Admissions 2024

Join us at a number of events as you discover Berkhamsted Sixth.

Application deadline for September 2024 is

Thursday 16 November 2023

Assessment Day

Saturday 25 November 2023

ADMISSIONS

Virtual Events

Join us at our virtual events to discover an overview on Berkhamsted Sixth

Join us in June 2023 for September 2024 entry.

ADMISSIONS

In Person

Berkhamsted Sixth Open Event ‘Life at Berkhamsted’ – Friday 29 September 2023

Join our open event to discover more about day to day life in Berkhamsted Sixth and how we develop remarkable people through our extra curricular opportunities.

Berkhamsted Sixth ‘Subjects at Berkhamsted’ Evening – Wednesday 15 November 2023

Join our Subjects at Berkhamsted Evening and attend 5 different subject presentations to help you decide on which A Levels you would like to apply to study.

 

Book Your Place

Entry requirements

In order to gain admission to Berkhamsted Sixth, students require 43 points across their best 8 GCSE subjects with a minimum requirement of a Grade 6 in the subjects they wish to study. Please note that some subjects have a higher entry requirement than a 6 (please see the individual subject pages that follow for more details). It will also be necessary for students to be able to qualify to study 3 A Level subjects.

All students who have taken GCSE/iGCSE will require a minimum of Grade 4 in GCSE Maths and English Language for entry to the school. In addition to the general entrance requirements outlined above, there are specific admission requirements relating to certain courses. Further details of these requirements can be found in our A Level Curriculum Guide.

Our assessment day is designed to assess a student’s character strengths and academic ability. We know that character is central to students’ wellbeing and outcomes and want to make sure that the students who are offered places will thrive at Berkhamsted Sixth. Therefore, the assessment is comprised of the following:

  • A character-strengths-based interview
  • A presentation followed by a small-group discussion
  • A verbal, non-verbal, spatial and quantitative reasoning test

A reference from the prospective student’s current school is also required.

Progression to Year 13 depends on satisfactory attainment in Year 12, as determined by the student’s performance in the end of year examinations. Work ethic, discipline record and contribution to the wider life of the School are also taken into account.

Overseas students, once registered, are required to sit a CAT4 test and complete an online form with questions on the subjects they wish to study at A Level under exam conditions through a recognised partner agent, at the nearest British Council office, or at their current school. Students will have an interview with the Head of International Recruitment. A reference from the student’s current school is also required.

 

Thursday 16 November 2023  – Registration Deadline

 

Saturday 25 November 2023 – Holistic Assessment Date with student assessments, testing and interviews

Our holistic assessment day is designed to help us select the students who are most likely to flourish in our Sixth Form. The day is designed to be similar to the sorts of assessment centres that students may attend as part of an application for a graduate position. There are online academic tests, group discussions and challenges and character-strengths interviews based around our values of “aim high with integrity”, “be adventurous” and “serve others”. There is no need to prepare for the day; we would only advise you to be yourself and relish the challenges on the day.

 

Scholarship Applications

 

Monday 6 November

Registration Deadline if applying for a scholarship

Monday 6 November

Scholarship Application deadline

Please be aware that students should be registered for entry to the school when applying for a scholarship

Monday 6 November

deadline for return of applications for additional means-tested funding **
** (only awarded in conjunction with a Scholarship)

Scholarship Assessments for Year 12 entry

Specific dates in November 2023 to be confirmed

  • Thursday 16 November – Drama Scholarship Assessment
  • Friday 17 November – Art Scholarship Assessment
  • w/c Monday 20 November – Sport Scholarship Assessment
  • November – Music Scholarship Assessment
    • Applicants will be contacted on an individual basis for arrangement
  • November/December – Academic Scholarship Assessment
    • You will be contacted following the entry assessment  if you child is being invited to sit the Academic Scholarship

 

Offers Timetable

 

w/c Monday 27 November 2023

Invitations to the Academic Scholarship Assessment

Friday 1 December 2023

First date that Sixth Form offers will be sent
(including some scholarship decisions)

Monday 4 December 2023

Academic Scholarship Assessments

w/c Monday 11 December

Academic Scholarship results letters sent to families

Curriculum Statement

How many A Levels can a student take?

Universities require three good grades at A Level and are typically more interested in depth of knowledge than breadth.

We encourage our Sixth Form students to devote their time to studying three core subjects at A Level, focusing on achieving their highest possible grades through wider reading around their subjects, attending lectures and entering competitions.

Our system maximises our students’ chances of achieving the highest grades and securing a place at their first choice of university.

The majority of our students take three A Levels, but some take four. In rare circumstances, students may take more than four A Levels. Students will have the chance to discuss their study options with our Head of Sixth before joining Berkhamsted Sixth.

Under what circumstances should a student take 4 A Levels?

If a student at Berkhamsted Sixth is taking Mathematics and Further Mathematics, they will be expected to study four A Levels.

Students may be able to study for four A Levels if they are highly academically motivated and enjoy independent study and wider reading. Such students are likely to have an outstanding academic record and would feel that achieving three A or A* grades at A Level would not challenge them sufficiently.

If a Sixth Form student is bilingual, it may be possible to take an extra A Level in the language in which they are already fluent.

If students do 4 A Levels, will they have the same amount of teaching time for each subject?

There will be less lesson time available to study for a fourth A Level, so any student choosing to study four subjects must be self-disciplined and able to work independently.

What else will students be able to study in addition to A Levels?

All Year 13 students at Berkhamsted have the opportunity to complete a community service placement, the Extended Project Qualification while some students complete a Student Consultancy project in conjunction with the University of Oxford careers service.

 

What support will students receive with the university application process?

Ahead of the UCAS application process, we organise a Higher Education, Careers, Apprenticeships and Gap Year Fair where around fifty universities visit Berkhamsted to provide our Sixth Form students and their parents with advice and information about their chosen course.

Our students attend a number of lectures on university applications and personal statements. They also have one-to-one meetings with their Tutor and Head of House who oversee their applications.

Students who are likely to have an interview as part of their university application process (typically Oxbridge applicants and those applying to study medicine) will have a mock interview, after which they will receive feedback.

Each subject department can provide support in preparing students for their admissions tests and any questions our students may have about their UCAS application can be discussed with their Head of House, the Deputy Head of Sixth or the Head of Sixth.

What Careers guidance will students receive?

We provide a comprehensive programme of careers events and also offer our students the opportunity to seek individual advice and guidance on their future career plans.

Two full-time members of staff lead our careers department. They do not teach and have joined us from industry.

We run a weekly careers lunch programme during our Michaelmas and Lent terms which offers Sixth Form students the opportunity to hear external speakers talk about their own career stories and the best routes into a number of popular industries including accountancy, medicine, law and engineering, plus the Armed Forces.

All Berkhamsted Sixth students undertake a week of work experience at the end of Year 12 and we provide advice on finding a suitable placement.

Our students receive regular careers newsletters and they have access to a wide range of resources covering careers, apprenticeships, university courses, gap year options and sponsorship, plus tips on how to write a CV and covering letter.

Is there an entry requirement for progression from Year 12 to Year 13?

Berkhamsted Sixth students must obtain a minimum of a grade C at the end of Year 12 in order to progress to Year 13.

Students take a set of rigorous internal examinations which are designed to provide a challenging test of the year’s work. The examinations are designed to make sure that all students will attain grades that are of value in their A Levels.

There is a standardisation process across all departments so that the school can base its A Level predictions upon substantial evidence of attainment.

What happens if students do not meet the entry requirement for progression from Year 12 to Year 13?

Students who do not obtain a minimum of a C grade in a subject will have the opportunity to retake the examination before the end of Year 12.

Students who still obtain a grade D or below will be advised that it is not in their best interests to continue their A Level studies in that subject and, as such, they will not be able to continue this subject in Year 13.

No student may progress into Year 13 to study only one A-Level subject in the curriculum. Each student will be treated individually and exceptional circumstances may be taken into consideration.

What happens if students may not progress to Year 13?

If a Sixth Form student has shown ambition to succeed and a positive attitude and approach to learning, they may be offered the opportunity to repeat Year 12.

They will be given support to make the necessary improvements for progression to Year 13.

Key dates for new starters

If successful

If you are successful in your application to Berkhamsted Sixth – the following induction dates will apply.

June/July 2024

Year 12 Induction Day/s

August/September 2024

Contact School to confirm GCSE results

 September 2024

Year 12 Introductory Evening and Welcome Receptions

September 2024

Year 12 start at Berkhamsted

ADMISSIONS

Personal Tours

We advise visiting Berkhamsted at one of our on-site Open Events in the first instance. For families looking for entry in the next two years (i.e. 2024 and 2025 entry), we can offer group and individual tours of our school sites.

To book a place on a personal tour please complete the form below and our Admissions team will be in touch in due course to make arrangements.

Book a visit