In addition to studying A levels you have the opportunity to undertake various enrichment opportunities. These include voluntary work within the school and local community, leadership programmes and workshops, attendance at university lectures, running subject specific societies/ charity committee, online learning to gain university standard modules and work placements (this includes work experience abroad; for example, medical placements in India).

Becoming an independent learner is key to academic success in the Sixth Form. The expectation is that you will research and read additional material in order to enhance your learning in lessons. We will support you by providing guidance through study skills sessions as well as allocate you designated quiet study time.

Applications to join the Sixth Form at Southend High School for Boys are welcomed, from girls and boys, during the Autumn Term 2019.  Please note applications closed on Monday 2nd December 2019. We will require from you information on your likely progress and your predicted grades.  If you are predicted an appropriate level of achievement at GCSE, and there is space in the subjects you wish to study, we will normally offer you a place.  Please note that once your application is submitted, we will send you a form, to be completed by your school, requesting confirmation of your predicted grades. 

Applicants will be welcome to visit the school on 7th November 2019 (with or without parents);  classrooms will be open from 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm and the Headteacher will be speaking at 5.00 pm, 6.00 pm and 7.30 pm. This is an ideal opportunity to find out more about Sixth-Form life in general and the A Level courses in particular. Prospectuses will be available on the evening, and subject teachers and current Sixth-Form students will be happy to offer you advice and answer your questions. There will be introductory presentations during the course of the evening for both current members of the SHSB Year 11 and for visiting students who may be considering joining us in September 2020. 

Members of our own Year 11 who wish to continue into the Sixth Form will receive advice from tutors, careers staff and their Year Leader during the year, as well as hearing talks by subject teachers. You will be asked for your A Level subject preferences during the Autumn Term.

Induction day is on Thursday 2nd July. Students will not be required to wear school uniform on this day, however we do ask that you wear smart professional clothing (no jeans, leggings or jogging bottoms). 

Please come to the main school entrance at 8.15am, where you will be met and taken to the Hall for a short briefing before 'taster' lessons begin.  At 1.00 pm a buffet lunch will be provided to celebrate the end of your exams and to offer the opportunity to meet other students who will be also be starting in September. If you have any dietary requirements, you will have indicated this on the acceptance form.

Students doing PE should note that they will need to bring an indoor school PE kit on this day (shorts, T-shirt and trainers).

After lunch, at 2.00 pm, there will be Tutor Time in smaller groups with presentations and ice breakers. Induction will end at around 2.30pm.  However for all those choosing Further Mathematics as an AS Level, there will be an aptitude test at 2.30 pm for an hour.  A separate letter detailing the arrangements will be sent to those concerned.

If you are thinking of joining the Sixth Form you should use all possible means to ensure that you choose the right courses and know just what you are taking on. You should look not only at books, pamphlets and computer programmes, but talk to staff, both here in Southend High School for Boys and, in the case of newcomers, in your own schools as well. Above all, study the Sixth Form brochure carefully.

Sixth Form Brochure (click here)

Examine the content and requirements of the subjects, then follow up your reading by discussions with subject teachers, tutors and, where possible, sixth-formers themselves. The more research you do, the clearer your way ahead becomes ... and the more likely it is that your Sixth-Form career will be a successful one.

These are the subjects the school is offering at GCE AS and A Level during 2020-2022:

• Art & Design
• Biology
• Business 
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Design & Technology (Product Design)
• Drama & Theatre Studies
• Economics
• English Language & Literature
• English Literature
• French
• Geography
• German
• History
• Mathematics 
• Further Mathematics
• Music
• Music Technology
• Physical Education
• Physics
• Politics
• Psychology
• Religious Studies
• Spanish

Please note: it is not possible to guarantee that a particular subject will run. Occasionally, through lack of demand or staffing difficulties, we are obliged to cancel a subject in a particular year. If this proves likely for next year, students affected will be informed at the earliest opportunity.

For timetabling purposes, the Sixth Form timetable is divided into four columns. These are published in the Sixth Form Brochure (click here) but are subject to modification as we strive to accommodate the optimum number of student preferences in any one year. You will need to choose one subject from each column. 

The choice of A Level subjects is a personal one and should be based on

• your likely ability to succeed in the subject;
• your interest in the subject content;
• the demands of an intended career or degree course.

You must choose four A-levels. At the end of Year 12, you may drop one of the four subjects you have chosen but you do not have to.

If you choose Further Mathematics and Mathematics as two of your four A Levels, you may choose an additional fifth subject if you wish. All Further Mathematics students may also reduce the number of subjects you study, at the end of Year 12 to three or four choices; but if you opt to continue Further Mathematics into Year 13, you must also continue with Mathematics and two other subjects.

GCSE Grades – minimum criteria for entry to the Sixth Form

Minimum entry criteria to the Sixth Form are as follows:

• You will need to accrue at least 52 points from your 8 best GCSE grades (where numerical grades are scored at face value and A*=9, A=7, B=6).  New grades below 6 and old grades below B do not contribute to this points score.  Short course GCSEs may be included within this calculation. For example, a student with 4As, 3Bs and a 6 scores 52 points; a student with 3A*s, 2Bs, 1C, an 8 and a 5 scores 47 points.

• You must achieve at least GCSE Grade 5 in English Language or Literature and Mathematics.

• You must achieve at least GCSE Grade B or 6 in subjects to be taken at AS Level (or, in the case of new subjects, in related subject areas).

Should there be more candidates of the required level than places in a subject, selection will be based on rank ordering of predicted GCSE points scores and the combination of subjects a student wishes to study. In the event of pupils achieving the same mark for the last available place, preference will be given to the candidate in public care. 

 Students should only consider joining the Sixth Form at SHSB if they are likely to cope with the rigorous demands involved. Past experience has taught us that students who fall below these entry thresholds rarely thrive in such an academically challenging environment. SHSB is a grammar school with a traditional curriculum, and our rigorous approaches to teaching and learning are geared towards preparing students for entry into higher education.

For similar reasons, applicants should be aware of the requirement for continuation from Year 12 to Year 13 (see below).

Some subjects at this level will be new to most students. Anyone wishing to select one of these subjects will be expected to achieve Grade 6 (B) or above in a closely related area at GCSE, e.g. English (for Drama & Theatre Studies / Politics), Music (for Music Technology) or Mathematics (for Computer Studies / Psychology).

Less academic students must not choose new subjects on the grounds that these are something they have 'not yet failed at'! If you have difficulty choosing at least two of your four subjects from among those you already study, this may be a sign that A Level at SHSB is not the best choice for you. You should then be prepared to look elsewhere and enrol for a more vocational course of study.

Students must demonstrate a consistently high level of commitment to each of their courses throughout the Sixth Form. Only the Sixth Form Year Leaders may give permission to drop any subject, and the request may be refused. Experience has shown that little or no improvement comes to those who drop a subject; it is more likely that they would have been better fitted to a different type of course.

Admission to the Sixth Form is for two years of study.  However, students must achieve at least AS Grade D in any subject they wish to pursue to full A Level.  Students are expected to study three subjects to A Level, with many continuing with four.  Students who do not secure the required Grade Ds, who wish to remain full-time at the school, will be offered the option to complete their timetable with other courses that the school already provides, subject to timetable and availability. 

Every effort should be made to find out as much as possible about each subject before entering Year 12, so as to avoid the need to make changes. There will be an Induction Course on the morning of 2nd July 2020 at which prospective Sixth-Formers may sample lessons in the subjects they wish to study. Attendance at the Induction Course is compulsory for all those wishing to join the Sixth Form.

If any subject teaching group is full, it will not be possible to join it after the start of Year 12 unless a place becomes vacant. Therefore it is important to be sure of your choice of subjects as early as possible.

Certain subjects fill all their places more quickly than others, but those applying early can be relatively confident that places will be available. On the other hand, if you delay your application you may find yourself placed on a waiting list.

The move into the Sixth Form is a decision that needs to be taken very carefully, after a lot of thought and discussion. If you wish to study A Levels at SHSB you should find out as much detail as possible about the nature of your specific subject courses, the life of a Sixth-Former and the school's expectations of you.