It is possible for students to study up to four subject courses in the sixth form here at Denstone, alongside engagement in a number of other academic and co-curricular activities and qualifications, such as the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). The vast majority of students will however eventually settle on three subjects to pursue and complete, allowing them to focus their energies on achieving the best grades possible in these courses. With university and apprenticeship offers generally requiring three subjects to be studied this approach is a sensible one for nearly all students. As such, we guarantee to accommodate the top three choices for every student who submits their choices by the stated deadline. This is our ‘Top 3 Guarantee.’
This guarantee applies subject to the following conditions:
The guarantee covers the top 3 choices as submitted by our publicised deadline (usually the end of the Michaelmas term)
Students wishing to study 4 subjects can do so, but some flexibility may be required depending on the final option blocks that are produced. These discussions will take place and final fourth subjects can be confirmed in the Lent term.
We will do our best to accommodate any changes that students make to their choices after this deadline has passed, but the availability of subjects after this deadline will depend on confirmed option blocks and subject set sizes.
Any student wishing to switch into a subject after the deadline will be placed on a waiting list if space isn’t currently available. We operate on a maximum A Level set size of 18 students per group (our average set size across the sixth form is around 11 students).
The guarantee also applies to new students entering our sixth form on condition that they have confirmed their preferred subject choices and formally accepted a College place by the start of January. We will usually be able to accommodate most subject choices after this time but, again, some flexibility may be required for certain combinations of courses.
Some combinations of subjects will prove especially popular for students joining our Sixth Form, both from our own Fifth Form and other schools, and so you are advised to give careful thought to your initial choices that are submitted.