Life in the Sixth Form

Life in the Sixth Form is very different to KS3 and KS4. To support our students, they are provided with guidance on how to use their study periods effectively by our Sixth Form Team and teachers. The PSHE programme for term 1 incorporates sessions on study skills and the Super Curriculum to support our students. To develop teambuilding skills an educational visit to Go Ape is organised.

The Sixth Form expects all students to perform at their best and to contribute to the Sixth Form community. Students are encouraged to gain leadership experience by joining the prefect team and participate in fundraising activities.

Life in the Sixth Form provides you with more independence than ever before but students should be aware that they need to organise themselves effectively. To help students achieve this they must balance their studies with other elements of their life. The key points below are designed to provide guidance.

Students must complete 6 hours independent study per subject per week- this can include your private study lessons
Part time employment can help develop the skills required for life beyond school but students should not be working more than 8 hours per week.

Private Study Lessons

To support students in reaching their full potential, they have access to 2 supervised study areas. One of these rooms is a silent study room (SFSR). The other room is S5 and this is a collaborative space with refreshments from COSTA. These rooms are equipped with a limited number of PC’s for students’ use; students are encouraged to bring in their personal equipment for their use during these times, although these would be the students’ responsibility.

In these lessons, students are expected to complete the following tasks:

Tasks set by their class teachers
Developing Super Curricular activities
Completing past papers
Undertaking extra reading around all subject areas.
Watching or listening to relevant podcasts, Ted Talks
Completing MOOCs
Keeping a record of any activities for personal statements
Searching for work experience, apprenticeship and university courses

KCC 16+ Travel Saver - Bus Pass Online Application

Travel to Sixth Form

Parking

Regrettably, due to the nature of the site, we are unable to offer on-site parking. There is some parking on the road in front of the school that runs through the Oakwood campus but this is likely to be limited. We therefore ask visitors to plan ahead and arrive early.

Bus

Local bus service stops are located on Queen's Road, London Road (A20) and Tonbridge Road (A26), providing routes to and from Maidstone town centre. The bus stops on Tonbridge Road and London Road are approximately a 12-minute walk away, while the bus stop on Queen's Road is approximately 5-minute walk.

Local bus services are run by Arriva, Nu-Venture and Stagecoach, all of whom have a free app for planning journeys and tracking buses.
Find these in your app store.

KCC 16+ Travel Saver (Bus Pass for students in Year 12 - 13)

KCC provide the 16+ Travel Saver to fulfil their responsibility to support students to continue in further education up to the age of 19.

The 16+ Travel Saver can save up to 50% on the cost of bus travel to and from school and college and is valid at any time of the day, 7 days a week from September until the end of August. There are no restrictions on the number of journeys you can make. (Please see their website for travel restriction information in Medway and on the Kent Borders).

Applications for the academic year 2025-2026 open in June 2025. For full details and to apply visit KCC 16+ Travel Saver.

Medway 16 - 18 Youth Bus Pass

Young people who live in Medway can apply for a Medway Youth Pass. This entitles all young people who live in Medway to pay half the adult fare at all times when travelling on any local bus service, up to the end of the academic year after their 18th birthday.

To qualify, the bus journey must start in Medway and can be to any destination in Medway or Kent (as long as any changes of bus are in Medway). To apply for the Medway Youth Pass, please visit: Medway Youth Pass.

Train

The nearest train station is Maidstone West Station, just 1 mile from our location and approximately 20min walk.
Maidstone town centre is served by 3 southeastern train stations; Maidstone West, Maidstone Barracks and Maidstone East, all of which are within walking distance and with stops for local bus services.

16 - 17 Saver (Rail Card)

16-17 Saver gives 50% off Standard Anytime, Standard Off-Peak, Standard Advance and Season tickets for travel at any time of the day.

For full details and to apply visit 16-17 Saver.