Pre-Sixth Form Course

Head of Year: Mark Rimmington

In September 2009 St Bede’s School launched an exciting new course for overseas students. The one year course focuses primarily on improving the spoken and written English of students, but also offers a range of other opportunities. Students who enrol on this course are fully integrated members of St Bede’s, participating in school life to the fullest extent. Every afternoon they take part in the school’s renowned activities programme, and they live and work within an English school community of 900 students – of whom around 40% are boarders.

After three terms, students will be in an excellent position to study for A Levels or other Sixth Form courses within the British system, or to return to their own country with improved English skills, as well as experience across the academic curriculum. This course will also satisfy the German requirement to study and be examined in a range of different subjects.

The Academic Programme At the heart of the Pre–Sixth Form course is a focus on learning English. Nearly half of a student’s lessons will be specific English classes; in all other lessons, the focus will be on language acquisition as well as on subject-specific learning.

The EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Department at St Bede’s contains five specialist teachers. Lessons take place in an attractive suite of well-equipped classrooms. On the Pre-Sixth Form course there will be an opportunity for students to work at the pace which best suits their needs. This might mean they are able to study for the Cambridge ESOL First Certificate, an upper intermediate level exam in which students are taught to handle the main structures of the language with confidence, demonstrate a wide range of vocabulary and use appropriate communication strategies in a variety of situations. Alternatively, for some students, either the GCSE or the International GCSE may be more appropriate.

However, the ultimate goal is not that students should be able to accumulate pass grades in examinations so much as that they should be prepared to move on to a higher level of study in which English is the key language. Those who wish to go on to study for A Levels will be in a strong position to handle the language demands of such courses; those who will return to their home country will do so with much improved English skills. Access to British universities is dependent on the achieving of a satisfactory grade in the IELTS assessment, taken at the end of the Sixth Form study; those who have participated in the Pre-Sixth Form course will be in an excellent position to go on to achieve a satisfactory score in this assessment. At all stages, we aim to tailor what we offer to the needs of the individual student.

In addition to lessons in English, students on the Pre Sixth Form Course will also receive the following classes:

Mathematics. Depending on a student’s ability, it may be possible for the International GCSE course to be attempted. Certainly, all students will be given the opportunity to build on their prior knowledge in this subject, and prepare themselves for further study at a higher level.

Science. Students will study for a general course combining elements of each of the three sciences – Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Students who may wish to go on to study these subjects at a higher level will not only see their subject knowledge improving, but will also be given the grounding in vocabulary and language which is essential for the successful completion of science A Levels. By the end of the year, students will have had the opportunity to complete the AQA single award Science GCSE

Information Technology. Students will embark upon the European Computer Driving Licence – a wide-ranging, internationally-recognised course which provides training in all aspects of IT use. This is a practical course, which equips those who undertake it with all the skills which are required to use IT in an education or work setting.

Humanities. Students will be guided through a variety of issues and subjects which come under the broad umbrella of ‘humanities’. There will be a particular focus on Business Studies, which is a popular choice at A Level amongst overseas students. Those who have completed the Pre-Sixth Form course will be in a strong position to continue with the Business Studies A Level course. There will also be an option to study Geography as a discrete GCSE course.

Languages. St Bede’s offers students from China, Japan, Russia and Germany the opportunity to complete British qualifications in their own languages.

Click here to download the Pre-Sixth Curriculum Booklet

Pre-Sixth Report 2010-11

At the end of the academic year 2010-11, fifteen students took exams from the Pre Sixth programme and three of these students also took exams at AS level with success.

Business Studies short course GCSE: 12 entrants, 8 gaining a grade C or above
English IGCSE: 10 entrants, 9 gaining a grade C or above
Maths IGCSE: 13 entrants, 10 gaining a grade C or above
GCSE Languages: French, Italian and Spanish: All four gaining a grade C or above
Science GCSE: three C’s and two B’s
AS Mathematics: one Grade C and one Grade A

As the Pre-Sixth Head of Year, I was delighted and honoured to witness the academic progression of these students. I believe that St Bede’s gives the Pre-Sixth students improved confidence in the use of language and academic capability which gives choices for students to remain in the UK and study or to go back home having had an enriched cultural experience.

Mr N Driver
Head of Pre-Sixth 2010 to 2011