Sixth Form | Woldingham School

The Sixth Form Experience

The two years spent in Sixth Form are often the most memorable, exciting, and challenging time at school. Woldingham’s new, purpose-built Sixth Form Centre in the heart of the school’s grounds provides the perfect setting for our senior girls to develop intellectual curiosity, be stretched academically and flourish as individuals.

With deliberately different spaces to inspire our all-girls Sixth Form, the centre boasts a collaborative zone where they learn to lead, listen and delegate as they take part in a range of projects and activities, gaining the skills for success in whatever career they choose. The silent study space provides a calm and purposeful setting for independent study, leading to academic growth and success in exams. The café is a social space for breaks, forging friendships and promoting wellbeing. The centre also has classrooms and a small lecture theatre exclusively for the Sixth Form.

The centre is also home to our new whole-school library, where students can undertake research, read, study and enjoy as an additional calm space on site.

The wellbeing of each student is at the forefront of everything we do. Pastoral support for both day girls and boarders is delivered by our dedicated Sixth Form and tutor teams, who get to know each Sixth Form student well, providing the ideal environment for academic scholarship to thrive in a mutually supportive environment.

Woldingham students achieve outstanding A Level results, securing places at leading UK and international universities, opening doors to exciting careers. We have high expectations for all our students but, as in the rest of the school, we see our Sixth Form as a ‘greenhouse’ not a ‘hothouse’, where our dedicated and enthusiastic teachers provide the academic rigour and stretch to bring out the best in every student.

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Choice of 27 A Levels

Sixth Form students at Woldingham have a very wide choice of A Levels including a range of new subjects not available at GCSE, such as economics, politics, psychology, sociology and media studies.

Current subject choices are:

Art
Biology
Business
Chemistry
Classical civilisation
Computer science
Design and technology
Drama and theatre studies
Economics
English literature
French
Geography
German
History
Latin
Maths
Maths – further
Media studies
Music
Physical education
Physics
Politics
Psychology
Religious studies
Sociology
Spanish
Textiles

Most students study three A Levels and an EPQ (Extended Project Qualification).

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Going further, giving back and taking part

Woldingham’s Sixth Form is an industrious, vibrant and fun-loving community, where just ‘turning up’ is not an option. We want to see students going further, giving back and taking part.

Going further

We want students to be as busy outside of the classroom as they are inside the classroom. Alongside supporting students to stretch themselves academically, we encourage them to pursue the exciting array of opportunities for enrichment and discovery available. This could be by undertaking an EPQ, delivering a ‘Thinking Big’ lunchtime lecture, entering competitions or attending one of the many academic clubs and societies, such as STEM Society and REthink. Students are encouraged to go further geographically too! The peace and quiet of Woldingham make it an ideal place for study but in the Sixth Form students are preparing for life after school. Taking advantage of London on the doorstep, there is a plethora of opportunities to pursue academic and cultural enrichment, by attending university lectures, going to the theatre and visiting world-class museums and exhibitions.

Giving back

A commitment to community is a core value of the school and – despite the increased demands that accompany Sixth Form – this remains at the heart of who we are. Our students involve themselves with volunteering in the local community, raising money for charities, organising events and mentoring younger students. There are wide ranging opportunities for Sixth Formers to take on meaningful leadership roles and make a positive difference to our community, including become a Ribbon (school prefect).

Taking part

All students are expected to take advantage of the wonderful opportunities they have to learn and develop vital life skills through the myriad of activities at their fingertips, from beekeeping to rock climbing, through drama productions, music and sport. The girls rise to the challenge of the Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, pitch strategies to executives in our Business Challenge Programme or engage in the critical inquiry of a Philosothon.

Sixth Form boarding

Many of our Sixth Formers choose to board enabling them to focus on their academic, sport and other activities in a safe and supportive environment. It is also a good transition to life at university.

Sixth Form boarders live in purpose-built, modern accommodation. Lower Sixth boarders live in Berwick House, where they have their own study bedroom with a laundry area, kitchens, common rooms, an IT suite and study areas. In Upper Sixth, students move to Shanley House, where their study bedrooms have an en suite bathroom. Shanley has its own common room, IT and study areas.

Weekends at Woldingham offer a range of activities and trips. Sixth Form boarders often take the opportunity to visit London, enjoying the city's world-renowned galleries and museums, as well as taking the opportunity to do some shopping.

Developing a futureproof skillset

Woldingham’s Sixth Form is a place of limitless ambition. Of course, this means facilitating the academic success that will open doors to the most competitive courses and universities in the UK and overseas - but that is only part of the story in the Sixth Form at Woldingham. We have a sector-leading programme to support our students in developing a skillset that is futureproof: creativity, communication and critical thinking, persuasion and negotiation, as well as resilience, initiative and problem-solving.

The development of these skills is at the forefront of our Sixth Form offering. Students enjoy a range of opportunities, including networking breakfasts with business leaders, public speaking workshops led by professional trainers, inter and intra-school competitions, such as STEM Solutions and debating - the list goes on. There is our Sophia programme, unique to Woldingham’s Sixth Form, which is focused on developing critical thinking skills, and our Student Leadership Programme, accredited by the Institute of Leadership.

Each student has access to unlimited individual support from our Higher Education team to help her explore her interests, select appropriate courses, and prepare her applications. The team works with every student to ensure she has considered and explored all possibilities to find the best option for the route she wishes to follow, including vocational courses and higher or degree apprenticeships.

The Higher Education team includes specialists in applications to medicine, dentistry and veterinary science, Oxbridge, art and drama schools and US and overseas universities.

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Destinations and exam results

Woldingham students are high achievers, going on to prestigious universities in the UK and overseas and to successful careers.

Destinations

In recent years some of the most popular UK universities for Woldingham students have included Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Durham, Edinburgh, Exeter, UCL and Warwick. Students have also taken up places at a range of universities overseas, including Dartmouth, NYU and Parsons School of Design in the USA.

Students secure places on a very wide range of courses, with a spread across science, arts and humanities, social science and business-related courses, reflecting their diverse achievements and interests and the broad education offered at Woldingham.

Examination Results and Destinations of Leavers 2024

Map of Destinations of Leavers 2022-2024