Sixth Form at Oundle is about giving you the freedom to make your subject choices and to mould your own future from a highly individualised programme of study. It is an exciting opportunity which has the potential to translate to the most rewarding time of your years at school.
As one of the largest top co-educational boarding schools in the country, we are able to offer a wide variety of subjects, which can be chosen in any combination, alongside a comprehensive range of extension options that offer different experiences and challenges. Our A Level courses are structured around learning rather than assessment to its own end, enabling Oundelians not only to achieve the best possible examination results but to go on to the best universities. Our examined curriculum is augmented by dedicated specialists and unparalleled facilities, providing opportunities for you to research, experiment, explore and learn, whether in classrooms, SciTec laboratories, the Cripps Library, the Stahl Theatre, the Patrick Engineering Workshops or Art Studios.
Membership of the Sixth Form will differ from your experiences in school to date. You will benefit from lessons in a smaller number of subjects, in which the volume of work will be greater and the pace will be faster. The expectation for wider private reading and understanding will be larger, and a commitment to regular independent study is therefore essential. In return, Oundle will offer you much more individual assistance and guidance from your teachers and Tutor, all subject specialists, in the most dynamic and supportive of learning environments.
Oundelians commence Lower Sixth Form with four principal subjects and an extension option, which keeps options open at the start of your Sixth Form career. You may then choose to continue with four or three principal subjects into the Upper Sixth. The curriculum is sufficiently flexible to give every Oundelian the opportunity to excel and to choose subject combinations that suit both your interests and your academic ability. The examined and non-examined strands of the curriculum are complementary and mutually reinforcing.
Our extension option offers support, enrichment and challenge tailored to your needs or interests. You may opt for our bespoke Quadrivium course or choose to research and write an individual project, leading to the award of the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), equivalent to an AS level. If you are a gifted musician, you may wish to opt for the Music Diploma, which offers you extra tuition and support, as well as essential time to practise. If you are a talented linguist, there is also an option to pursue an additional language as an ab initio course.
In the Upper Sixth, all pupils attend the weekly Sixth Form Lecture series given by eminent guests on a wide range of topics, followed by discussion periods in mixed groups. Past speakers have included Foreign Secretaries, Nobel Prize winners, journalists and broadcasters, eminent authors, academics and sporting heroes. A Sixth Form concert and a Concept of Remembrance lecture are held annually, as are memorial lectures in honour of Sir Peter Scott and Joseph Needham, two of our most prominent Old Oundelians.
We believe in the power of opportunity among the five things we value most: pupils, staff, opportunity, community and quality. Find out more about the wide range of different opportunities at Oundle, each run by a person who is committed and passionate about sharing their interests; they consider it life-enhancing, and even life-changing, and want to help you get involved.
Choosing Sixth Form subjects takes thought and skill, taking into account three core factors: interest; talent; careers and higher education. All Oundelians are guided by their Tutors, Housemaster or mistress (Hsm) and our Careers department, with options discussed in detail before the final choices are made. Parents are consulted at every stage of the decision making process around A Level options.
Art
Biology
Chemistry
Classical Civilisation
Classical Greek
Computing
Design Engineering and Technology
DET Product Design
Drama and Theatre
Economics
English Literature
French
Geography
German
Government and Politics
History
History of Art
Italian
Latin
Mandarin Chinese
Mathematics
Further Mathematics
Music
Physical Education
Physics
Psychology
Russian
Spanish
Theology, Philosophy and Religion
Choosing Sixth Form subjects is a tricky business, particularly if your interests are broad. In order to frame discussions on which subjects to pick, start by asking yourself four simple questions:
The first two considerations are arguably the most important: if you are interested in a subject, it is more likely that you will excel.
This question, although important, is the one on which the least emphasis should be placed. While for some degree courses there are certain prerequisite A level courses, successful applications to leading universities are rarely determined by subject choice alone. They ultimately depend on your passion for a certain discipline, as evidenced through your engagement with the subject beyond the constraints of particular syllabuses. There is simply no substitute for this.
Help and support is always on hand, and talking to a wide range of people about your particular abilities and interests is essential. Advice from your subject teachers will be invaluable to you: they are the ones who will be able to give honest and practical advice as to how you as an individual may find the jump in challenge in their subject, and your likelihood of long term success.
Dr Adam Baragwanath
Deputy Head Academic
Dr Adam Baragwanath
Deputy Head Academic
Dr Adam Baragwanath
Deputy Head Academic
Dr Adam Baragwanath
Deputy Head Academic
Dr Adam Baragwanath
Deputy Head Academic
Dr Adam Baragwanath
Deputy Head Academic
Choosing Sixth Form subjects is a tricky business, particularly if your interests are broad. In order to frame discussions on which subjects to pick, start by asking yourself four simple questions:
The first two considerations are arguably the most important: if you are interested in a subject, it is more likely that you will excel.
This question, although important, is the one on which the least emphasis should be placed. While for some degree courses there are certain prerequisite A level courses, successful applications to leading universities are rarely determined by subject choice alone. They ultimately depend on your passion for a certain discipline, as evidenced through your engagement with the subject beyond the constraints of particular syllabuses. There is simply no substitute for this.
Help and support is always on hand, and talking to a wide range of people about your particular abilities and interests is essential. Advice from your subject teachers will be invaluable to you: they are the ones who will be able to give honest and practical advice as to how you as an individual may find the jump in challenge in their subject, and your likelihood of long term success.
For information on our full range of options, including a guide both to making choices and the courses here at Oundle, do consult our Sixth Form Options booklet.
The sixth form courses booklet
