Enrichment

Sheldon Sixth Form is about far more than just academic success. Our comprehensive, daily tutorial programme includes study skills, careers education and options at 18 as well as preparing for life after Sheldon. Your tutors will also hold regular 1:1 meetings with you to offer individual support and advice. Each Year 12 tutor group is paired with a Year 13 group so final year students can share their experiences with those new to sixth form study.

"Teachers at Sheldon genuinely care about their students. They go out of their way to help and talk to us and are people that we can rely on for advice and support. Sheldon feels like a friendly and welcoming environment.", Year 13 students

Sixth Form Games
All students take part in Sixth Form Games on a Wednesday afternoon. A wide range of options are available both on and off site, from dodgeball to Zumba, led by the PE team and external instructors. There are competitive fixtures against other schools in several sports – our rugby team has been particularly successful in recent years – as well as termly internal competitions. The programme is designed to help promote not only health and fitness, but also social bonds across the Sixth Form.

Work Experience (10th - 14th July 2023)
At the end of Year 12, time is set aside for a week’s work shadow or other activity that will help you decide on possible future options. Organising this for yourself is a key requirement, giving you not only an insight into potential careers, but the chance to develop the skills you will require for the world of work too.  

Project 5000 and the Electives Programme

All students must commit one lesson per week to some sort of volunteering or mentoring in school or in the local community. This could include reading with students in Learning Support, supporting students with English as an additional language, helping out in lower school lessons or volunteering at local primary schools or care homes. If every Sixth Form student does at least one lesson per week this will add up to over 5000 hours of positive impact in the school and/or local community.

In addition to Project 5000 students are encouraged to choose at least one enrichment activity from the Electives programme. Some options are available every year such as Core Maths, the Extended Project Qualification and GCSE English and Maths resit for students who are yet to achieve a Grade 4 in these key subjects.  More detail about all these options will be available on the Open Evening and during induction in July. The full Electives programme options are published in September each year.

Additional Enrichment Opportunities

Sheldon Scholars

A comprehensive support package is available to those students who are aspiring to highly competitive options beyond Sheldon. We are proud of our many students that have successfully gained places at Oxford and Cambridge or on medicine or veterinary medicine courses in recent years.

University Taster Courses

Many students make good use of the chance to experience university taster courses. Both ‘Access to Bristol’ and ‘On Track to Bath’ are well established, while others make use of online options from a wide variety of universities across the country. Thinking about Higher education often starts with the annual visit to the local UCAS Exhibition each April.

Mentoring

Each year around 70 students volunteer to become main school mentors. Students are trained in mentoring skills and use these to support vulnerable pupils across the school. Their efforts are greatly appreciated by the pupils they help, and the sixth formers involved develop essential ‘soft’ skills highly regarded by universities and employers.

Leavers’ Expedition

Every year a group of intrepid Sheldon students complete their time in the Sixth Form with a ‘mini-gap’ expedition involving community project work, a challenge and some time to relax in a distant location. In the past students have visited Kenya, Tanzania, Borneo, Namibia, the Himalayas, Sri Lanka, Botswana, Thailand, Cambodia and Zanzibar.

Students who sign up for this adventure will have nearly 2 years to raise the money – fundraising is an important aspect of the experience. The expedition requires teamwork, leadership and commitment, but according to previous groups who have risen to the challenge, it is a trip that can very much shape your future.

And lots more . . . . .

There are many other opportunities as well, from music and drama, or the student led debating club, to the chance to be involved in Ten Tors and Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award. And if we don’t have a club that you would like to see, we will help you set it up!