AQA Bac Launched for Sixth Formers at SLGGS

Date posted:Thursday 24th November 2011

Sixth Form Students are being encouraged to enrich their academic experience and add a new qualification to their bow, with the launch of the AQA Baccalaureate (AQA Bac) at SLGGS.

The AQA Bac is a rigorous academic qualification comprising three A Levels, independent learning through the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), personal development through enrichment activities such as work related learning or community participation and personal development through an AS level in Critical Thinking.

Assistant Headteacher Mark Perrian said: “The AQA Bac has been launched at SLGGS to ensure that the education of our students doesn’t just cater for their academic success but also equips them for the challenges that their future careers will hold.”

The school had earlier introduced the EPQ to students in 2010, giving them a chance to choose a topic to research and study independently and to produce a 5000 word essay. The EPQ has proved popular with students as a means to help them prepare for their university courses.

Mr Perrian said: “The school hopes that this extra qualification will show universities and employers that our students are talented and capable of smooth progression to Higher Education and the world of work. Already this year, SLGGS has put in place a range of enrichment opportunities, from cooking on a budget, to learning sign language or beginners’ Arabic or Japanese. Options are as diverse as DIY, Sports’ Leaders qualifications and include numerous opportunities to volunteer in local charities. Students in the Sixth Form have time available in their timetable and designated enrichment leaders to assist them in choosing wisely.”

Mr Perrian sees enrichment provision, the EPQ and the AQA Bac as defining features of a modern Sixth Form: “Where universities and employers concur it is in their demand for both highly qualified, articulate and competent young men and women. The ability to prosper in strong academic subjects, coupled with guidance and support in gaining those extra skills that will give them the confidence to approach new careers and become articulate, thinking young adults is something I think is an increasingly important element of 21^st century education.”

The introduction of the AQA Bacc is the beginning of a process that the school aims to develop in the next couple of years: “We have students who enter just about very profession and every career that there is. As a Sixth Form, we have to look for ways to ensure that they can prepare for that diversity and can further those skills that make them better students, but also better citizens. We want our students to feel that it’s the success they achieve in all areas of their Sixth Form experience that will help them in their next steps” said Mr Perrian.