Downfield Sixth Form
Downfield Sixth Form was a sixth-form college located in Stroud, Gloucestershire until 2017. The building continued to provide shared sixth form provision for Marling School Sixth Form and Stroud High School Sixth Form.
| Director of Sixth Form | Mr Farr (Marling) |
| Founded | 2000 |
| School Type | Sixth Form College (Mixed) |
| Location | Stroud, Gloucestershire, England |
| Students | Around 600 |
It provided post-school level education of Years 12 and 13, the majority of which were from Marling School, and Stroud High School. The Sixth Form was part of the Stroud Post 16 Consortium which included Archway School and South Gloucestershire and Stroud College. It is situated in Downfield Lane, Stroud, Gloucestershire, England. The sixth form block underwent extensive building work to accommodate the ever-rising number of students and includes a new Lecture Theatre with state-of-the-art audio visual system.
History
In 1996, Marling School and its sister school Stroud High School, embarked on a process of collaboration at Sixth Form level, thereby enriching the curriculum and options available to students from both schools. From 2000-2017 the sixth form operated under the name Downfield Sixth Form before control of sixth form provision was regained by both schools.[1]
Application/admittance
Entry requirements of 5 GCSE's at Grade B or above, including Maths and English, and similarly a grade B or above in subjects chosen to study at AS/A2 level. Over the years, outside students joined from Kings School, Maidenhill School (Stonehouse), Archway School (Stroud), Sir William Romneys' School (T Unit ), Deer Park School (Cirencester), Severn Vale School (Gloucester), Rednock School (Dursley), Thomas Keble School (Bussage), High School for Girls (Gloucester), Wynstones and Wycliffe College and a number of other independent schools.
Facilities
Most students are taught in Marling and Stroud High School classrooms, by the respective teachers. However, some subjects require that students are taught at Archway or South Gloucestershire and Stroud College.
Separate Facilities
- Marling has a west and east campus, consisting of classrooms, IT rooms, a library and a sports hall. Computing is also only taught by a Marling teacher.
- Stroud High School has a junior and senior side, similar to Marling, consisting of classrooms, six ICT suites, a library, a sports hall, and six tennis courts. Politics is only taught by Stroud High teachers
Shared Facilities
- Marling and SHS share a DT block, a science block and a Music Hall.
- There is also a main Sixth Form Block situated between the two main campuses. This has recently been refurbished and extended and consists of a social area, three study areas with computers, classrooms, a lecture theatre and the main reception area. This is where most students will be found during their 'Study Periods' (also known as 'Frees').
Subjects/Higher Education
At Sixth Form, students are typically required to take 4 subjects for AS-Level, and then drop to 3 for A-Level, though some subjects may increase this. Most A-Level courses consist of 3 modules at AS, and 3 at A2. However, some courses' modules consist of submission of coursework. On average, 80% of Sixth Form students move on to Higher Education - taking courses as diverse as Medicine and Marketing.
Most subjects have 9 lessons a fortnight, divided between the Marling and SHS teachers (or on the external campuses if necessary). This means there are approximately 12 study periods a fortnight, and 2 tutor periods. The Sixth Form also offers enrichment periods, where students can branch outside of their curriculum and try new activities. In the second year, unpopular subjects switch to having only 7 lessons a fortnight.
References
- Falconer, Ben (20 February 2018). "'Acrimony' and 'angst' between two grammar schools over sixth form split - but now it feels like an 'amicable divorce'". Gloucestershire Live. Retrieved 25 August 2020.