on the pastoral care offered to our students- and this is fundamental to what we do in the Sixth Form. Very much like lower school Pastoral tutors work closely with our students on a daily basis, however instead of Head of Houses the overall pastoral care in Sixth Form is overseen by our dedicated Sixth Form Team.

We understand that the two years in Sixth form will be vital to our student’s futures and the work we do with them, can, and will shape their paths.

Our main goals are exactly the same as lower school;

• We expect our students to fulfil their potential; whether this is to study Natural Science at Cambridge or successfully enter into an Apprenticeship post 18
• We have incredibly high expectations; sometimes this can be seen as demanding but we want the best for our students and we want them to be ambitious
• We continue to promote a strong work ethic- which in turn produces results and success for our students
• We also have a very strong sense of community within our Sixth Form- based on Christian values and working together.

Pastoral Programme:

• To support our students in developing favourable and competitive characteristics we offer an extensive pastoral programme. This takes place weekly and we organise sessions focused on various areas.
• The transition from Key Stage 4 to 5 is a difficult one and we support the students in this by offering VESPA sessions which endeavours to get students thinking and working like Year 12 students.
• A large proportion of our students apply successfully to University and this is due to the extensive Ucas preparation we undertake from Year 12. Alongside this we also offer interview practise, CV preparation and assistance and support for pupils applying for an Apprenticeship.

Horizons Programme:

An important aspect of our Sixth Form timetable is the ‘Horizons Programme’. Currently this involves various workshops and speakers delivering inspirational messages, Leisure activities, exploration of contemporary moral issues and work experience placements. We strongly believe the students should be challenged to go outside of their comfort zone; and should be given the opportunity to engage with a variety of activities as part of their 6th Form experience.

Extra Curriculum:

The school has an extensive range of extra curriculua activities on offer. There are many successful sporting teams students can be involved in, including rugby and football. The drama and music department’s yearly productions are always excellent, with Sixth Formers often taking lead roles. As well as this there is also the opportunity to achieve the Duke of Edinburgh Award, there are various trips that students can opt to partake in and a range of clubs across subjects that students can engage with.