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SIXTH FORM LIFE
Welcome to the Sixth Form
The two years from the first day of Year 12 through to A level Results Day have the potential to be among the most enjoyable and rewarding of a student’s time at Clifton High School.
Our bespoke academic provision offers a genuinely holistic education, supported by a caring Sixth Form team committed to outstanding teaching, dynamic A level lessons, optional ancillary courses and a wealth of enrichment opportunities. Together, these enable students to develop their skills and passions, recognise their individual achievements while remaining intellectually curious within a community where they truly belong.
The Sixth Form offers an environment where students are encouraged to grow into confident, resilient and self-aware young adults, equipped to pursue their chosen path. They will also make lasting friendships, build independence and resilience, develop their talents and begin to shape their future, taking purposeful steps towards adulthood.
Our Walters Sixth Form Centre is a safe hub for students to learn, socialise and recognise the value of the community around them. They enjoy warm and positive relationships with me and my colleagues, which are also extended to their families so connections remain close.
To discover how Clifton High School’s Sixth Form can provide an education that prepares your child for a future defined by both happiness and success, please arrange a personal visit with our dedicated Admissions Team.
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Mr Tom Appleby Head of Sixth Form |
LIFE IN THE SIXTH FORM
Life in the Sixth Form is intentionally curated to provide students with a distinct sense of progression that differs from the Senior School environment. While their timetables offer greater flexibility, including increased periods of independent study, they are encouraged to take responsibility for planning and managing their own School day. They benefit from a range of privileges that reflect this independence, including freedom to walk into Clifton Village at lunchtime, arrange driving lessons around their academic commitments, and wear smart Sixth Form attire.
SIXTH FORM FACILITIES
Opened in 2023, our The Walters Sixth Form Centre is a dedicated space for our Sixth Form community, accessed through its own entrance to give students more independence and flexibility based on individual timetables. It accommodates not only multiple tutor rooms and quiet workspaces but also an in-house café, student kitchen and a light and open common room in which students can socialise. Named after former Head of School, Mrs Joyce Walters, the Walters Sixth Form Centre was designed to provide a welcoming and spacious hub. Combining quintessential Victorian architecture with a modern build, it provides a mature space that is tailored to the life of a Sixth Former. Lifelong friendships and special memories are built here, which continue as students retain the value of these friendships long into the future.
While Sixth Form students benefit from the independence of the Walters Sixth Form Centre, they remain integrated into the wider School community and continue to enjoy full access to our whole site facilities. These include specialist teaching spaces, creative arts facilities, our extensive sports provision (both on and off-site), our 25m indoor swimming pool and dining areas.
SIXTH FORM ROLES, RESPONSIBILITIES & OPPORTUNITIES
Sixth Form students serve as role models and ambassadors for the School and are respected members of our wider community. Students can take on positions of responsibility as Head Prefects, House Captains, Sports Captains and ambassadors for causes that matter to them. Opportunities to lead on Diversity and Inclusion, Environmental Change and Sustainability, Peer Support, Charity and Outreach enable students to make a meaningful contribution to the wider community. Many also give their time to support younger pupils through our Hive swimming lessons, Infant reading sessions, Junior School Adventure Programme and many other peer-led activities.
We offer numerous opportunities for students to challenge themselves, discover new interests and make a difference. It may be from School initiatives and events, often led by our Foundation Team or enrolling in Young Enterprise, Model United Nations, Debating Club through to the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, Bristol Education Partnership, Bristol Water Youth Board and Avon Schools Eco-Network.
CAREERS
As an integral part of our Sixth Form education, we prepare students for life beyond School through a Careers Guidance Programme that is overseen by our in-house Head of Higher Education and Careers. It provides students with the knowledge, guidance, connections and practical skills required for them to make informed decisions about their futures.
While many Sixth Form students choose to progress to university, we recognise that every student’s pathway is individual. With this in mind, we support and encourage those who wish to pursue any number of different steps, including degree-level apprenticeships, specialist courses, employment, vocational opportunities, gap years and overseas vocations.
Our approach is centred on helping students understand themselves, explore the opportunities available to them and develop the confidence to make purposeful decisions. We firmly believe that students should be valued not only for what they achieve, but for who they become, and that happiness and self-confidence provide the foundations for a successful and fulfilled future.
Discovering Futures
Our Futures and Skills Programme forms an important part of the Sixth Form educational experience. Delivered through weekly Health and Wellbeing lessons, it provides students with the knowledge, practical life skills and personal toolkit to become informed about the world beyond School.
The broad range of areas covered includes:
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Through this programme, students are encouraged to understand how their academic subjects can translate into future careers, with A level subject trips and experiences embedded into the curriculum.
It often takes time for students’ interests and potential pathways to become clearer. Our Futures and Skills Programme helps the process and encourages students to move towards practical preparation for applications, whether they be for university, college, apprenticeship, vocational, Oxbridge or early-entry Medicine.
Personalised Pathways
Every Sixth Form student receives personalised guidance to help them understand the options available to them and identify the pathways that may best suit their interests, strengths and aspirations.
Our Head of Higher Education and Careers provides one-to-one student guidance, together with the support of their tutor, the Sixth Form leadership team and, where appropriate, a subject specialist linked to their intended course or career direction. The aim is to ensure that, through personalised advice in their UCAS application that includes personal statement support and application reviews, the students are confident and well informed when making decisions about their next steps. We are incredibly proud that most of our students secure places at their first-choice university, further education course or alternative vocation.
Higher Education and University Guidance
At Clifton High School, we recognise the intensity of preparing for university while simultaneously studying for A level qualifications. We provide structured support throughout the process, from initial exploration to application and finally, acceptance of a place.
Professional Networking Experiences
Sixth Form students benefit from the strength of our Clifton Rosarian network, alongside professional networking encounters that connect them with employers, industry experts and alumni.
These opportunities include:
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Throughout these connections, students learn directly from professionals about different industries and career pathways, helping them understand how their interests and academic choices can translate into the workplace.
Our professional network has previously supported students in securing places in apprenticeships and on specialist courses, including opportunities within industries such as aviation and the Police Force.
The Rosarian community also creates a valuable sense of continuity. Our alumni remain part of the wider School community, with former pupils returning to share their experiences and offer support to current students. Read more in Our Rosarian Community.
BEYOND CLIFTON HIGH SCHOOL
Although university is the chosen pathway for many Clifton High School Sixth Form students, our Futures and Skills Programme enables every individual to make informed decisions about their future.
Through our career’s education, personalised guidance and professional networking encounters, students develop an understanding of the opportunities available to them and the practical skills needed to take their next steps with Confidence.
At Clifton High School, we aim not to handhold, but to gently guide every student so they leave the Sixth Form equipped with the skills to shape their own future with confidence, self-awareness and purpose.
