Academic success

A Wide Choice of Subjects

There are a wide number of subjects for you to choose from at A Level, which will enable you to pursue the courses you excel in and which you enjoy.  Many students discover their individual academic strengths once they are able to focus on their chosen subjects and explore them in depth.  You will be able to study in small groups enabling you to benefit from individual support and work at a fast pace.  Our aim is to help you become an independent learner who has the self-confidence and motivation to succeed in whatever path you choose to follow.

Click here for more information on the subjects offered from September 2009
 
We are very proud of the A Level results Queen’s Gate girls have achieved which have gained them places at excellent universities and art or drama colleges.  
 
Click here for more information on A Level results.

When girls move on from the Sixth Form they enter courses in many different subjects.  Some may apply to Oxford or Cambridge or other leading universities, while each year some choose to apply for course in American universities.  Many girls have entered colleges to pursue Art and Design courses or Drama.  While many girls choose to move straight from school to university, a significant number take a Gap Year and follow special courses to improve  their skills, or take up voluntary work.

Click here for information on Leavers’ Destinations.

Personal Development

Be a leader

As a Sixth Form student we expect you to contribute to the life of the school in ways which help you to develop leadership and responsibility.  You may run a club for younger girls, become a “sister” to a younger form, take on voluntary work in the community, organise charity events or apply to be a Prefect or House Captain.   Sixth Form students have started up the “Wear it Pink Fashion Show”, Sixth Sense” (our Sixth Form e-mail news sheet), and the Staff/Sixth Form Panto. 

Widen your interests

Being so close to theatres, museums, art galleries and London university colleges means you can easily visit plays and exhibitions or attend lectures and debates.  In the week after you have taken your AS exams there is a programme of visits and special events which has included trips to Lille, Cambridge colleges, the Houses of Parliament, the Human Genome Project, and the Tate Galleries, a Business and Enterprise Day, and an opportunity to observe trials at the Old Bailey.

A close community

The individual support of your teachers

There are small groups for each A Level subject and extra help is always available if you need it.   At the beginning of the Sixth Form an Induction Day is held to help you prepare for the challenge of the Sixth Form and A Level study.  You will have a personal work tutor who will see you regularly to support and guide you through your time in the Sixth Form.  Your work tutor and the Head of Careers will help you decide on university or colleges choices and discuss your application with you. 

Strong, lasting friendships

Students always say they value the friendships made in Queen’s Gate: old friendships strengthen; new friendships are formed; newcomers are quickly made welcome and soon feel part of the close-knit, friendly atmosphere.  All Sixth Form students share the Sixth Form Centre which has two common rooms, a study area, a kitchen, and even a roof terrace. 

If you would like to find out more about applying for 2010 Entry, please contact our Registrar, Miss Janette Micklewright, on 020 7594 4982 or email registrar@queensgate.org.uk

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

If I want to enter the Sixth Form from a different school, what grades will I need?
You will need to gain an A grade in 6 GCSE subjects.  You must have an A or A* in the subjects you would like to study at A Level.

How many subjects will I study?
You follow courses in four or, in exceptional cases, five AS level subjects in LVI, moving to three, or on rare occasions, four A2 subjects in UVI.

What other lessons are there?
You also attend weekly lessons on Careers and Citizenship, and a P.E. session. This creates a timetable for LVI of 37 lessons a week if you are studying 4 subjects, leaving you thirteen periods for private study when you are expected to work on your assignments.

What is the difference between A Level and GCSE courses?
The ‘A’ Level course requires much more of you in terms of private study: at GCSE approximately 30% of your time was given to studying alone, at VIth Form level it is nearly 50%, and you are preparing for university where it is likely to be 70% or more. You will therefore need to organise your study periods and your homework effectively from the beginning.  More than ever before, you need to work in partnership with your teachers and take responsibility for your own work programme. 

Who will be there to help me?
You will be supported by your subject tutors, your Form Tutor and your Work Tutor.  Your Work Tutor is the key person who will look after your welfare in the Sixth Form.  S/he will hold regular meetings with you to monitor your progress and help you if you encounter any problems. S/he will write your general report each term, and eventually draft your school reference for university or college applications.

What extra privileges and responsibilities will I have?
You may use the Sixth Form common rooms, the study room, the kitchen area and the roof garden.  The dress code for Sixth Form allows you to wear trousers and discreet make-up or jewellery.  You may go out at morning break 10.15-10.40 and at lunch time 1.05 - 2.05, unless it is Wider World or you are running a club.  If your parents agree, you may also study at home in the afternoons if you have no lessons.

As a Sixth Form student we expect you to contribute to the life of the school in ways which help you to develop leadership and responsibility.  You may eventually apply to be a Prefect or House Captain, you may run a club for younger girls and help with events such as Open Evenings and Sports Day.  In all you do, you should be aware that younger girls will look to you to set a standard of behaviour, schoolwork and dress which they can respect and follow.

What Extra-Curricular Activities are there?
You could take part in Duke of Edinburgh, voluntary work (visiting the elderly or helping with and after-school homework club), debating, sports such as Swimming Club and the Netball Tour, taking lead roles in the school play, running the tuck shop, being a “sister” to a younger form, editing “Sixth Sense” (our Sixth Form e-mail news sheet), charity fund-raising such as Red Nose Day, “Wear it Pink” or “Jeans for Genes”, the Staff/Sixth Form Panto.

In the week after you have taken your AS exams there is a week of visits and special events which has included a Business and Enterprise Day, trips to Paris, Cambridge colleges, the Houses of Parliament,  the Human Genome Project, the Tate Galleries and an opportunity to observe trials at the Old Bailey.