Sixth Form - QEStudio · 2017-11-16 · Sixth Form 7 Pathway Outlines Art & Design Our practical...
Transcript of Sixth Form - QEStudio · 2017-11-16 · Sixth Form 7 Pathway Outlines Art & Design Our practical...
Technical learning with local professional partners
Sixth Form 2018
A Guide for
Students & Parents
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Our Health Pathway is focused on professional roles
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A Different Way To Learn
QEStudio is a very different type of school for 14-19
year olds. It provides high quality Learning Packages
that combine technical programmes called Specialist
Pathways with core study from traditional A-levels.
Our founding ethos is a belief in the potential of young
people in this rural area to become creative
professionals who contribute to the well-being of
communities in the South Lakes (see right).
So our students get the best of both worlds by having
two schools that share the same site and the same
‘outstanding’ values: QEStudio can offer ‘technical’
qualifications while QES continues to offer traditional
‘core’ qualifications.
Our Specialist Pathways reflect the local economy
and offer routes into employment as well as further and
higher education.
Our professional partners in the local community are
also very involved in designing and supporting our
curriculum and work closely with our students.
We hope this booklet will explain how this vision works
in practice to offer students a different way to learn.
Our Ethos
A commitment to
community well-being is a
key part of our ethos.
:
Our rural area relies on
young people to keep our
town and villages healthy
and thriving for the future.
We have close links with
local professional partners
with a strong focus on
employment opportunities.
Our students will develop
as independent minded
thinkers with skills for the
workplace.
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Best of Both Worlds
QEStudio is a new school with its own identity & uniform, with new buildings planned.
But QEStudio has also been set-up as a partner school to QES, forming a multi-
academy trust called the Lunesdale Learning Trust.
That’s been done so our students can get the best of both worlds because QEStudio
is led and staffed by QES teachers and shares the same site and facilities as QES,
with its extra-curricular provision and its wider network of support.
QEStudio also puts the same QES values at the heart of our philosophy to aim for the
same high standards of Scholarship & Care that have served us well for 425 years.
Looking ahead, this combination will help prepare our students for their next steps
after QES, whether that’s a traditional route to University or the route into the word of
work through Apprenticeships.
QEStudio graduates will be able to access advanced apprenticeships, employment or
further or higher education. Our students will have the combination of Technical
qualifications and A-Levels that many of our universities already like.
Universities are very interested in what we are doing because many of them are
developing degree apprenticeships to respond to the need to produce employable
graduates. For example, Lancaster University are working with us on this.
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Professional Partners
Our ability to tailor courses meets the needs of our community relies on consultation
and contribution from our network of professional partners. This group of socially
responsible organisations supports our work in a whole range of ways, dependent
upon their needs and capacity. Here are just some of our partners:
We are hugely grateful for the support of our professional partners in areas such as:
Project Briefs: Providing real world challenges to be solved by our student
project teams facilitating our onsite work experience sessions
Consultation: Working with our Director of Programmes and Employer
Engagement Co-ordinator to develop our curriculum and opportunities, ensuring
our programmes equip our students with the skills and experiences necessary
to join the workforce
Taster Days: Opportunities for students to join a business for up to a week,
giving them a taste of life in industry beyond their time in education
Professional Mentoring: Taking part in onsite coaching sessions, providing
professional guidance to students nearing the end of their programme
Placements: With the potential for dedicated work, serving a particular
business need or to practise an industry specific skill
Business Briefings: Introduce students to life in a local business, presenting to
groups in our purpose built CREATE Hub
We always welcome contact from any new partners who’d like to be involved!
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Our Dance & Drama Pathways are performance led
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Specialist Pathways
The key part of a student’s Learning Package is a Specialist Pathway and we
are offering these seven exciting areas as potential options in Sixth Form:
A student will typically spend a whole day a week on their specialism, taught by a
team of expert teachers who will be joined by professionals from that sector.
But a Learning Package actually includes 3 parts to broaden students’ skills:
The heart of each Pathway is a technical qualification that will be delivered
through formal teaching as well as practical project work.
As part of their Pathway, students can also do professional qualifications
that are desirable to employers, for example Health & Safety in the workplace.
Across all their studies, students will also develop a skillset called CREATE
that’s used in studio schools to foster skills to succeed in work & life.
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2
3
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Pathway Outlines
Art & Design Our practical course will challenge your creativity and develop your technical skills across a mix of media.
BTEC Level 3
Business & IT Explore commerce by working with employers on skillsets from marketing to event management.
Level 3 Award
Engineering Work with partners in industry to develop your understanding of professional engineering.
Level 3 Award
Health This pathway is a perfect route into healthcare roles via apprenticeships or degrees.
OCR Level 3 Technical Extended Certificate in Health & Social Care
Performing Arts – Dance & Drama Our qualifications are focused on skills and performance with workshops from industry practitioners.
BTEC National Extended Certificates in Performing Arts
Sport Our courses focus on the skills for roles such as coaching or personal training.
OCR Level 3 Technical courses worth either one or two A-levels
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What Package is right for you?
We need to make sure you are on the right combination of courses in QEStudio.
So during the options process in Year 11, we will talk to you about your strengths
and interests, your aspirations for the future and the employability skills you need
to develop before offering you guidance on the best Learning Package for you.
You can choose 2 or even 3 qualifications to go alongside your Specialist Pathway.
This can be A-levels, Technical awards or even, in the right circumstances, an
additional Pathway. ‘EPQ’ has also become a very popular option for students.
We will discuss all those options with you to ensure you get the right Package so you
can manage the workload and have choices for future progression.
Students then split their week between their Pathway and their ‘normal’ subjects:
Students will spend a full day on their Specialist Pathway, although the exact day will depend on next year’s timetable
Registration in form time in all mornings & afternoons with be with a Create Team
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Our Sixth Form building
Our Sixth Form common room
Our Sixth Form library
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CREATE
In recent years, employers across the UK have struggled to hire new staff because
applicants often do not have key employability skills.
It is time consuming for businesses to begin training people in these skills, especially
for small or medium enterprises (SMEs) like so many businesses in our local area.
So to help our students get a head start in the world of work, we want to equip them
with these lifelong skills.
One key part of our approach will be to use a framework called CREATE that has
been designed for studio schools across the country and that covers six key skillsets:
And to help our students track their development of these skills, we have built a
special CREATE website with Net*, one of our local professional partners.
CREATE Skills & Website
Students will develop skills in
different ways across the week...
..and students use the website to log
and track their progress.
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Uniform & Form Time
We want QEStudio Sixth Formers to be seen as school
leaders and role models for younger students.
This includes all aspects of behaviour, including having
a professional and mature approach to uniform.
Students are asked how they feel about a Sixth Form
with a strict uniform at interview, and it is very important
that they think through this aspect carefully.
Wearing the uniform - and wearing it correctly - is an
outward sign that a student supports our values the
outlook of a creative professional (see opposite).
Our dress code is based on the same high standards as
a professional workplace:
• On Specialist Pathway days, students will have
‘workwear’, like chef’s whites or health care tunics
that will be logoed & provided by QEStudio.
• For the rest of the week, students will wear a
special version of the QES Sixth Form uniform,
which is sold online at Monkhouse.com
Form Time
Form time is a key part of
daily life at QEStudio
because it sets the tone
for each working day.
So we organise students
into a special ‘Create’
Team with your fellow
Sixth Formers.
This team will be led by a
Learning Coach, who will
be an experienced
member of staff.
Our Learning Coaches
make sure students have
all they need to succeed.
So a Learning Coach will:
Make sure team
members are on
track with their
effort & learning
Look out for
students in other
areas, such as
workload or social
issues
Ensure access to
careers advice
And deliver key
parts of our PSHE
programme during
a weekly session.
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Values & Creative Professionals
We share the same values & vision of a successful learner as QES. QEStudio has
a clear vision for how we want to develop students into creative professionals.
Shared Values
Respecting traditions & the past
Working hard & doing your best
Being decent to people
Being friendly, polite and
courteous
Looking out for other people
Getting involved
Respecting the environment
Thinking of others less fortunate
Encouraging global citizenship
Understanding life is about more
than money or material things.
Successful Learner
Has an awareness of the ways in
which they learn
Can respond positively to feedback
Has a wide range of learning skills
Can learn alone or with others
Can listen
Can concentrate for a long time
Can use time effectively
Is creative
Enjoys and values learning
Is at ease with doubt
Has appropriate personal goals
Can transfer & build on previous
learning
A Creative Professional Is…
Independent
Reliable
Able to work in a team
Able to solve problems
Willing to persevere
Resilient
Original
Able to compromise
Willing to take risks
Knows how to learn while working
A Creative Professional…
Understands how organisations
function
Knows about financial matters
Knows how their role contributes
to the success of their employer
Knows how their employer
contributes to the well-being of
their community
Can get on with a job effectively
from day one
Is capable of starting up their
own enterprise and employing
others
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Key Dates
Nov
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
Aug
Sep
2017
Tuesday, 28 November: Information Evening for new and existing Year 9 and Year 11 students and parents/ carers to explain QEStudio
2018
Thursday, 11 January - Open Evening for QEStudio and QES Sixth Form
Friday, 19 January - Taster Day for all Sixth Form QEStudio applicants
Friday, 2 February - Deadline for applications for QEStudio and QES Sixth Form
Monday, 5 March – Interviews begin for QEStudio and QES Sixth Form
Offer of place - Students receive letter about entry to Sixth Form for QEStudio or QES
Thursday, 23 August – Results Day & Enrolment
Tuesday, 4 September: First day of term for new Year 12
Tuesday, 11 September: Induction session for parents of
students in QEStudio
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More Information
Should you have any queries about the application process, please do not
hesitate to contact:
Alison Wilkinson, Principal of Studio School
Peter Hooper, Director of Specialist Programmes
Cathy Harrison, Director of CREATE
Katie D’Arcy, Studio School Co-ordinator
For initial queries, the best route is email: [email protected]
Or telephone via our main school number: 015242 71275
For more information about the school, the applications process and the Specialist
Pathways, please our website qestudio.org.uk
For our latest news & information, please look on Twitter @qestudio_school
Website Twitter
qestudio.org.uk @qestudio_school