Hills Road Sixth Form College

Make a list of your current GCSE subjects - highlight the subjects you feel you are good at and enjoy; this should give you a shortlist of A level subjects to consider. There may also be subjects that you haven't had the opportunity to study before, that you'd like to explore at A level. You might like to use the subject pages on the Hills Road website to find in-depth course information and watch the subject videos. You can also talk to current A level students, your parent or carer, teachers and your school careers adviser for advice; attend any relevant assemblies, talks, workshops or activities that your current school offers. Finally: what would you like to do after sixth form? At this stage, this may be just an idea, or it could be a fully formed plan. Whichever applies to you, make sure you take it into account when choosing your A level subjects. Use online resources such as Informed Choices or UCAS to research how A level subjects can lead to different pathways, including university, apprenticeships or the world of work.

Applications usually close in early January for that year's September intake – see the Hills Road website for this year’s specific closing dates. Note that the date differs depending on whether your current school is within the Cambridge Area Partnership school. You are welcome to apply from October the previous year; again, you may like to check the Hills website for your intake's specific dates.

You'll write a personal statement and submit your application, and your school's referee (someone who confirms your information/reference details) will put together the second, including a reference and your predicted GCSE results. If you are a CAP school student, your school will then submit the application on your behalf. If not, you apply directly to Hills Road and we then contact your school's referee.

If you are qualified for the A level subjects you wish to study, you will be invited to a Guidance Meeting. Equally, if our team identifies that you may be able to qualify for a place by slightly modifying your course choices we will let you know if this is the case and will invite you to a guidance meeting. You need to be qualified for at least three A levels , but we recommend that you include five in your application. Guidance Meetings are not interviews, and we don't make offers at the meeting, it's simply to get to know you a bit better and put a face to a name.

After your guidance meeting, we will ask you to confirm the A levels that you would like to study in preference order. If you want to change your subjects at this stage, don’t worry, you can, as long as you are qualified for your chosen courses.

Offers will usually be emailed to applicants by the end of March. Check the Hills Road website for the specific dates for your intended intake year.

The Hills Road website is a great place to start. Also, if you've been offered a place at the College, throughout the summer term months you will receive email bulletins with helpful information: things like starting life as a student at Hills Road, including bursary applications, how to travel here, and what equipment you’ll need.

Yes, we host introductory student experience days in the summer (usually early July). They are for the incoming would-be Year 12s and are known as Welcome to Hills days. Check the Hills Road website for the specific dates for your academic year! You'll experience life as a Hills Road student and it is an important step in your journey to starting Year 12, so it is strongly advised you keep the dates available.

Congratulations! When you’ve received your GCSE results, you’ll enrol online via our Student Dashboard. You will be sent all the information you need when the time comes.

Each subject has its own guideline entry requirements; visit our website and navigate to the specific subject to find out more. It is important to note that entry requirements to Hills Road are different to other sixth form centres. We don’t ask for a set group of GCSE grades. Instead, each A level requests a particular Admissions Score and minimum GCSE grade in one or more associated subject. Most of our A levels require a GCSE grade 6, and some have alternative routes, including Drama, Dance, Art, Music and languages. The Admissions Score is created by adding up the following GCSE grades: English Language x 2, Mathematics x 2 and the next best six grades. You can use the Admissions Score Calculator on our website to check yours.