Making a successful transition from Year 11 to Year 12 is not easy – go and ask the current Year 13 how hard it was. There are, however, certain things you can do in Year 12 which will make the transition easier, but they are all down to hard work and organisation by you.
It is essential that you start as you mean to go on. Hit the ground running with all guns blazing! You need to develop an independent work ethic – the teachers will give you all the help you need but “spoon feeding” is not on the agenda. You must develop an effective time management strategy; “free” lessons are not there for you to sit around in the common room chatting to friends – that can take place during break and lunchtime. “Free” lessons are an opportunity for you to read around the subject, to research what you will be studying next or to reinforce what you have just been taught. Think about what you can do at home, we would expect a minimum of 12 hours each week to be spent in addition to your timetabled lessons; this should be spread out evenly between the evenings and the weekend. Build in some “me” time as well so you can relax and chill but don’t let the work get away from you, keep on top of homework and independent study to give yourself the best chance of success.
You need to think and act more independently, become more self-disciplined, mature and responsible for your learning. There is no magic bulb that lights up in your brain in the September when you start the sixth form, but there are people around to help you develop as a person and as a sixth form student. Your first point of call should be your Year 12 tutor who will give you the necessary support in the crucial first few weeks and then throughout your sixth form life. Talk to them about issues which are causing problems, if they are not able to help they should be able to point you in the right direction.
Your teacher will have a scheme of work for the subject – if you are not given a copy ask for one and use it so you know what is being taught and when. In this way you can do some research before the lesson and know what to expect and what sort of issues you need to be able to discuss or what skills you will need to learn. If in doubt, ask your teacher to explain again. Don’t assume that difficult concepts or skills will just make sense – you will have to work at it, A Level studies are not easy, they are challenging and you will have to rise to the challenge if you want to succeed. At the end of every lesson go over the main points to ensure you have a good understanding, if you are unsure of anything speak to your teacher before the next lesson.
It is also important to take personal responsibility for your learning and to overcome distractions, just because someone else is chilling and not working doesn’t mean they haven’t been studying beforehand. Can you afford to not work in that situation? Spending one hour per week doing nothing equates to 39 hours over Year 12, these hours cannot be found at the end of your course when examinations and coursework deadlines are fixed, think about how you are using your time from September to avoid an all-nighter to complete coursework in a rush and to a poorer standard than you would expect.
Mr D Lavan (Head of Key Stage 5)