Keep up to date with important announcements from the College.
21/11/23: All tickets for Open Evening on Wednesday 22 November are now “Sold Out” – if we get any cancellations, those tickets will automatically become available. Otherwise, there are plenty of tickets available for the Open Evening on Monday 22 January 2024. Click here for more information.
10/11/23: Academic coaching seminars for Year 12 next week will cover British Values. That follows this week’s seminars that have focussed on knife crime. Meanwhile, Year 13 students are having one-to-ones with their coach to check progress and assist with UCAS applications.
03/11/23: Please note, there are no lessons from Wednesday 22 – Friday 24 November inclusive due to Interview Day, Open Evening and Staff Development. Lessons will resume on Monday 27 November.
27/10/23: Happy Half-Term! We’ve reached the end of the first half term of the 2023/24 academic year. There are no lessons next week – we hope staff and students have an enjoyable week away from campus.
27/10/23: Introducing the new Student Council for 2023-24! Congratulations to all the students who were successful in getting Executive and Ambassador roles on the Council. These students will represent their peers at the College to management and governors. They are your voice!
26/10/23: The first half-term of the 2023/24 academic year comes to a close tomorrow. Half-term is from Monday 30 October – Friday 3 November inclusive. Lessons resume on Monday 6 November.
24/10/23: If you missed out Open Day on Saturday – don’t worry, because tickets are now available for our two Open Evenings in November and January. We will be open from 5.00 – 8.00pm on Wednesday 22 November 2023 and Monday 22 January 2024. Click here to book tickets!
19/10/23: Reminder that in order for curriculum areas to set up for Open Day, we will be suspending last lessons tomorrow (Friday 20 October). As such, Year 12 lessons will finish at 1.50pm, while Year 13 classes end at 2.30pm for that day only.
19/10/23: Open Day on Saturday 21 October is now SOLD OUT. We apologise for anyone who has not been able to book tickets. Until 12.00pm on Friday 20 October, it is possible that a few tickets may become available if there are cancellations. Otherwise, we will be opening up bookings for our Open Evenings on 22 November and 22 January on Monday morning.
13/10/23: Tickets for Open Day on Saturday 21 October are going fast. Availability will depend on cancellations from other families – please keep checking our Open Days page.
05/10/23: Next week in Academic Coaching will switch to 1-to-1 meetings for Year 12 students, while Year 13 coaching seminars will focus on the Prevent strategy, which aims to stop radicalisation.
29/09/23: Next week in Academic Coaching Seminars, Year 12 students will be focussing on Time Management, while Year 13 sessions will cover Relationships.
28/09/23: Many thanks to all the parents of Year 12 students who came to the Parent Information Evenings this week.
21/09/23: Every student has academic coaching sessions each week. There is a different topic each week. This week, Year 12 students have been focussing on ‘Thriving in Post 16’, while Year 13 learners have been participating in sessions about ‘Marketing Yourself’. Next week the focus will be on ‘Revision’ for Year 12 and ‘Budgeting & Managing Finances’ for Year 13.
21/09/23: Fundraising for the College’s Team Gambia volunteer project is going well! Year 13 students Hannah Barr, Alys McLoughlin and Emma Hobbins walked a marathon – 42.6km or 26.47 miles – and raised £1,400 for the Abuko Lower Basic School and Nursery, located near the capital city Banjul in The Gambia. They and other students will be travelling to volunteer at the school in November. If you want to donate to help this school go to their Just Giving page.
20/09/23: Parent Information Evenings for the parents and carers of new Year 12 learners take place on Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 September. Parents are asked to check their email for information of how to book.
05/09/23: We are now taking bookings for the first open day of the year, for those prospective students who are looking for a post-16 place in September 2024. Our Open Day takes place on Saturday 21 October 2023 and we will be open from 9.30am – 3.30pm. All prospective students must be accompanied by a parent or other adult and must book tickets in advance. We are operating a timed entry system (entry every 15 minutes and stay as long as you want) to avoid over-crowding on campus. Get your FREE tickets via Eventbrite.
01/09/23: There is a piece of summer homework for all our courses. New Year 12 students who have changed subjects from what they had originally planned can download the summer homework here.
29/08/23: We look forward to welcoming prospective students into College for their enrolment interviews on Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 August. Only students with offers who have met the entry requirements have been invited to book enrolment appointments and all take place over these two days unless an alternative date has been agreed with the Admissions Office. Late applicants (held on a waiting list) may be contacted in due course if we have places left, but no students without an appointment should attend enrolment. Thank you for your understanding. If you have queries, the fastest way to get a response is by phone on 0121 704 2581, as we are experiencing very high volumes of emails at the moment.
25/08/23: Apologies to all prospective students who experienced difficulties booking their enrolment appointment yesterday. We have identified an alternative process for making the bookings. As such, emails will be sent out in advance of the enrolment days on 30 and 31 August with a personalised link for students to choose their appointment date/time. Please check the email address you have included on your application over the weekend and use that link to book your place. We look forward to seeing all those students who have met the entry requirements next week.
24/08/23: We apologise to any prospective students experiencing delays in booking their enrolment appointment. This is a nationwide problem and not isolated to the College. We are in close communication with the company that provide this service as they work on a fix. Enrolment interviews do not take place until 30 and 31 August, so there is plenty of time to arrange these appointments and no students will be disadvantaged by the current delays. We thank you for your patience while the problem is fixed.
22/08/23: Below is a summary of our 2023 results – well done to all our students on an excellent set of grades!
- 1207 A*/A grades (A level, CACHE and EPQ) & Distinction*/Distinction (BTEC)
- 98.2% pass rate at A level and 99.9% pass rate at BTEC
- 27 courses with 100% pass rate
- 76% A*- C grades at A level and 87% on the EPQ
- 96% high grades in BTEC (Merit and above) and 100% on CACHE
- Outstanding progression to University, Apprenticeships and Employment
- 100+ students have progressed to Oxbridge and Medical degrees in the last 10 years
18/08/23: Congratulations to all our students on an excellent set of A level, BTEC and CACHE Results. Read the news article for more information.
TV cameras from Sky News and ITV Central were in College on Results Day – video clips and photos are below:
17/08/23: A level, BTEC and CACHE Diploma results will be available via Arbor, the Student Portal and emailed to College email accounts at 8.00am. We hope everyone got the grades they were hoping for and congratulate learners on their achievements.
14/08/23: Please note that while results are published on Thursday 17 August, certificates will not be received from exam boards until much later in the year. Certificates for A/AS level, BTEC, CACHE and GCSE qualifications will be available from the College Examinations Office from 1 December 2023. Full information on how to collect certificates can be found on the Exam Service page.
09/08/23: A post-results services is available from our Exams Office from Thursday 17 August. Students can access this service to view a copy of their exam script and/or apply for a review of marking. Details of how to apply are available on the Exam Service page. Please be aware of the strict Awarding Body deadlines.
19/07/23: A letter has gone out to Year 13 leavers, providing information about the post-results service the College offers.
19/07/23: A letter has gone out students progressing from Year 12 into Year 13.
11/07/23: Monday 17 July is the last day of the academic year. The timetable has been altered slightly for this day only, with each lesson shortened to one hour, as follows: Column A 9:00-10:00, Column C 10:00-11:00, Break 11:00-11:30, Column B 11:30-12:30, Column D 12:30-1:30.
03/07/23: On Monday 10 July we are holding a Year 10 Taster Day for learners from Summit Learning Trust secondary schools and students from Hall Green School. To accommodate this, we need to move all our learning for Year 12 students online with work set in advance. Please look out for more information from your teachers and work from home on that day.
23/06/23: Reminder that there are no lessons on Friday 30 June due to a Staff Training Day
21/06/23: Please be aware that there will be no lessons taking place on Thursday 6 or Friday 7 July. This is due to Welcome to College Day taster sessions taking place for prospective students who will be joining Year 12 next September.
08/06/23: Remember, there are no lessons tomorrow. Many staff will be off campus on a training event. This will not impact any examinations taking place. We’ll see students back in lessons on Monday next week.
22/05/23: Advanced warning that there are no lessons on Friday 9 June and Friday 30 June due to Staff Training Days.
22/05/23: We’re in the final week before half-term. There will be no lessons from 29 May – 2 June inclusive. Lessons resume on 5 June 2023.
12/05/23: The cultural diversity of the College has been celebrated during Culture Week this week. The highlight of the week has been the Fashion Show – check out the incredible costumes on show from students this week.
03/05/23: Creative Arts Alumni returned to College before Easter to talk with current learners. The video below shows what they got up to and the fascinating workshops they were able to deliver to current students on our Visual Arts and Performing Arts courses.
27/04/23: Monday 1 May is the May Day Bank Holiday and the College will be closed.
26/04/23: The Learning Resource Centre is operating longer opening hours during exams to give students more time to revise. The revised hours are 8am-5pm on Monday to Thursday and 8am-4.30pm on Fridays.
19/04/23: Huge thank you to everyone who came to our Community Iftar last night. We had a brilliant turnout and not only was it an opportunity for those celebrating Ramadan to break fast, it was also a chance for members of our community of all faiths or no faith at all to come together and get a better awareness of Ramadan.
17/04/23: Welcome back! We hope everyone had a great Easter break. From today, students can take advantage of the brand-new third canopy and food kiosk by the playing fields during a break from lessons.
03/04/23: Countdown to Year 12 Progression Exams – Taking place from 24-28 April, that means these exams are just three weeks away. During these exams, all Year 12 A level and BTEC IT Single Award classes will be cancelled, and students will only be required to come into College for their examinations. Year 12 Criminology, BTEC Sport Single Award, BTEC Health and Social Care Single Award and BTEC Science Single Award classes will take place as normal, as will all BTEC Triple and Double Award classes. Where a Progression Examination clashes with a Double Award BTEC course, Year 12 Criminology, BTEC Sport Single Award, BTEC Health and Social Care Single Award and BTEC Science Single Award, students are expected to attend the progression examination.
31/03/23: Today is the last day of term. Have a great Easter break and come back refreshed for lessons on Monday 17 April. Progression exams for Year 12 start soon after we return, with external exams for Year 13 shortly after that, so we urge learners to spend some time revising too.
30/03/23: Ofqual has now published the Ofqual Student Guide 2023. The guide covers GCSEs, AS, A levels, other general qualifications, and vocational and technical qualifications and explains how grades will be awarded this year. There is also a condensed version available in HTML and PDF format.
26/03/23: The National Express West Midlands bus strike has been called off, as a new pay offer has been accepted by bus drivers and engineers. This means bus services will be resuming and online learning will cease. We look forward to welcoming all students back on campus for face-to-face learning from Monday. With Year 12 Progression Exams and Year 13 A level and BTEC National Exams starting not long after Easter, attendance and commitment are more important than ever.
17/03/23: A National Express West Midlands bus strike will start on Monday 20 March. Some bus routes (including the no. 4 and no. 6 routes) are running a limited service and the National Express West Midlands website as further details. Students should make every effort to get into College as face-to-face learning is the most impactful. For those that cannot, students can access contact with teachers in lesson time on Teams. Please look out for an email to students’ College email address with more information. Attendance will be taken for all students, whether on campus or learning from home.
15/03/23:As part of Young Carers Action Day, please take time to watch this powerful video from Carers Trust Solihull about what it is like to be a young carer.
10/03/23: The College is closed due to the inclement weather. Students should check Teams for work set.
06/03/23: Check out highlights from last week’s very successful Employability Fair for BTEC students and Year 13 employment seekers. Huge thanks to all the employers who attended to man a stand or deliver a talk.
27/02/23: Welcome back! We hope everyone had a great break over half-term. There’s five weeks of learning in this second half of the Spring Term – aim for 100% attendance to maximise your chances of success.
21/02/23: The Spring term resumes on Monday 27 February 2023.
16/02/23: Steven Joesbury, UK Student Recruitment Officer at the University of Leicester gave a presentation to parents/carers about Student Finance at Higher Education. For those that missed it, click the image below to download the presentation.
16/02/23: Learn more about the College’s Spring Talks & Tours event on 2 March and our application deadline at the end of March by reading the Birmingham Live article.
10/02/23: An Employability Fair for Year 12 BTEC Triple students and Year 13 employment seekers takes place on Thursday 2 March 2023 (1.30pm – 3.30pm). This is an opportunity for students to attend talks from employers from a variety of industries. Employers will give guidance on opportunities available and the best study routes. Student will be sent instruction about how to sign up for talks. All Year 12 BTEC Triple students are expected to attend (even if you do not normally have a lesson at that time). Among the talks you can attend are Performance Nutrition talk by BUPA, careers in Law by Gateley, careers in Television from the Producer on BBC Doctors, careers in construction by Tarmac and career opportunities within the NHS. Workpays will also be talking about apprenticeships, while Life Ready will be talking about skills for work, including CV-writing, making applications and how people present at interviews.
09/02/23: There’s an Employer Event taking place on Thursday 2 March at lunchtime in the Sports Hall. All students are invited to attend and it’s an opportunity for all students to speak to employers from a variety of industries. Among the firms attending are Solihull Council, Metro Bank, Ikon Gallery, Hilton, Glenn Howells Architects, Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health Trust, the Armed Forces, Balfour Beatty HS2, Sydney Mitchell, SKANSKA and NHS Birmingham & Solihull.
30/01/23: Notice to applicants: The interview evening on 1 February has been postponed. If you had an interview booked for 1 February and you have not yet rearranged it, please login to your application portal and reschedule.
24/01/23: The University of Leeds is offering a Year 12 Futures programme, offering tasters in a range of subjects. The programmes start in February and March and the deadline to sign up is Sunday 5 February. Options available include:
Creative Arts Futures – https://artsoutreach.leeds.ac.uk/our-activities/online-events/creative-arts-futures
English Futures – https://artsoutreach.leeds.ac.uk/our-activities/online-events/english-futures
History Futures – https://artsoutreach.leeds.ac.uk/our-activities/online-events/history-futures
Music Futures – https://artsoutreach.leeds.ac.uk/our-activities/online-events/music-futures
Psychology Futures – https://www.healthsciences.leeds.ac.uk/student-hub/post-16/psychology-futures
Environment Futures – https://socialsciencesoutreach.leeds.ac.uk/events/environment-futures
Political Futures – https://socialsciencesoutreach.leeds.ac.uk/events/political-futures
20/01/23: Parents and Carers, are you ready for National Apprenticeship Week (NAW)? To get involved in having careers conversations with your child. Simply visit the Talking Futures website to access a parents’ toolkit.
20/01/23: It is National Apprenticeship Week from 6-12 February. See the list of events and links to sign up below:
Monday 6 February – Launch Day – sessions at 9am, 1pm, 4.30pm, 6pm and 7pm
Tuesday 7 February – Meet the Employers – 11am Derby Homes, 3pm Finning CAT, 4pm Unilever, 6pm Coventry Council, 6pm West Midlands Police, 6pm Doc Martens
Wednesday 8 February – Meet the Apprentices – 1pm Fragrance Supply Lead at Boots, 4.30pm Finn CAT Apprentice, 5pm Doc Martens Apprentice, 5.30pm Digital Marketing Apprentice, 6pm Mondelez International Apprentice
Thursday 9 February – T Levels – sessions at 12pm, 1pm and 6pm
Friday 10 February – Celebrations – 2pm Christa Bridges’ journey with PebblePad
Saturday 11 February – Parents/Carers Day – sessions at 9.30am, 10.30am and 11.30am
18/01/23: Mock exams take place from Monday 23 – Friday 27 January and the schedule is as follows:
Monday 23 January
09:00 – Psychology (120 mins)
09:00 – Theatre Studies (180 mins)
09:00 – Physics (120 mins)
13:30 – Law (120 mins)
13:30 – Computing (150 mins)
13:30 – Geography (135 mins)
Tuesday 24 January
09:00 – Sociology (120 mins)
09:00 – Film (120 mins)
09:00 – Music (130 mins)
13:30 – History (105 mins)
13:30 – French (120 mins)
13:30 – Spanish (120 mins)
13:30 – GCSE English (120 mins)
Wednesday 25 January
09:00 – Chemistry (120 mins)
09:00 – Politics (120 mins)
09:00 – Media (150 mins)
09:00 – Art (180 mins)
13:30 – Business (120 mins)
13:30 – Photography (180 mins)
13:30 – Religious Studies (120 mins)
13:30 – Geology (120 mins)
Thursday 26 January
09:00 – Biology (120 mins)
09:00 – Graphics (180 mins)
09:00 – Further Maths (120 mins)
09:00 – Accounting (180 mins)
13:30 – Maths & Further Maths (120 mins)
13:30 – English Language (135 mins)
13:30 – Statistics (120 mins)
Friday 27 January
09:00 – English Literature (110 mins)
09:00 – Physical Education (120 mins)
09:00 – Core Maths L3 (90 mins)
09:00 – GCSE Maths (90 mins)
13:30 – Economics (120 mins)
13:30 – Philosophy (180 mins)
13:30 – German (120 mins)
16/01/23: Team Gambia meetings are taking place on Tuesday 17 January (12.20-12.50pm) and Wednesday 18 January (12.50-1.20pm) in H201. Year 12 learners who are interested in fundraising for an impoverished school in The Gambia and visiting that school later this year are urged to turn up to one of the meetings to learn more.
11/01/23: The Summit Learning Trust are holding a Stargazing event via the OGDEN Trust for learners and their families on Monday 6 February. The presentation starts at 6.15pm and finishes at 7.00pm and explores the search for life in the universe, the James Webb Space Telescope and how astronomers search for new worlds beyond our own. This event is for the whole family and refreshments will be provided. Please wear suitable outdoor clothing and footwear and bring a torch with you if you have one. All learners must be accompanied by an adult. Book your tickets via Eventbrite.
09/01/23: Please note, there are no lessons for any learners on Monday 23 January to allow for an Interview Day and Open Evening to take place. The only learners in College should be those with mock examinations.
06/01/23: Mock examinations take place from Monday 23 January – Tuesday 31 January inclusive. During this period, Year 13 A level learners attend their exams, but have no lessons. This also applies to Year 13 Single BTEC, Criminology and Core Maths lessons. BTEC Double and Triple lessons for Year 13 go ahead as normal. Year 13 learners in pick up programmes should attend their Year 12 classes as normal (unless they have an exam at that time).
03/01/23: Happy New Year! We hope everyone had a great Christmas/New Year break. Reminder that there are no lessons today, as it is a Staff Development Day. Students return to learning on Wednesday 4 January.
15/12/22: The British Sign Language Society have been learning how to wish people a Merry Christmas using the BSL skills they have learned.
14/12/22: Watch highlights from the Christmas Concert below:
13/12/22: If you gave money or food for this year’s A Caring Christmas food bank appeal – thank you! The Bethany Food Bank collected the food yesterday and were immensely grateful for the generosity of staff and learners.
07/12/22: The Autumn term ends at the earlier time of 3.30pm on Friday next week (16 December).
02/12/22: Please note that the Learning Resource Centre and Library will be closed for general use from 10.00am on Tuesday 6 December to the end of Wednesday 7 December to facilitate Criminology Assessments taking place under exam conditions. Thank you for your cooperation and apologies for any inconvenience.
29/11/22: There is a national strike by the National Education Union in sixth form colleges planned for tomorrow (Wednesday 30 November 2022). While inevitably some classes will be disrupted, we do not yet know which ones will be affected. However, the College will remain open and the classes of those teachers not on strike will continue as usual. Student attendance will be monitored in the usual way for these classes. The Refectory, Learning Resource Centre and Common Work Room will be open as usual throughout the day.
21/11/22: Wednesday’s Open Evening at the College is now “Sold Out”. If we get any cancellations, those tickets will automatically become available via Eventbrite, but we are not adding any more tickets for this event, because we believe we are at parking capacity now. Apologies to anyone who has been unable to book tickets for this event. However, there are p0lenty of tickets available for our Open Evening on Monday 23 January 2023. Click here to book tickets.
10/11/22: Exam boards set aside contingency days, which can be used if there is any national or local disruption to summer examinations. These dates this year are the afternoon of 8 June, the afternoon of 15 June and all day on 28 June 2023. Consequently, it is advised that candidates do not plan a holiday or be at any distance from College before 29 June 2023. Thank you for your co-operation.
03/11/22: Next Thursday (10 November) is Year 12 Parents Meeting in the afternoon and evening. This means lessons will finish early at 12.45pm that day.
02/11/22: Want to know why you should choose Solihull Sixth Form College? Here’s why our staff and learners think you should choose us.
31/10/22: Welcome back to staff and learners today following half-term.
21/10/22: Happy Half Term everyone! There are no lessons next week, but we’ll be back in learning on Monday 31 October.
20/10/22: Bookings are now being taken for Open Evenings on Wednesday 23 November and Monday 23 January. Book your place here.
13/10/22: Bookings for Saturday’s Open Day are open until 2.00pm on Friday 14 October. Book for Open Day here.
28/09/22: Twilight Taster sessions are running in several curriculum areas this term. These sessions run after school – usually for an hour – and involve a short taste of what it is like to study the subject. Find more information and book your place here.
28/09/22: Bookings are currently being taken for timed entry to our Open Day on 15 October. Book your place on our Open Days page.
22/09/22: Extra sessions have been added to the Parents’ Information Evenings on Tuesday 27 & Wednesday 28 November because of demand. Please refer to the email sent out or call 0121 704 2581 for more information.
20/09/22: An Eventbrite booking system is in place for Carers of Year 12 learners to book appointments for the Parents’ Information Evenings on Tuesday 27 & Wednesday 28 November. Please refer to the email sent out or call 0121 704 2581 for more information.
14/09/22: Please note, the College will be closed on Monday 19 September for the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Lessons will resume on Tuesday 20 September.
14/09/22: Please note that Enrichments, Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) classes and Supervised Study will begin week starting Monday 19 September.
13/09/22: ParentPay is the system we use for students/parents to pay for services at College (e.g. locker keys, fieldtrips, etc). Login details will shortly be enabled and sent out to parents. In the meantime, many services, including replacement ID cards, car park passes and items from the Refectory – can be paid by card payments – see staff in Student Reception. Deposits for lockers are only payable via ParentPay, so please wait for the email to get set up before applying for this.
12/09/22: Timetables are now being uploaded onto Arbor. If tomorrow morning you think there is a mistake or something missing from your timetable a Help Desk will be open from 8.30am in the Refectory.
08/09/22: We express our deepest sympathies for the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Her dedication to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and to our Commonwealth is unparalleled, and we thank her for her service.
06/09/22: Calling all Year 11 students with an interest in Performing Arts. If you are considering studying Music or Drama at A level, come along to a twilight taster session on Monday 3 October at 5.00pm to find out more! Book your place via Eventbrite.
06/09/22: Welcome back to all our Year 13 students today. A special one-day only timetable is in place for today and will see students attend one lesson for each of their subjects. Independent study will be set for the rest of the week while we complete Year 12 Induction. Timetables for the rest of the year will be published on Arbor on Sunday 11 September and Year 13 learning resumes on Tuesday 13 September.