Why Wycombe High

Dear Student

The Sixth Form experience is the pinnacle of your time in school. It is the opportunity to define the individual you hope to become in the future and to further develop the foundations on which your aspirations are built. To succeed in an increasingly competitive and complex world it is important that you are exposed to a range of opportunities both academic and personal to enable them you become the very best version of yourself.

We are proud to provide a culture of academic excellence, a broad and all-round experience that will equip you with independence and the awareness and empathy to make life-long friendships and a bold and inspiring future.

We believe that to truly thrive Sixth Formers need to be able to:

• Learn and mature in a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment.
• Cultivate and deepen their knowledge in both learning and life.
• Seek out challenge and embody excellence at every level.
• Discover individuality, complexity and nuance and express these with empathy and understanding.
• Be empowered and find the voices that will benefit themselves and others to build a positive society for all.

At Wycombe High School these principles underpin all aspects of what we offer.

Our students leave us with the desire and skills to think knowledgeably and creatively, to be brave and take risks, have an open mind, and to reflect and show resilience in their learning and everyday life. Our emphasis is on discovery; students are guided to unearth these qualities across the curriculum and to recognise the importance of individuality, choice, and aspiration such that they can make their own mark on the world.

Each year we welcome students into Year 12 to join our existing cohort of students who are in their final stages of the seven-year academic journey. We recognise the challenges of transition, and work closely with students, and their parents throughout the process to ensure students are both happy and settled. These students are a rich and valued group who enhance the experience of the entire cohort, and we are immensely proud of how quickly they feel they belong and how much they thrive.

Our Sixth Form community is second to none. Students not only engage and learn in a vibrant and inclusive setting, but they are also role models and ambassadors for the school’s core values. Each is an inspiration to those around them sharing a love of learning, limitless ambition, generous spirit, insatiable curiosity, and infectious joy at every opportunity.

Infectious Joy

Limitless Ambition

Insatiable Curiosity

Generous Spirit

WE BELIEVE OUR ROLE AS EDUCATORS IN SIXTH FORM IS TO ENABLE AND EMPOWER; 
TO RECOGNISE TALENT AND POTENTIAL; 
TO FOSTER INDEPENDENCE AND GROWTH; 
AND TO INSPIRE SUCCESS.

Our students thrive in the company of our staff who offer a holistic and stimulating experience in the classroom and beyond. The wealth and depth of extracurricular opportunities is testament to this, our students blossom into dedicated, informed individuals who cherish the qualities of honesty, wisdom, and resilience.

At Wycombe High we are proud of the breadth of opportunity and emphasis on the choice we offer. Students thrive in STEM subjects and confidently pursue their passions in this area into degree subjects in Medicine, Computing, Engineering, Science and Maths.

Equally the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences permeate many of the future plans of our cohort. This diversity of thought and endeavour is a strength and trademark of the Wycombe High School Sixth Former. Our timetable allows students to select and pursue a bespoke pathway whilst relishing in a collection of complimentary and contrasting opportunities which makes them both unique and enlightened.

We recognise that the world is an increasingly complex place for young people today. The challenges are vast and varied; often shifting at speed making them even more difficult to navigate.

We focus our personal development curriculum on developing skills that will enable you to live independently and happily, long into the future, informed, secure, and open minded. Personal Development is delivered through PHSEE, Physical Recreation and our pioneering Futures Programme which this year has embraced collaborative learning through a programme of electives with John Hampden Grammar School. You will have the opportunity to create an individualised programme of study every Wednesday afternoon which will play to your strengths, your interests  and your growing understanding of the world around you.

We prepare students for their future endeavours by offering the best of both worlds: the enriching experience of mixed activities and the focused benefits of a single-sex education.

In summary, Wycombe High School Sixth Form provides a culture and environment where you will have every opportunity to discover who you are as a learner and individual; to accept and rise to challenges that are both familiar and new; to find a place where you truly belong and are encouraged to flourish. We develop the potential of every student in our care and prepare them for their next adventure beyond school. Using a broad and balanced curriculum offer and innovative approach which nurtures and celebrates diversity of thought and experience we develop independence, resilience and determination so creating the leaders, scientists, engineers, writers, artists, and businesswomen of the future.

We very much look forward to taking you with us on this exciting journey in the Sixth Form at Wycombe High School.

Mrs Ellis
Assistant Headteacher and Head of Sixth Form