A very warm welcome to the RGS and thank you to your son for choosing us to complete his A Levels over the next two years. Sixth Formers at RGS leave here as confident, well rounded and independent young men, ready to take on the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Joining our Sixth Form marks a departure from all previous school experience.  It is an exciting new beginning, marking the start of two years that will shape what your sons choose to do beyond RGS. It is also the start of studying subjects they have chosen and excel at. Students are given greater autonomy, are expected to take responsibility, to demonstrate leadership qualities and to become increasingly independent in all that they undertake.

The School enjoys a long-established reputation as a centre of academic excellence, and RGS Sixth Formers are here because they want to be. Consequently, students are ambitious, hard-working and respectful of scholarship.  The environment is designed to be challenging and purposeful, but supportive and inspiring in equal measure. Galvanised by a collaborative relationship with staff, parents and peers, your sons will be emboldened to explore and to push boundaries.

The step up from GCSE to A Level is a seamless process, facilitated by dedicated subject teachers. There is scope for rigorous independent research and learning, guided by specialist academic staff who prepare students thoroughly for Oxbridge, university entrance, apprenticeship and job applications. They help students make important and sometimes daunting choices, whilst helping to formulate personal statements and navigate application procedures.

Throughout their two years in the Sixth Form, students will be supported by an experienced Head of Year and a team of caring Form Tutors who will ensure that they make the most of their time here. Your son’s academic timetable will have some non-contact study periods so that he can organise his work and develop the crucial skill of self-discipline.

Balancing the purely academic with life beyond the classroom is critical to personal growth and well-being. Your son will enrich his intellectual and social development by taking advantage of the seemingly limitless range of co-curricular opportunities on offer. We advocate that students involve themselves in some of the 70 (+) clubs, teams and activities that flourish in our diverse and inclusive Sixth Form. In Year 12 there are opportunities to get a flavour of the world of work such as attending business-focused conferences with other local schools.

The RGS 360 Award initiative is designed to ensure that all senior boys make a continued and exemplary commitment to volunteering, co-curricular and leadership activities so that they foster new competencies and develop existing talents to the very highest levels, whatever they may be. This ethos encourages our students to be outward looking, showing an understanding of the school and its role in the local community. Similarly, the RGS Lecture Series, delivered by an array of visiting speakers, aims to cover a comprehensive range of topics and life skills enhancing and complementing the established academic curriculum.

We are determined that our Sixth Form students should be generous-spirited, caring and considerate individuals who can cope in all circumstances and make a meaningful contribution to the lives of others.  It is also our aim that your son should be equipped with the necessary skills to be employable, to succeed and to be personally fulfilled.

Steve Noyes
Director of Sixth Form

Student Life

For a student perspective on life in our Sixth Form, please take a few minutes to watch the video below, which was produced by one of our Year 12 Young Enterprise groups. In it, students from last year’s Year 13 give an insight into the academic, pastoral and co-curricular support and opportunities they enjoyed in the Sixth Form and how their experiences set them up for destinations well beyond RGS.