Entry Requirements

Our Lady of Sion is proud of its Sixth Form because it allows pupils to develop to adulthood within the security of a familiar community. The posts of responsibility held by members of the Sixth Form are valued not only by the School but by institutions of higher education and prospective employers.

The Sion ethos ensures that the School welcomes those belonging to different faiths and holding different world views. We encourage students to broaden their experience by contributing to the life of the community.

Our record shows that we have the teaching staff to let you compete on equal terms with any school in the country. Our A Level pass rate, in 2008, was 100%, with 71% of results at grades A and B, and 92.5% at grades A-C.

The school is obviously very proud of its academic high-flyers, but in every year there are students who may only just qualify for entry to the Sixth Form but nonetheless succeed in gaining very good results at A Level.

Classes are small so there is close learning support from the staff. Progress is continually monitored on a monthly basis. The Resource Centre is used for Lower Sixth study. In addition, the Lower Sixth has its own Common Room and Study Room and the Upper Sixth share studies.

Our Lady of Sion is a caring environment and you will have the freedom to develop as an individual. The final responsibility for your progress lies with you and coming to terms with this is an essential part of preparing for the outside world. We aim to produce independent, caring adults who are capable of thinking and working for themselves.

Careers Advice
At Our Lady of Sion we provide structured careers advice throughout the two years. You can be assured of assistance with choice of universities and the utmost care is taken over your UCAS references. The Careers Co-coordinator and Head of Sixth Form will be on hand after the A Level results to help with any last minute changes of plan.

Positions of Responsibility
There is plenty of scope to develop your leadership qualities. The House system at Our Lady of Sion depends on the abilities of the House Captains and Deputies, all of whom are drawn from the Sixth Form. The Heads of School and House Captains organise and run the Friday School Assemblies. The Sports Captains are involved in sport throughout the School as well as in arranging fixtures for the Sixth Form. If the prospect of being a prefect does not appeal, there are many other ways of developing your personal qualities. The Debating Society is run by a Sixth Form President and Vice-President. An Editorial Team produces the School Magazine. The Charity Prefects organise fundraising events throughout the School. The Sixth Form Committee organise a number of activities, which have included cake sales and a disco for pupils in Years 7 & 8, to fund the Leavers' Ball which is organised by the Upper Sixth at the end of the summer term. We will welcome your ideas for further societies and clubs.

Extra-Curricular Activites
All courses at Our Lady of Sion encourage you to look outward. We have organised team building and initiative courses in Year 12. Field trips in Geography, to Snowdon and Barcelona, are an integral part of the course and other subjects encourage theatre trips and conference visits. Students regularly attend pre-university courses in Mathematics, Biochemistry, Chemistry and Medicine at a variety of universities. A group of students went on an outdoor pursuits' holiday in the Ardeche in France.

The Outset Youth Action Programme has become an increasingly important part of the Sixth Form curriculum. Students are involved in a number of activities, including working in the local hospital, our Junior School, in charity shops and with handicapped children, the elderly, or with the terminally ill.

Mr Kevin Tilley
Head of Sixth Form