Whether you are new to East Leake Academy from an external secondary school or currently in year 11 with us, thinking about your further education options can be overwhelming. To help you weigh up your options, some of our students have answered your frequently asked questions to support you in making your decision as to whether ELA sixth form is the best choice for you.
Small class sizes
We have an average class size of eight students. This make a real difference for our students and teachers, where staff can give each students more attention and dedicated 1:1 time, spot where students might need extra support, and provide tailored feedback.
Our students comment on how they feel more comfortable when asking questions and getting involved in discussion and debate due to smaller classes. This makes lessons more interactive and engaging. Most importantly, smaller classes encourage strong and more trusting peer relationship and student-teacher relationships, where everyone’s contribution is respected.
Sixth form Revue
Every year at the end of autumn term, year 13 students write, produce and perform the sixth to the lower school and staff. The Revue is a tradition at ELA and a highlight for all students – it’s an opportunity to be creative, expressive and take up a new role.
The sixth form Revue is a much anticipated opportunity that many students look forward to when they enrol.
Sense of community
It is not just the relationships at sixth form that are close, but relationships throughout the whole school too. Our sixth formers take up roles of responsibility including student committee, peer mentoring, outreach and much more. They are positive role models to students lower down in the school and have lots of opportunity to work with students across multiple projects and events.
Embracing whole school life is part of our sixth form offer and taking up an active role within the school is something unique to ELA.
Your voice matters
As students, you will spend a lot of time at ELA over the next two years whilst undertaking your post 16 studies, so it is important that the environment and culture is supportive, motivating and welcoming.
Through various opportunities like student leadership and student committee meetings, we ask our students to share their thoughts and opinions on what matter to them. We listen and we work with you to make sure you get the best out of your time and experience with us.
Experts in what we do
Our teachers are specialists in their subjects and also great humans too! We know that having an experienced expert teacher makes all the different in your academic development, but we also know that kindness, resilience and determination will also be strong facets as you go through sixth form. That’s why we ensure our sixth form teaching staff offer the best academic and pastoral support, which also includes how we prepare you for your A level exams and your next steps such as university interview prep and apprenticeship routes.
We support your ambitions
Whilst we have a standard three A level choice in year 13, we do have a history of students that self-teach additional subjects to support their ambitious futures. Our staff are always on-hand and willing to give up their time to support students who are on this journey and are able to advise if this is something you are seriously considering for yourself.
We recommend that any students interested in teaching themself an additional subject speak with Mrs Slack, pastoral lead for sixth form.
Attend our open evening
We highly recomment visiting us on our annual open evening in the autumn term. This will give you an opportunity to tour our dedicated sixth form centre and the rest of the academy, meet with key staff and get a feel for the East Leake difference.
Research your subject choices
You’ll be studying your chosen subjects in detail for two years so it’s important that you enjoy the learning and work involved. Check our course pages to find out what units are covered and the content for each of them, including assessment information.
Set time aside for your studies
As you are considering your post 16 options, it is also important to ensure you continue to dedicate time to your GCSE studies, setting aside time for revision so you feel confident about meeting the entry requirements for sixth form. As a guide, you should have at least five GCSEs at grade 5 or above (including English and maths), plus grade 6 and above in your chosen subjects to meet the entry requirements for our sixth form.
Likewise, upon enrolling at ELA sixth form, you’ll be expected to take responsibility for your own learning. Whilst we will work with all our students to get them the best outcomes, we expect our students to be equally dedicated.
Be yourself
If you’re joining from another school, don’t worry — lots of students do the same. Take a little time to get familiar, sign up to our enrichment opportunities and ask questions in and out of lessons — everyone is welcoming and will help you settle in quickly.
Preparing you for the future
We pride ourselves on ensuring our students have been provided with plenty of information and guidance on what options they have after they move on from sixth form. Our extra-curricular programme includes university visits, university and apprenticeship workshops, guest speaks from industry including British Armed Forces, NHS and Crown Prosecution Service, as well as AI in the workplace.
We also deliver life skill workshops to equip students with practical skills for independent living such as first aid training, finance and budgeting, and cooking. We work with external agencies and advisors to ensure our programme of support is always relevant and up-to-date.
UCAS
Applying to university can feel like a big step, but you won’t be doing it alone. Our dedicated staff guide you through every stage of the UCAS process — from choosing courses and writing your personal statement to preparing for interviews and making final decisions. You’ll also have access to one-to-one support and workshops, ensuring you feel confident and ready for the next stage of your journey.
Trips and visits
We offer a range of trips and visits to expose you to a world outside of East Leake Academy and introduce you to the range of post 18 pathways. For example, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament, Belfast, the Hadron Collider at CERN, theatre trips, fieldwork trips and Nepal.
