THE ETHOS OF THE ELLIOTT SIXTH FORM

The Sixth Form is a comprehensive open access Sixth Form. This means that students wishing to continue their education in the Sixth Form are welcome to do so, provided that they meet the entry demands of the course they wish to study. During their period in the Sixth Form a high standard of attendance, punctuality and conduct is required.

The Sixth Form aims to be comprehensive in practice: it values all students equally and it sets up structures to bring together in fruitful activity students from all backgrounds so that they learn from, and contribute to, each other. So, for example, all tutorial groups are mixed ability, mixed course and mixed age. They have a programme of pastoral curriculum to follow and they have to prepare an assembly for the rest of the Sixth Form twice a term; there is thus a focus for the group.

The Sixth Form aims to be intellectually exciting and socially challenging. Apart from the lessons, the aim is to create a variety of activities which make intellectual, social and moral demands on the students. These activities include music groups, extra-curricular Theatre and Film visits, the Sixth Form Society, voluntary work in the community, lunchtime discussion groups, assisting in the main school with poor readers, in the P.E. department and in drama productions, participating in the production of the magazines and many more. More than just creating these activities, the aim is to encourage the Sixth Formers themselves to organise these activities and that is what indeed happens. The Sixth Formers are thus challenged to contribute to the community of the Sixth Form, the school and the local area and to take responsibility for organising this contribution. Of course, all these activities help to ensure that Sixth Formers from all social backgrounds and courses mix with each other and contribute to each other.

It is in order to meet the two aims outlined above - to be comprehensive in action and intellectually and socially challenging - that the Sixth Form lays downs certain demands, in terms of attendance, that differ from the requirements of F.E. Colleges and of some other schools. We expect Sixth Formers to arrive on time in the morning and to remain in school during lesson times. We want to create a lively and vigorous community, enriching all Sixth Formers and drawing from all Sixth Formers, and we do not believe that this can be achieved, in anything more than a partial and fragmented way, if students are permitted simply to arrive for lessons and then leave afterwards. This means that Sixth Formers must register daily, study in particular places during non-teaching periods and so on. These restrictions are hardly repressive and they can make for regular and routine study as well as meeting the aims of creating a community; and, of course, they aren't a blanket system - Sixth Formers can and do negotiate with their tutors and Head of Sixth for particular exemptions.