This document provides information from a Year 12 Parents' Information Evening at a sixth form college. It summarizes academic performance data, lists the sixth form staff, explains targets for student achievement, outlines subject choices and timetable changes, and details policies around attendance, learning support, careers guidance, and other opportunities available to students.

1. Year 12
Parents’ Information Evening

2. A* - B 52%
A* – C 79%
A* - E 99.3%

3. Staff
• Director of Sixth Form – Mrs C Hogarth
• Head of Year 12 – Mr D Roberts
• Head of Year 13 – Mrs K Coulter
• Form Tutors
• Learning Mentor – Mrs Bev Scaife
• Sixth Form Secretary – Mrs Sandie Brown
• Attendance Officer – Miss Sam Proud
• Bursary / Exams Officer – Mrs Diane Rutherford

4. Targets
• ALIS – based at Durham University
• A Level Information System
• Linked to GCSE scores
• ALIS targets are based on what students with
similar GCSE results / went on to achieve at A
Level.
• Likely AS / A Level scores – targets.
• Students who give 100% often exceed their
targets.

5. • Usually students take 4 AS levels, 3 A Levels –
although we appreciate that each student will have
an individual programme of study.
• We hope now that students have made any changes
– the deadline for changes is Friday 18th September.
• Already, they would have missed a lot of work in the
subject that they transfer to and, in the past,
students have found it difficult to settle into this.
• We appreciate that there still might be minor
changes to make but decisions must now be made
with a commitment to the subjects selected.
Subjects and Timetable Changes

6. • Important that students attend everything that is timetabled.
• If students are free at any point in the day, they are free to come and go as
they please. If they are free 8/9, they are free to go home. These ‘free’
periods are actually study periods.
• Assembly is on a Tuesday.
• Registration – Key for notices, advertised opportunities, the chance to
develop a relationship with the form tutor who is the main source for a
reference.
• PSHE – A varied programme that aims to develop our students beyond the
classroom.
• MET – Broaden your horizons, extend your knowledge beyond chosen
subjects. Part of the moral / spiritual / reflective experience we offer.
• Some resit classes are after school. Students have signed to say they will
attend – this is part of the compulsory provision that we offer.
• Supervised Study periods – to support students to use their time effectively
in a quiet, studious environment.
• Full time students need to satisfy these hours to qualify to be a student at a
college like this.
Registration, PSHE, MET, Re-sit classes, Supervised
Study

7. • A student knows that they will be absent OR becomes ill during the day
and needs to go home:
• A GREEN SLIP MUST BE COMPLETED. All appointments, as far as
possible, must be made outside of college hours. If students know that
they are going to be absent for an unavoidable appointment e.g.
hospital appointment, they must fill out a green slip. They should fill in
all of the details and provide an appointment card if possible. On the
reverse there is a mock up of a timetable. They need to have this
signed by the relevant teachers for that day, requesting any work that
they will miss. This should be returned completed to Sam who will
amend the register.
• A student is ill on the morning so they cannot attend college:
• In the case of illness, the student, or preferably a parent, will need to
telephone the college on the morning – ideally between 8.30 and 9.00
am on the morning of the first day of illness and each subsequent day
until their return. Please ask speak a member of the sixth form staff or
leave a message.
Absence Procedures

8. We do take the issue of attendance seriously –
we are proud of this.
From our experience, attendance does correlate with the
achievement of students. Therefore, we aim to monitor
and address any attendance issues and concerns.
• We expect that the attendance of all students is above 90%,
ideally 95%. If attendance falls below 90% without adequate
reasons given such as illness or study leave, this will trigger action.
• All students will be monitored and a record kept by the relevant
Head of Year.
• It will be up to the discretion of the Head of Year in consultation
with the Director of Sixth Form for some students to be contacted
daily to encourage their attendance in college.
Attendance Monitoring

9. • First time - Spoken to by tutor. Tutor will collect details of students who
need speaking to in Assembly from Head of Year.
• Second time - Spoken to by Head of Year. HOY will enter comments on
attendance spreadsheet for future reference and the student will be
monitored.
• Third time - Letter to parents from Head of Year.
• Fourth time - Letter to parents/ student placed on an Attendance
Report. Attendance Report to be monitored by HOY.
• Fifth time - Parents invited in to speak to Head of Year.
• Sixth time - Parents invited in to speak to Head of Year and Director of
Sixth Form.
Attendance Monitoring –
What happens if attendance falls below 90%?

10. • If a teacher has serious concerns about a students and they
have given the student opportunities to rectify this but there
has been little or no improvement, they will complete a Cause
for Concern and it will be logged on the students’ profile in
SIMS.
• We treat this as a serious issue – the Head of Department, form
tutor and the Director of Sixth Form will all be informed.
• The student will be invited to a meeting with their Head of Year
and / or the Director of Sixth Form and / or Head of
Department depending on the nature of the concern. A course
of action will be decided – it can range from a letter home to a
monitoring report to inviting parents in.
• We do think it is important to keep parents informed and we
always appreciate your support.
Causes for Concerns

11. • Recorded as unauthorised.
• Full attendance is so important.
• Still need to complete a holiday
form – available from Sandie Brown.
Holidays – Only in holiday time...

12. Bursary Information
• Bursary schemes provide help to young people who face financial
barriers to participating in education, providing they meet the
agreed standards of attendance and behaviour.
• The type of help you could receive includes:
• Help with transport to and from college for qualifying students.
• Help with the cost of meals.
• Help with the cost of equipment, trips and expenses incurred in
connection with your chosen course.
• Loan of iPads and laptops (subject to terms and conditions).

13. Bursary Eligibility
The Enhanced Bursary
To be eligible for the enhanced bursary the student must meet all four
of the following conditions:
• Attend English Martyrs Sixth Form College.
• Be starting Year 12, 13 or 14 in September 2015.
• Be aged between 16 and 18 on 31 August 2015.
• Belong to one of the following groups:
• be in care; or
• have recently left care.
• in receipt of income support.
• in receipt of both Employment Support Allowance and a Personal
Independence Payment.

14. Bursary Eligibility
The Standard Bursary
• To be eligible for the standard bursary you must meet all four of the following conditions:
• Attend English Martyrs Sixth Form College.
• Be starting Year 12, 13 or 14 in September 2015.
• Be aged between 16 and 18 on 31 August 2015.
• Living in a household with an annual income below £25,000 before tax and national insurance. Household
income includes any benefits received such as Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit.
• Priority will be given to learners with a household income of less than £17,000 applying for the standard
bursary.
• Benefits available to learners with a household income between £17,000 and £25,000 may be subject to a
reduction depending on funds available.
Full details of the bursary fund are available in the Handbook or you can
contact Mrs Rutherford, the Bursary Administrator, at the college.

15. Transport
Unfortunately the College is unable to subsidise travel for
students who live in Hartlepool and are not eligible for the
Bursary.
There are two options available to parents to help with costs:
1. Contact the Local Authority. If there are spaces available on
the school buses parents can purchase a termly ticket direct
from them for around £60.
2. Apply for a Stagecoach VIP Pass, this reduces the cost of a
weekly megarider to £8.00.
VIP application forms and information are available to collect
after tonight’s talk.

16. • Students must take responsibility for their own learning and
special learning needs. We want everyone to succeed and do
their best. We encourage them to access all of the help that is
available to them.
• We need to know if students received support of any kind in
school – particularly in terms of examinations.
• If you think that your son / daughter is entitled to support, extra
time in exams or if has a condition that would mean that they
need support with their learning (and hasn’t yet disclosed this
to us), please let us know at the end of this talk so that we can
liaise with our SENCO, Mrs S Irvine.
• The link that we have with the school means that sixth form
students can OFFER to support too. In the past, students have
found this experience invaluable and it has been looked on
favourably by employers and universities.
Learning Support

17. • We would encourage students to think NOW about what
they want to do following their time in 6th form.
• We provide lots of opportunities to explore this: UCAS
support, speakers from various sectors, visits to Open Days,
advertised opportunities in industry, work experience,
Activities Weeks.
• Students must also take responsibility for looking at what
they want to do and what they need to do to get there:
asking specialist staff, using the resources in the library / on
the internet, arranging their own work experience in their
own free time / holidays, visiting universities etc.
Careers, university and the future...

18. • Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to
allow sixth form students to park on the Sixth
Form site at the moment.
• Bays are free and available over the road.
• Problems in the past....
Car Parking

19. Taking advantage of
other opportunities
Activities Weeks
Engineering Education
Scheme
EDF Partnership
Retreats
Leavers’ Dinner
Open Days
Orchestra
Drama
Debating
And much, much more!

20. Thank you for making the time to
attend this evening.
We hope the information has been
useful.
Please feel free to ask us any
questions.