Welcome to Sixth Form

The Sixth Form is an exciting time of new responsibilities and increased freedom, marking the transition between school and university. Every year Birkdale welcomes a large number of students from other schools. The Sixth Form is co-educational, providing a natural progression to university.

Life in the Sixth Form is bursting with opportunity. Around 200 students make it large enough to offer choice and variety but small enough for everyone to know each other within a supportive community.

A team of experienced Sixth Form tutors is led by Helen Parsons, Director of Sixth Form. She works with two Heads of Year, Polly Pickford and Matthew Jones, providing strong pastoral care to support students in making informed decisions about courses, careers and the complexities of UCAS applications.

Birkdale consistently achieves outstanding academic results. Typically Birkdale achieves 100% pass rate at A level. Nearly all students go on to leading universities.

Helen Parsons – Director of Sixth Form

Settling In

Many of our Sixth Form students have valued the chance to experience the Birkdale atmosphere before making their decision to study here on the Taster Day in the Easter Term. The Induction Course, held at the end of the Summer Term after GCSEs are completed, is another key opportunity to sample life in Birkdale Sixth Form. Students are able to explore A level courses, while getting to know the others in the year group. All of this makes it much easier to settle down quickly and make the most of Sixth Form life on arrival in September.

One of the highlights of the first term in the Lower Sixth is the two-day residential personal development course at the Edale Activity Centre. The chance to work together both as team members and leaders outside the confines of the school day helps the Sixth Form develop a strong sense of unity.

We would love to meet you in person and show you what is special about Birkdale. We hope the information on our website gives you a flavour of the sense of community, range of activities and facilities that are available to our Sixth Formers.

Please read on and feel free to visit one of our Open Evenings or arrange an individual tour, where you can see for yourself what we have to offer.