Academic Curriculum

Developing a love of learning for life

Through our A Level curriculum, we believe in developing a love of learning for life, in stimulating intellectual curiosity and in enabling students to follow their passions and grow in independence, resilience and courage so that they can look forward to life’s challenges and opportunities with confidence.

Berkhamsted students are encouraged to aim high by setting themselves challenging goals, to reflect on their own strengths and weaknesses and to work with teachers and pastoral staff to review their progress and realise their potential.

We pride ourselves on the consistently high academic performance and results achieved by our Sixth Form students every year, with the majority of students at Berkhamsted Sixth studying three core linear A Levels.

Our Sixth Form students are encouraged to develop the ability to self-regulate, to be resourceful, creative, adaptable and independent young adults who are able to rise to and relish the challenges of the modern and ever-changing world.

We also offer our students the opportunity to undertake an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ).

Each option provides students with an understanding of themselves as individuals, developing their teamwork and independent study in order to develop the skills they will need to succeed in the future.

Insights into Sixth

Orlando – Berkhamsted Head Boy (2021/22)

Learning at Berkhamsted Sixth is not constrained by the bounds of the classroom or by academic ability. Across all subjects, students are encouraged to embrace a range of super-curricular pursuits.

Weekly Careers talks delivered by external speakers stand alongside the student-led Crawford Society, where pupils develop valuable soft skills through presenting on topics of interest. For me, a particular highlight has been co-running the Academic Ambassador Programme for scholarly Sixth Formers with a desire to Serve Others. Through the Programme, students pursue academic initiatives which encourage pupils of all ages to discover the pleasure that learning can bring.

Sixth Form itself is no walk in the park; your teachers will continually stretch and challenge you. But this is what has made my Sixth Form years the most enjoyable of my life! By being allowed to struggle at times, I have been able to experience the satisfaction of a hard-fought breakthrough in understanding. And at each breakthrough, my teachers have always been there to share that moment of fulfilment.

At Berkhamsted, teaching methodology stems from novel pedagogic research, which has student-led learning at its heart. So you can expect your teachers to guide you towards the right path, but allow you to traverse it freely. For example, I have had the opportunity to independently design and create a hydroelectric generator through completing the Extended Project Qualification. It is these independent pursuits that allow Berkhamstedians to develop the cognitive elasticity required by the jobs of tomorrow.

Academic opportunities are in an abundance at Berkhamsted. Bring an open mind, an attitude of curiosity and a readiness to seize these opportunities and your Sixth Form journey will be exciting and rewarding.

A-Level Options

At Berkhamsted Sixth we offer our students a choice of 29 A Level subjects plus the option of an EPQ (extended project qualification) or Cyber Security EPQ*:

*An EPQ is equivalent to 1/2 an A level in applications to University

Curriculum guide entry requirements 

At Berkhamsted we encourage our Sixth Form students to study three subjects at A Level, devoting their time to achieving the highest possible grades in their chosen subjects.

In some instances there may be some students who can take four A Levels or in rare circumstances, more than four. Prospective students will have the opportunity to discuss their options before joining the Sixth Form.

We aim to inspire students to show a passion for their A Level subjects that goes beyond the curriculum by promoting wider reading, by encouraging participation in internal and external academic competitions and by offering a number of further enrichment opportunities such as involvement in academic societies.

We believe our system maximises our students’ chances of achieving their potential of the highest grades at A Level, enabling them to secure a place at their chosen university or on a respected apprenticeship scheme.

The majority of our students earn a place at their first choice of university, taking up places at the top institutions in the UK including Oxford, Cambridge and the Russell Group universities.

We also provide substantial individual careers advice for those who are interested in choosing a professional pathway immediately after Sixth Form.

A learning-powered school

At Berkhamsted Sixth the students adopt a “Building Learning Power” BLP approach to learning.

BLP helps our students to develop their awareness of how they learn and what they need to practise to improve in each key learning habit.

At Berkhamsted Sixth we see the positive impact of BLP on our students on a daily basis. Our students:

• Understand the different roles they need to play when working together within and beyond the classroom, from conflict resolution to identifying (and deploying) the different strengths of team members
• Can explain how different topics and subjects are linked to and rely on each other
• Know how to listen actively and respond with empathy and understanding, even when they disagree with what is being said
• Are able to spot patterns and identify the big picture as well as the fine detail
• Develop strategies that build resilience and view failures as valuable learning opportunities
• Ask probing and insightful questions to develop their understanding
• Appreciate the importance of planning ahead and reviewing progress regularly

These skills and habits allow our students to develop ownership and control of their own learning, as seen by the fact that they take the lead in learning consultations with teachers and write their own summary report comments, identifying the areas of learning habits in which they have made progress and those where they need to focus their efforts.

If you would like to know more about BLP, talk to our students when you visit our School. We believe they are our best example of the benefits of Building Learning Power.

Careers

Our Sixth Form students are offered extensive careers guidance and support to equip them with the skills they will need to succeed at university and in the future as they begin their careers.

We believe that all our students should carefully consider whether they should go to university or whether they would like to investigate alternative routes such as degree apprenticeships. We have a team on non-teaching staff in our careers department who can provide one-to-one advice and who organise a number of careers events to enlighten students on the varied opportunities that are available and on the skills that employers are seeking today.

We organise and host an annual Higher Education, Careers, Apprenticeships and Gap Year Fair which sees experts from different fields of employment and representatives from universities visit the school to offer valuable information and advice to our students.

Visiting speakers address our Sixth Form students in weekly sessions on various aspects of university life, gap year experiences, apprenticeships, employment and career development. The weekly Careers Lunches allow students to meet a diverse range of professionals who talk about their careers and give the students advice on entering the professional world.

Every Berkhamsted Sixth student is given advice and guidance on how to write their CV, plus techniques to succeed in interviews for both university and employment.

Each year, we host a medicine day and a law day for the benefit of both Berkhamsted students and students at other schools in the area. Students are able to gather information which will help them to decide if they wish to pursue these professions.

All Year 12 students at Berkhamsted spend one week near the end of the school year on a work experience placement. Our students are encouraged to describe the skills they develop during their work experience in their UCAS personal statements and each Head of House receives written feedback from each student’s employer.

At Berkhamsted we also have a policy of offering our current and former students part-time employment opportunities with businesses associated with the school. These opportunities include event catering, BASECAMP holiday camps and roles within our Knox-Johnston sports centre.

Beyond Berkhamsted – the avenues open to our alumni

Curriculum Statement

Libraries

A designated learning area outside of the classroom

We have a library on each campus for our Sixth Form students to access.

At Berkhamsted, our libraries offer a place for quiet study and a designated learning area outside of the classroom.

Each of our libraries is staffed by fully qualified librarians who support our students through every stage of their academic learning, enabling them to develop their independent study skills.

Our libraries offer our students access to:

Print collections

We have a large collection of fiction and non-fiction works for our students to enjoy, plus core subject textbooks, which are for reference use only.

We also hold Sixth Form reading list materials, with copies of a range of A Level subject specific journals held in the Sixth Form centre on our Castle campus.

Copies of leisure magazines and daily newspapers are available to all students in both campus libraries.

Electronic resources

Our students can access a variety of electronic databases containing scholarly content on a range of topics to support their coursework study and EPQ projects.

These include major academic databases such as JSTOR and EBSCO.

Our library staff also provide training in research skills as part of the EPQ course, as well as supporting our Sixth Form students with their independent research and referencing skills.