Sixth Form Entry Process | Surbiton High School
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Sixth Form Entry Process

External students are a welcomed with open arms into our Sixth Form community, bringing with them a wealth of diversity and experience to add to our vibrant Sixth Form. New students are embraced by current students, with all benefitting from the excellent opportunities, teaching and support here at Surbiton High School. To find out more about our Sixth Form click here.

  • Applications for a place in our Sixth Form, for 2024 entry, close at 12.00pm on Wednesday 20 September 2023. To register, please complete the Application Form.
  • When applying, there is a non-refundable application fee of £185, (£235 if applying from overseas), which includes a £35 charge for Morrisby Profiling which we use to assess applicants and guide on A-level choices.
  • We offer a bespoke Admissions service, aiming to ensure that every candidate makes the right choice for their A-level subjects, selecting subjects in which they will flourish. After a candidate has completed their Morrisby profile, our Director of Sixth Form and Director of Careers and Guidance will analyse the results.
  • Once you have made an application, we will contact your child’s current school to request a confidential reference on her academic and other achievements.
  • Candidates will then be invited into the Sixth Form for a Taster and Assessment Day, where they will be able to meet with current students, take a tour of the facilities and participate in a taster lesson (selected from a range of subjects). They will also participate in an online Surbiton High School Maths, English, Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning assessment lasting 50 minutes, as well as an interview with a senior member of staff. The interview will allow us to understand more about students motivations, academic and co-curricular interests and achievements as well as discuss the most suitable subject choices for them along with their career aspirations.
  • We aim to inform all candidates of the outcome of their application and any Scholarships or Bursaries they may have applied for, as soon as possible in early December. If you are interested in applying for a Scholarship or Bursary, please click the relevant link for further information.
  • Places need to be accepted by the date stated in the offer letter. Acceptance paperwork should be returned to the School, and the non-refundable £1,000 deposit paid via  BACS.
  • Following discussions with the Sixth Form team, final confirmation of A-level subject choices should to be submitted to the admissions team by early February 2024.
  • GCSE results will need to be shared with the admissions team on results day, Thursday 24 August 2024.
  • We look forward to welcoming our new students into the Sixth Form Induction Day in September.

Please contact admissions@surbitonhigh.com for further information.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT SCHOOLS DO YOUR SIXTH FORM STUDENTS COME FROM?

The majority of girls from our own Senior School move up to the Sixth Form. We also have students joining us from a variety of local state and independent schools, as well as those who relocate from overseas.

HOW DO STUDENTS WHO ARE NEW TO SIXTH FORM INTEGRATE?

Allowing our new joiners to integrate with our existing students is very important to us. We find that friendships evolve naturally in Sixth Form and even students who have been with us for a long time making lots of new friends when they move into Year 12. Each of our new students has their own individual needs in terms of integration into the School environment with some wanting to do this themselves and others wanting additional support – we aim to do this on a one to one basis.  We will always try to buddy a new student with another student, if this is something they would find helpful, and our form groups are clustered by subject choices, which has significant benefits during the first few weeks as they find their feet. The form groups are mixed from Year 11 in to Year 12 to help all students make new friends and settle in more quickly. The huge range of co-curricular clubs also helps students find peers with similar interests very quickly.

WHAT ARE THE ENTRY REQUIREMENTS?

We require a minimum of eight GCSE passes at grade 9 – 6, including 9 – 7 in Mathematics and English Literature or Language. You must achieve a 9 – 7 grade for the subjects you wish to study at A-level.

In order to access Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology A-level courses automatically, a 9 or 8 grade in those subjects is required.

For A-level subjects not previously studied at GCSE, there are individual subject requirements:

  • Art Photography: Grade 7 – 9 in Art or Art Photography is desirable but not essential. Any applicants without an Art or Art Photography GCSE will need to demonstrate potential and interest
  • Classical Civilisation: Grade 7 – 9 in English Language or English Literature
  • Computer Science: if Computer Science has not been studied at GCSE then a 7 -9 grade in Maths will be required
  • Design Technology: if Design Technology has not been studied at GCSE then a 7 – 9 grade in Maths, Physics or Art will be required
  • Economics and Business: grade 7 – 9 in English Language or English Literature and Mathematics
  • History of Art: grade 7 – 9 in English Language, English Literature or History
  • Philosophy: grade 7 – 9 in Religious Studies (short or full course)
  • Politics: grade 7 – 9 in History or English Language or English Literature
  • Psychology: grade 7 – 9 in Biology or Combined Science, and in English Language or English Literature and in Mathematics.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I AM NOT SITTING GCSE EXAMINATIONS?

If you are applying from overseas and are not sitting GCSE examinations, we will ask you to sit entrance examinations in Maths, English and a language or other appropriate subject. Any offer made will be conditional on passing these entrance examinations and on the A-level subject choices agreed with you during your interview.

IS THERE AN INTERVIEW?

We offer a bespoke Admissions service, aiming to ensure that every applicant makes the right choice for her A-level subjects. After an applicant has completed her Morrisby profile, our Sixth Form Director and Head of Careers will analyse the results.

All Year 12 applicants will then be invited in for an interview with the Director of Sixth Form.  To help direct them to the most suitable subject choices, he will discuss their intended university and career aspirations, as well as find out more about their academic and co-curricular interests and achievements. A parent or guardian is welcome to accompany their daughter to the interview.

Once pupils are accepted into the Sixth Form, we have an experienced team offering a tailored Oxbridge Programme, strong pastoral support, plus subject and careers advice throughout their time in the Sixth Form.

DO YOU OFFER THE EXTENDED PROJECT QUALIFICATION (EPQ)?

In Year 12, all students have the opportunity to undertake the AQA Level 3 Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). This is worth half a A level so can be used to support UCAS applications.

The EPQ Taught Course is covered during curriculum time, with the independent research supported by an EPQ supervisor, who is a member of staff.

The EPQ is particularly valuable in developing girls’ ability to work independently at a demanding academic level, to research a topic of their choice and produce an extended dissertation and formal presentation.

DO YOU OFFER SCHOLARSHIPS OR BURSARIES?

Scholarships

Surbiton High School offers a number of Sixth Form Scholarships and Bursaries which are available to to both existing pupils and those joining the School in Year 12.

Scholarships available are: Academic, Art, Photography, Drama, Music and Sports (Gymnastics, Hockey, Netball, Rowing, Skiing and Tennis). We also offer the Principal’s Award which is allocated by the Principal to a candidate who has achieved an exceptional level in the Scholarship Examinations as well as one or more additional scholarship disciplines. In addition, the Dame Angela Rumbold Science Scholarship is awarded to a pupil who has attended Surbiton High School since Year 7 and intends to pursue a Science related course at University.

Financial Support

We offer a limited number of means-tested Church Schools Foundation Bursaries at entry to Sixth Form, these are reviewed annually. Please note that Bursary applications for combined incomes over £70,000 may not be considered.

There is also a percentage reduction in the fees for daughters of full time members of the Clergy in the form of a Clergy Bursary.

The Green & Silver Sixth Form Award

The Green & Silver Sixth Form Award is awarded to a pupil who has been in the School since Year 7 and would be unable to continue in the Sixth Form without financial support. It is a means tested award and a bursary application is requested to be completed as part of the application process. Further details are available from the Admissions Office.

How to apply

Application forms for financial support should be submitted before 1 November.

Further information can be found on the Sixth Form Scholarship and Bursaries page.

The Sixth Form Staff manage to combine excellent teaching and academic rigour with brilliant pastoral care; no hot-housing here, just focused attention to what each girl needs. The support provided for university applications (including the Oxbridge programme) is outstanding.

Parent of Sixth Form