Key Stage 5 Curriculum

At the end of Key Stage 4 the majority of our students stay on to continue their studies in our Aspirations Sixth Form Centre.

We offer a wide range of courses that include traditional A Levels as well as BTEC qualifications. There is a wealth of extra-curricular activities including work or university placement opportunities through our strong links with businesses and universities that students are encouraged to take advantage of. This includes our partnership with BCU (BCU Forward | Birmingham City University), offering the BCU Forward programme to our Post 16 students, and also the Access Project (Schools - The Access Project).

We offer the sensitive support of an academy combined with the independence of a college. The induction programme will help to make Hamstead Hall a welcoming Sixth Form for the students and prepare them for life in the Sixth Form. The success of the Sixth Form Centre is due to the hard work and high aspirations of students and staff. There is a fully integrated information, advice and guidance process that supports students to achieve in their subjects, develop personally and make the right choices for life beyond the Sixth Form. All students will have a personal tutor throughout their time in the Sixth Form offering personalised support and guidance, with the majority of our students securing their first-choice university places .

In Years 12 and 13 the majority of our students will take three A Levels or BTEC Level 3 qualifications. Students can take a combination of both academic and vocational subjects as long as they have met the necessary requirements. These are chosen from the broad range of subjects on offer.  Some students will take four A Levels and in exceptional cases, Further Mathematicians may take five A Levels.  We aim to deliver a range of subjects to give students the opportunity to pursue a wide range of career aspirations in the future.  The majority of our subjects are taught over 8 hours per fortnight in Year 12 and 13. In addition to their chosen curriculum, throughout their time in the Sixth Form, students will have the option of participating in Games (physical activity) sessions.

There is a carefully planned Next Steps programme to complement the Sixth Form curriculum.  This starts in Year 12 and continues until our students leave school.  The programme covers aspects such as UCAS, apprenticeships, competitive entry courses, interview skills and considerations for living independently, amongst many others.  In Year 13, our students spend an hour each fortnight in a timetabled lesson with a designated UCAS tutor to help support them with their next steps.

We also have a fantastic partnership with Birmingham City University (BCU) who regularly work on-site with our students over two designated days. As part of the partnership students can take advantage of a two-grade reduced offer and enrol at BCU for their next steps and benefit from the Accelerate Scholarship with an additional grant of £1000.

Further details about this partnership and subjects available in the Sixth Form can be found (Hamstead Hall Academy - BCU Accelerate programme) on the Academy website in the designated Sixth Form area.