Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Sixth Form College

Many of our students join SFX because they hear “good things” about us from friends and family. Becoming a member of SFX 6th Form College is a bigger venture than merely enrolling on a set of courses. Between the ages of 16 and 18 you will find your “friends for life” and take up the challenges which will craft your future. At SFX you will step into a community which is more than a provider of educational qualifications. We know that getting the most out of life requires patience, clear vision, hard work, resilience and taking responsibility, not only for ourselves but also for others.

Creating the opportunity to share views and values in a secure and respectful setting is a critical part of our SFX mission and helps to foster a strong and mature community. Our goal at SFX is to prepare you for the challenges you will face in a highly competitive world but also to carve out time to support you in developing personally and spiritually. We have a track record of achieving outstanding success in a wide range of qualifications but we also have expertise in fostering the vision and values that will create great and ethical leaders of the future. If you join the SFX community we shall not stint in our efforts to fulfil those dual needs. We have a talented staff body which is excited by the transformational power of education and the creativity of young people. All of these attributes contribute to making SFX a unique community and a great place to study.

Our Christian mission demands that we recognise the dignity and equality of every individual. SFX actively promotes inclusion and embraces all the legal and moral requirements of our Equality Duty. We are proud of our diversity and support one another in resisting and challenging prejudice and discrimination. The College has worked closely with the National Centre for Diversity to achieve the ‘Investors in Diversity’ Award. As such there is an Equality and Diversity group comprising staff and students promoting the aims and objectives inherent in our mission. Each of our subject areas is required to identify how they contribute to our equality and diversity objectives in their lessons and every opportunity is taken to ensure that equality and diversity themes are included in our comprehensive tutorial programme and faculty gatherings.

Our teachers are experts in their fileds/we are spechialists in sixth form education we only teach 16-19 so it’s all about that age group – we don’t teach older students or earlier years as in a school with a sixth form; only A levels, or Diplomas at Level 3 (equivalent to 3 A levels), Level 2 and 1 (equivalent to GCSEs). there is an excellent pastoral care system. Each student has a Personal Tutor to guide them alongside their subject teachers. We have a specialist learning support team, together with the Designated Safeguarding Officer there is a College Counsellor and a Student Welfare Officer on hand to support students experiencing personal worries or concerns.

Student enrichment plays an integral part in our student programme at SFX. Examples include

Student Union with student elected President and Vice President representing the students’ needs and interests and contributing to decision making as Student Governors. Sport – including a fully supervised fitness suite, Boys and Girls Football Team, Basketball Team, hula, trampolining, table tennis, box-fit and rock climbing. Young enterprise students set up and run their own business for a year with assigned roles including such as Project Manager, Product Manager, Finance Manager, Marketing Manager etc. Visiting speakers, educational outings (past have included London, New York and Paris), visits to university taster days and trips to theatre, museums & exhibitions.

Sixth form colleges can offer you a fresh start to continue your studies in a different environment where you can make new friends. At a sixth form college you can benefit from

• The wide range of courses available
• The experience of making that step from one institution to another and developing confidence, independence and maturity; you will therefore be well equipped to make the change when going to university or into employment thorough support systems that are in place to monitor your performance.
• Tutorials which help students to reach their potential and help with preparation for UCAS applications and university increased independence as you will be expected to manage your time, deadlines, study and workload which is very effective preparation for university and personal life.
• Being taught by teachers who are experts in the field of teaching 16-19 year olds as they only concentrate on that age group.
• Specialist programmes for students applying to Oxbridge or top universities.
• High success rates