Sixth Form Life and FAQs

We encourage all of our Sixth Form students to:

• Read around and ahead in their subjects
• Seek advice from teachers and Year 13 students about books and online resources that are especially valuable
• Do their revision week by week (creating the revision notes and questions for each topic as they go through the course)
• Independently rewrite essays and assessments to improve them following feedback
• Support their peers and work collaboratively
• Use their independent time wisely to plan their learning and think ahead
• Organise their time carefully so that deadlines are met
• Attend lessons and revision sessions with questions and ideas ready to discuss having read ahead in advance
• Develop and strengthen resilience in their approach to study and understand that support is readily available

Dress Code

Sixth Form students are expected to dress accordingly and appropriately in line with the Sixth Form dress code.

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted at all on site or on the path between sites regardless of age. This is a legal requirement. The Academy has a responsibility to provide a safe and healthy learning environment.

All of the above rules also apply equally to vapes and E-Cigarettes.

Paid work and work experience

It is recommended that employment outside of the Sixth Form is limited to 12 hours per week.

As part of our voluntary work experience programme, we offer Year 12 students an optional week of work experience with local businesses. Weekly placements can also be organised students have a suitable gap in their timetable.

It is our expectation that students will attend the Sixth Form all day every day - from 8:50am to the end of lessons at 3:10pm (or 4:10pm if you have a twilight). This is to allow them the time to work in a peaceful supervised environment conducive to independent study. Students are expected to do at least five hours of private study per week for each of your subjects.

In Year 13, if you are progressing well on your courses and do not have a lesson in period five, you may be permitted to go offsite for this period, however this is at the discretion of the Head of Year 13.

Sixth Form timetable

Initial subject choices are made via your application to the Sixth Form. All subject options are dependent on a viable number of students choosing to follow the course.

We operate a two-week timetable. Students have 9 hours of teaching per subject across the fortnight as well as 10 hours of timetabled study periods.

Students attend timetabled supervised study periods every week where they are encouraged to plan their work schedule and are given encouragement and subject specific resource ideas to allow them to extend their understanding and skills in their subjects. They are encouraged to apply the skills during their independent study time, working either in alternative silent study spaces or shared collaborative spaces that are available to them.

In addition, all Sixth Form students have a one-hour personal development lesson and a one-hour enrichment session, every other week.

If you want to succeed in Sixth Form, nothing is more important than good attendance. Attendance is monitored during lessons and in every part of your learning this includes assemblies, personal development sessions, enrichment and other activities.

It is your responsibility, as students, to attend every session.

Reporting Absence

By the start of the first session that you are going to miss, your parent/carer needs to email the absence address 6thformabsence@beacon-academy.org or contact the Sixth Form office directly on 01892 603066.

Planned Absence

You should only plan absences from the Academy if there is no alternative arrangement available and the reason is valid/acceptable. In these circumstances, you will need to provide details to Reception as soon as possible as well as providing supporting evidence before the event where possible.

Examples of these include:

• Hospital and orthodontist appointments that cannot be arranged outside college hours, backed by evidence of an email/text, appointment card or a signed complementary slip from the receptionist
• Religious holidays
• A university visit – either for an interview or an open day (for an interview the university letter is required)
• A job interview (appointment letter must be provided)
• A work experience placement which is an integral part of a course for which a student does not receive a wage
• Practical and theory driving tests (due to current limited availability)
• A one-hour weekly driving lesson, approved by Head of Year (to be booked during free periods only - not study hall which is a timetabled lesson)

The following are some examples of things that you should not be organising during college time:

• Holiday
• Birthday celebrations
• Babysitting siblings
• Employment or employment training
• Leisure activities

Unauthorised Absence

Unauthorised absences will be reported home and attendance will be monitored. Where there are attendance issues we want to work with you and your family to ensure that you are supported to achieve the best possible outcome.

Signing Out

If you need to go home partway through the day due to illness, you must see one of the Sixth Form first aiders before you will be permitted to sign out and leave. We will inform your parents/cares that you have left the site.
Whenever you need to leave the site you must sign out at Reception and sign back in again when you return.

In the Sixth Form work will be set to deadlines however, there is a greater emphasis on independent study. Each week, Sixth Form students have three timetabled lessons in the Study Hall (two sessions in Year 13) where they are registered and are expected to work independently.

At other times when you are not in timetabled lessons, you need to stay on site.

During free periods, students are expected to utilise the available study areas and resources to support their learning. Sixth Formers may prefer the quiet working atmosphere of pur well-resourced study areas. A quiet working space with ICT facilities is also available for students to use for their timetabled Study Hall sessions.

Personal Development helps students to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes required to manage many of the critical opportunities, challenges and responsibilities they will face as they grow up and in adulthood.

For that reason, students’ study of Personal Development, including RSE, continue at KS5 whereby students are taught via timetabled lessons, studying a range of topics that will equip them for life beyond school and how to live a safe and fulfilling adult life.

16 - 19 Bursary Fund

A key priority of the Government is to close the gap in attainment between those from poorer and more affluent backgrounds, and to ensure every young person participates in and benefits from a place in 16-19 education and training. The Government provides funding to tackle disadvantage both through the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s (ESFA) funding formula and through support to help young people meet the costs of participating in education and training post-16, principally through the 16-19 Bursary Fund.

The 16-19 Bursary Fund has two elements:

• A bursary of £1,200 a year for young people in the following defined vulnerable groups: in care; care leavers; young people in receipt of Income Support or Universal Credit; and disabled young people in receipt of Employment Support Allowance who are also in receipt of Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payments.
• Discretionary awards made by institutions to young people in ways that best fit the needs and circumstances of their students. Bursary awards should be targeted towards those young people who face the greatest financial barriers to participation; such as the costs of transport, meals, books and equipment.

Institutions are free to determine the assessment criteria for eligibility for discretionary bursaries, and the frequency of and conditions for payments for all awards, subject to the requirements of the Equality Act 2010.

To apply for a bursary for the academic year 2024/2025 please read the guidelines and complete the 2024/2025 application form provided in the pack below and return to Mrs Hilton in the Sixth Form Office.

Bursary pack 2024-2025

East Sussex County Council Post-16 Transport Policy

Local authorities do not have to provide free or subsidised post 16 travel support but do have a duty to prepare and publish an annual transport policy statement specifying the arrangements for the provision of transport or other support that the authority considers necessary to make to facilitate the attendance of all persons of sixth form age receiving education or training.

Post 16 transport policy statement 2024 25

Students attending schools with sixth forms, where hired vehicles are available, can purchase a travel permit for a vacant seat. The cost from September 2023 is £188.70 per term based on a six-term year.

There are three hired coach routes which service Beacon Academy (Beeches site). Sixth Form students are not automatically entitled to a seat on these services but can apply via the vacant seat scheme.

Details of these coach services can be found here Beacon Academy coach timetables

Kent County Council 16+ Travel Cards

Students using public bus services from Tunbridge Wells and surrounding areas can apply online for a Kent 16+ travel card directly from Kent County Council following this link. Travel cards will be delivered directly to the Sixth Form reception for students to collect. Students eligible for the 16-19 Bursary can claim towards the cost of their travel card - application forms are available from Mrs Hilton or on the 16-19 Bursary page on this website.

East Sussex Freedom Ticket and proof of age for under 19s

Students under the age of 19 using public bus routes in East Sussex can purchase a weekly Freedom Ticket which offers unlimited travel on most bus services in East Sussex. The Freedom Ticket is £15:00 per week (correct as of 1/4/23) and can be used for seven days in a row including weekends. For more information about travel discounts for students and young people please click here.

If you need proof of age, students under the age of 19 can apply for a free 3i_D card via CitizenCard. The unique code for students from Beacon Academy is BEAC6E and the verifier is Amanda Hilton.

For specific information about routes and bus companies please click here.

Student Parking

We have to prioritise the needs of staff over students to ensure that staff can move quickly and efficiently between the two sites so that teaching and learning is not compromised. Parking is also sometimes difficult because we share sites with a number of other organisations.

The parking spaces along the driveway at the Sixth Form Centre are designated for student parking and the top car park is for staff parking only. We will ask staff to prioritise the top car park where possible to provide as much space as possible for students, but this may not always be possible.

Students wishing to drive their car to school will need to apply for a parking permit from the Sixth Form reception. If you live within close walking distance of the school and we have too many applications, we may need to prioritise those students that live further away.

You are not allowed to park on the Beeches site even in the visitors’ car park.

You must not drive above 5mph on site - this may seem ridiculously slow, but we have very small children on site who could run out in front of a car at any moment. If you are seen driving too fast or otherwise dangerously, you will be banned.

Sixth Form students’ cars must stay at the Sixth Form Centre, even if lessons are at the Beeches site.

Sixth Formers have their own canteen facilities; hot drinks, snacks and meals are available throughout the day. The Sixth Form canteen is not linked to ParentPay, but students can use contactless payment options to purchase items (Apple Pay/Google Pay/contactless card payments).

All Sixth Formers have their own ‘pigeonhole’ to receive communication from their teachers, Heads of Year or support staff. We will also communicate with students via Edulink, Teams and email, so please ensure you put the correct contact details on your application.

We believe it is important to maintain regular contact with parents and carers in order to keep them informed about progress. Regular tracking and parent/carer consultations help to maintain parent/carer involvement and support. We also contact parents and carers via email when there are unexplained absences.

To report a student absent you can email 6thformabsence@beacon academy.org, report an absence via the Edulink app or call the Sixth Form absence number: 01892 603066.

The Sixth Form Student Council is led by the Head of Sixth Form, Mr Howarth. Students from both Year 12 and Year 13 represent the Student Council, and they meet on a regular basis with the Head of Sixth Form. The Sixth Form Council represents the views of the student body and has the responsibility for organising social and charity events, such as the Leavers Prom.