The Heart of England School is a popular mixed 11-18 comprehensive school of 1200 pupils with a current Sixth Form of 183 students. The school serves pupils from a wide geographical catchment area, a high proportion of whom enjoy considerable success at GCSE. The school believes in ‘creating futures’ and works hard to ensure that students are prepared for life beyond the school gates.

Subjects

Students select from a broad range of A Level courses on enrolment, exceeding national averages for the level of progress they make by the end of their time in the sixth form.

Students are able to select from the following subjects:

• Art and Design
• Biology
• Business
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Drama
• Economics
• English Language
• English Literature
• Further Mathematics
• Geography
• Government and Politics
• Health and Social Care
• History
• Law
• Mathematics
• Mathematical studies (AS)
• Media
• Modern Foreign Languages (Spanish, German, French)
• Product Design
• Physics
• Psychology
• Religious Studies
• Sociology

At Heart of England Sixth form students have 9 hours of teaching time per subject across a two week timetable. Students typically study three subjects, although those with a higher grade point average on entry have the option to study four.

Tutor time

All year 13 students are assigned to a form tutor who they see at least twice a week. During these times, tutors will have one to one learning conversations with their tutees, focusing on study skills, current working at grades and revision. During tutor time, students also explore the world outside of school, looking at topics such as mortgage payments, Tax, how to read and understand a payslip and identify fraud. Students also explore a wealth of other topics using TED talks as a basis for this.

Assessment

All students in the current Year 13 cohort enrolled for a two year course, with the decision being made not to enter them for AS. This decision was made so that high quality learning and teaching and looking at the demands and content of the courses, took precedence over the false proxy of an AS examination that hampered pedagogical needs.

COVID 19 implications

Due to government guidelines, Heart of England School closed on March 23rd 2020.

The current Year 13 cohort were unable to complete their GCSEs as a result and teacher assessed grades were given for each subject.

In January 2021 the school was closed again due to government guidelines. Staff held lessons on Microsoft teams, with the majority of lessons being live lessons. The school remained open for children of key workers and vulnerable students in this cohort who were struggling to access the work remotely.

Calculation of predicted grades

Predicted grades have been calculated using summative assessment data from year 12, mock examinations, both in year 12 and the start of year 13.  Subject teachers have also allowed for a further year of study, with the knowledge that students missed 3 months of face to face support.

Work experience

Due to COVID 19 and its impact, students were unable to complete work experience as they normally would. All students wee informed of virtual work experience placements, and many students applied to various institutions to complete this virtually.