Hanley Castle High School

We are incredibly proud of our Sixth Form at Hanley Castle High School, at its heart are the most amazing students that you could wish to support and some of the most amazing teachers who love what they do.

As a Sixth Form team we do not have a very complicated philosophy in terms of what we believe makes the best pastoral and academic care and our approach is generally to keep things as straight forward as possible. Our priorities are simply these: high standards, the widest possible range of high quality experiences for all students, early identification and support of academic and pastoral issues and excellent communication with parents and carers. With a clear focus on lots of hard work, these priorities are eminently achievable and will deliver what we think most students and their parents want – safe, happy young adults who will leave Sixth Form with a plan for their future, an understanding of how to be successful and be well equipped to cope with the world outside of school.

We pride ourselves on the fact that Hanley Castle High School Sixth form is an inclusive sixth form where bespoke pathways for all students combined with the extra-curricular and super curricular opportunities available allow our young adults to achieve to their individual potential and beyond.

Students are challenged to discover new interests and passions, inside and outside of lessons, as well as keeping up with the things that they already know and love.

We consider all students as new to Year 12, whether coming to Hanley Castle from another school or a current pupil, they are given a daily invitation to join in, work hard and enjoy an atmosphere designed for young adults of the 21st century. We are a sixth form that values the diversity that external applicants bring, they are all welcomed into the Hanley Spirit.

Students receive all of the support that they require, they are all helped to develop a goal and a plan to achieve that goal. We challenge them to leave their sixth form in a better place than when they arrived.

There are no surprises for our sixth form students, we will always work with them to help them understand their strengths and weaknesses, we support them to develop both. Staff know all students as individuals and strive each day to provide opportunities to be the best that they can be.

Sixth form is led by a ‘nothing beats hard work’ ethos, where success is celebrated, and underperformance is challenged.

Our students leave with a strong moral conscience, they have the essential knowledge to be educated citizens, they are introduced to the best that has been thought and said, they have an appreciation of human creativity and achievement allowing them to understand the world around them and know how to play their role in making society a better place.

This can all be summarised by this: We want students to be the best they can be and love doing it.

We look forward to welcoming you to our Sixth Form in the near future so that you can be the best you can be and have two of the best years of your life.

Sam Cook, Head of Sixth Form