We are pleased to announce that we will be holding a face to face open evening for prospective sixth form students on Wednesday 24th November.

More details about the event will be available shortly. In the meantime, please browse the information on our website.

Simon Balle All-Through School has a reputation for academic excellence, extra-curricular achievements, service to the community, and the development of potential. Our Sixth Form students exemplify this. We are proud of the young adults who act as excellent role models, exercising high standards of self-discipline, personal behaviour and an insatiable willingness to learn.

We have, in recent years, worked hard to establish the importance of raising achievement as our guiding principle and believe this is now fully recognised. Students deserve the right to experience and demonstrate excellence in their chosen specialist areas of Post-16 education and our Sixth Form is proactive in supporting them in this. I am particularly proud of the range of courses on offer to students, enabling students to choose from the different combinations and study routes possible. 

Sixth Form students at Simon Balle have increased independence and accountability. We expect students to exercise good judgement within the bounds of their responsibility, with tutors and subject teachers providing guidance, help and individual support. We also expect a high level of commitment to academic work, extracurricular activities and community service. We remain much impressed as these expectations are realised on an annual basis, and consider the 21st Century to be in good hands, as ‘we prepare tomorrow’s citizens today’.

The Sixth Form at Simon Balle All-Through School offers an extension of the outstanding pastoral care given to students throughout Reception – Year 11. Each student has a Form Tutor with whom they register at least once daily and acts as the initial point of contact for parents/carers and subject teachers. Form Tutors also monitor and support the academic progress of their tutees through regular progress checks and tutorials. Sixth Form Tutors are supported by a Sixth Form Learning Centre Manager and the Deputy Head of Sixth Form, all of whom focus on the day to day pastoral welfare of the students, in addition to supporting and monitoring academic progression. 

The Sixth Form also has a longstanding tradition of extra-curricular and enrichment  activities. Students are encouraged to get involved in and run a variety of events, from the myriad of musical groups, to sporting teams and volunteering and leadership roles . Such activities enable students to discover new ways of working and create enriching experiences for collaboration and developing life skills. SBAS Sixth Form has an excellent Careers and UCAS programme with a UCAS Coordinator and an Apprenticeships and Employment Coordinator supporting students through the challenging process of selecting and applying for University courses. Students are given access to external speakers and specialists from a variety of career areas through assemblies, subject areas and workshops. Students have access to all the wonderful guidance from Unifrog, and attend the annual UCAS Conference in London, in addition to receiving support from subject teachers and individual reference writers in making their applications. A Scholars Programme  is also devoted to the Oxbridge University application process, to ensure our students have the best opportunity of achieving a place at their desired institution.

The Sixth Form Learning Centre enables students to use their time productively and develop their own individual work ethos, with supervision and guidance available. Each tutor group has its own dedicated study room and individual students are able to use the bespoke Sixth Form library space, offering an excellent base for research. The Learning Centre also offers a place to mix socially at lunch and break times. Our cafe  offers menus, snacks and coffee for Sixth Formers at extended periods throughout the day.

Success in education relies heavily on good working relationships between the school, students and parents at one level and between individual staff and students at another. Students are encouraged to take part in activities beyond their academic choices. In this way students grow as individuals as the Sixth Form prepares a future path towards even more specialist academic study, career-focused apprenticeships or entry to the world of work. I believe that Simon Balle All-Through School offers an extremely positive environment for learning with high quality resources and enthusiastic, well-qualified and dedicated staff. We believe strongly in the advantages of a 4-19 school where staff and students develop relationships that can support individuals as learners. 

There is much to be gained for students and staff in having a well-established and successful Sixth Form and we invite you to become part of that vibrant future.

Mr BR Morris

Head of Sixth Form