Life in the Sixth Form

Sixth Form students will take part in one compulsory physical activity session each week. A wide range of options will be available, including fitness, yoga, netball, football, tennis, cricket, run club, and rock climbing, among other sports.

Studies have linked regular exercise with stress relief, improved self-confidence, heightened brain performance, boosts in memory, creativity and the ability to learn new things.

Additionally, the fitness suite is available to Sixth Form students whenever it is not in use. There is also a comprehensive extra-curricular programme for students and competitive fixtures in sports such as football and netball, which students are encouraged to take part in. With so many opportunities available, there’s no excuse not to get active!

Our dedicated and experienced team of Tutors and Co-Tutors works alongside our students, guiding them through these two important years, and helping them to keep a healthy balance between commitments, responsibilities, and studies, as well as writing their tutee’s UCAS reference. Each Sixth Form Tutor meets with their tutees daily, allowing them to get to know their students well, and enabling them to give personalised encouragement and support on a regular basis.

Our Sixth Form tutor groups are a conscious mix of Year 12 and Year 13 students, something that we find our students really appreciate and enjoy, facilitating the students to make connections across year groups and to learn from and give support to each other through the weeks and months.

PSHE sessions are weekly and are dynamic, tailored to the needs of our students in Channing Sixth Form as they face the complexities of young adulthood. The PSHE programme is built around three key themes – Health and Wellbeing, Relationships, and The Wider World – and seeks both to give our Sixth Formers the opportunity to explore a wide variety of issues that are critical to their mental, emotional and physical health, as well as to equip them with the life skills that will stand them in good stead as they consider life beyond Channing.

PSHE sessions are delivered in year groups, as a whole Sixth Form, and in form groups, including periodic one-to-one sessions with the tutor.

The opportunities for developing leadership skills and experience, both individually and as part of a team, in Channing Sixth Form are plentiful.

From the start of Year 12 every student takes on a position of leadership relating to an aspect of school life, for example, as SEN Ambassador, Digital Marketing Leader or Form Senior, with many embracing the role of mentor for younger students in a particular subject area as a Subject Leader.

Whether it is as a Head Girl, a Year or House Officer, a Year 12 leader, and/or by participating in House competitions and debates, leading assemblies and PSHE lessons, or by running clubs and societies for younger students, we are immensely proud of the way our Sixth Formers positively contribute to so many aspects of the wider life of the school.

The array of extra-curricular clubs and societies on offer in the Sixth Form is quite staggering. From Fem. Soc. to History Girls, many are run by and/or founded by Sixth Formers themselves. Students in Years 11–13 can also join the library’s weekly Book Club, which offers friendly discussions alongside opportunities to attend author talks, workshops and trips. Additionally, we are proud to be part of the European Parliament Ambassador Schools Programme (EPAS), giving students the opportunity to take part in structured debates on issues affecting young people and the EU.

Furthermore, many students successfully undertake the popular and highly-regarded Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, developing their resilience, confidence, problem-solving and team-working skills, whilst also making friends and having lots of fun! Each year, we also enter teams in the Young Enterprise Scheme, offering our Sixth Formers the chance to experience the excitement of competition by running their own businesses as entrepreneurs.

Channing’s Young Enterprise teams enjoyed an outstanding year, developing creative ideas into award-winning businesses. Seeds&Greetings produced plantable greeting cards with a digital audio feature, while Interlinked created personalised accessories to strengthen community spirit. Across trade fairs and regional competitions, both teams won multiple awards, with Seeds&Greetings reaching the UK Finals in Cardiff. Their resilience, teamwork, creativity and business acumen made the year a remarkable success.

Providing outstanding pastoral care for our students is a priority for us at Channing. The Sixth Form years can be a challenging, and sometimes overwhelming time, as students navigate their path from the school years into young adulthood and beyond.

The Sixth Form team understands that there will be highs, lows and much in between, and is on-hand in the Sixth Form Centre to get to know, support, and guide students over the course of the two years. Sixth Formers see their tutor daily, and have regular one-to-one meetings with them, as well as meeting with the Director of Sixth Form, and the two Assistant Directors of Sixth Form. This allows us to get to know each student individually really well and, combined with our bespoke PSHE programme and talks from specialists on important aspects of wellbeing, forms the bedrock of our proactive, reflective and effective pastoral care at Channing Sixth Form.