Straw-poll - Enrichment, PE and 'going home' in 6th form

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dyslexichelpneeded
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Joined: Thu Jul 26, 2007 9:39 am

Straw-poll - Enrichment, PE and 'going home' in 6th form

Post by dyslexichelpneeded »

I'm curious to know what are your experiences of the hours dedicated to enrichment and PE in sixth forms; and also, what the school policy is on remaining in school/going home when the sixth former has no lessons.

There seems to be quite a degree of variation from school to school on what's offered, and what sixth formers actually turn up to. Looking through my sixth form reports from before the flood, the PE teacher has written: 'XX has not attended many of these lessons'! My DD asked the question of a friend, who said that they have general studies, but almost no-one turns up, and no PE. I know another local girls' grammar which also has no PE in the sixth form. I suspect that boys' schools may be more likely to have PE.

To kick off, my DD, in Year 13 at a small all-girls independent, is tormented with 1h 45mins of PE (though it's all in one block - a triple lesson - and involves a lot of standing around and chatting) and 3 hours of enrichment in 2 singles and 2 doubles. That's 9 periods a week - an entire day. I'm struggling to remember the details for her Year 12, but I think it was one double of enrichment, and a triple of PE.

As for leaving school, the girls are allowed to go out in the afternoon if they have a free, but only on foot - they are not permitted to go anywhere by car. If they want to go out in the morning during a free, they have to get special permission. Other than these brief exits, the girls are expected to be in school all day, every day, regardless of when their lessons begin or end. Even in my day, we were allowed to go home if we had finished all our lessons.
hermanmunster
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Re: Straw-poll - Enrichment, PE and 'going home' in 6th form

Post by hermanmunster »

Skipton's 2 GS :

Boys)
Wednesday pm - choice of PE / volunteering / private study - can also go home during free periods if approved (ie well behaved :wink: )

Girls) No PE unless want to do it in lunchtime or after school, enrichment sessions tend to be intermittent and scattered through the year. can go home for free periods after UCAS form submitted.
marigold
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Re: Straw-poll - Enrichment, PE and 'going home' in 6th form

Post by marigold »

Girl's Grammar : PE is one afternoon a fortnight. My daughter is doing the IB so has to do 50 hours " sport" as part of the course. She drifts down to the local pool, swims for an hour and gets her form signed. She tells me that those doing A levels are able to drift in the direction of the pool and get diverted to Starbucks. Daughter who loathes sport is v jealous.

Enrichment is done on odd days throughout the year and they are able to go home for free periods after the first term as long as their progress has been satisfactory. Daughter again v jealous as very few free periods doing the IB, I'm glad as she cannot come home early and catch me watching Escape to the Country.
Minesatea
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Re: Straw-poll - Enrichment, PE and 'going home' in 6th form

Post by Minesatea »

According to DS's current school's sixth form prospectus, he would have tuesday afternoons for games or other activities. It is mandatory for year 12, optional but encouraged for year 13.
His options include: PE, music/ drama, volunteering, cookery or A level further maths as a fifth subject.
dyslexichelpneeded
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Joined: Thu Jul 26, 2007 9:39 am

Re: Straw-poll - Enrichment, PE and 'going home' in 6th form

Post by dyslexichelpneeded »

Wow, so so far my daughter's enrichment commitments seem as excessive as I thought? The school's response to girls wanting to leave for home when their lessons are done is, 'This is a school, not a college'. The response of a teacher-friend is 'And what of the transition to university?'
ToadMum
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Re: Straw-poll - Enrichment, PE and 'going home' in 6th form

Post by ToadMum »

DS1, year 12 at local girls' GS: must be in school from 08.30 to 15.30, although they are allowed off-site during the lunch period (at least, he sometimes goes down to the nearest shop - I haven't asked whether this is actually allowed :lol: ). No timetabled sport / PE - they are allowed to use the fitness suite, but in six months he has never yet got round to it. He does swim for at least an hour a week, though, and has a 10-15 minute walk each way between station and school.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
dyslexichelpneeded
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Re: Straw-poll - Enrichment, PE and 'going home' in 6th form

Post by dyslexichelpneeded »

Is he really in the local girls' GS?!! Any enrichment? (Though I guess being in the girls' GS could be considered enriching enough!)
aliportico
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Re: Straw-poll - Enrichment, PE and 'going home' in 6th form

Post by aliportico »

DD1, y12, girls grammar.

PE - optional, can use fitness suite. She doesn't. (She thought she would.) She cycles around a lot, I'm not fretting about PE.

Enrichment - they have one hour of Enrichment a fortnight, and one hour of PHSE a fortnight. This seems to mostly consist of talks about university. Is expected and encouraged that they will go, but there's no register. DD usually goes.

Leaving the premises is allowed during frees/lunch, although just to the nearest shop for y12. They have to sign in and out and will be looked at askance and possibly questioned if they are much over 20 minutes. (This apparently does allow enough time for a fast walk into town if you want to go anywhere else other than the little supermarket :wink: )

In y13 they don't have to be in school during frees, although they do have to be at registration, so can't go in late as at 6th form college. Can leave if they have free last thing.

I was surprised at the amount of frees - dd1 averages 1 a day - and she also has Independent Study Periods, which have work set to be done in those periods but aren't supervised.
ToadMum
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Re: Straw-poll - Enrichment, PE and 'going home' in 6th form

Post by ToadMum »

dyslexichelpneeded wrote:Is he really in the local girls' GS?!! Any enrichment? (Though I guess being in the girls' GS could be considered enriching enough!)

Sorry, keep forgetting that although round here all schools - even the RC secondaries - are co-ed in the sixth form, this is not the case everywhere :lol:

All the sixth formers have t do General Studies A level; the "teaching" for this seems to consist of outside speakers coming in at assembly / tutor time. Not sure how "enriching" this is, but I guess it's a change. They also have to do some kind of volunteering, generally outside of school but helping out with maths coaching etc probably counts. Some sixth formers run clubs at lunchtime. DS1's "significant other" used to run the Harry Potter club, I believe 8).
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
KB
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Re: Straw-poll - Enrichment, PE and 'going home' in 6th form

Post by KB »

Local GS (mixed
    6th form)
    Tuesday afternoon choice of games, volunteering, music or similar. Limited no. do extra A level.
    At some point, think in year 13, they can opt out and do private study.

    Compulsory GS lessons throughout 6th form.Used to be a bit of a joke but has been a clamp down recently.

    Freedom to roam at lunch time. Supposed to stay in school to study in free periods.
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