In addition to studying A Levels you have the opportunity to undertake various enrichment opportunities. These include voluntary work within the school and local community, leadership programmes and workshops, attendance at university lectures, running subject specific societies/ charity committee, online learning to gain university standard modules and work placements (this includes work experience abroad; for example, medical placements in India).

Becoming an independent learner is key to academic success in the Sixth Form. The expectation is that you will research and read additional material in order to enhance your learning in lessons. We will support you by providing guidance through study skills sessions as well as allocate you designated quiet study time.

Applications to join the Sixth Form at Southend High School for Boys are welcomed, from girls and boys, during the Autumn Term 2024.  If you wish to apply, please complete the application form on the link at the top of this page. Applications will close on Monday 2nd December 2024. We will require from you information on your likely progress and your predicted grades.  If you are predicted an appropriate level of achievement at GCSE, and there is space in the subjects you wish to study, we will normally offer you a place.  Please note that once your application is submitted, we will contact your school to request confirmation of your predicted grades. 

We welcome prospective applicants to visit the school each year.  This year, our open evening is on Thursday 7th November 2024; classrooms will be open between 17:30 and 19:30 pm.   There will be talks from the Headteacher and Head of Sixth Form in the Main Hall at 17:15, 18:15 and 19:30.  If you have any specific questions, please do email us on enquiries@shsb.org.uk. 

Members of our own Year 11 who wish to continue into the Sixth Form will receive advice from tutors, careers staff and their Year Leader during the year, as well as hearing talks by subject teachers. You will be asked for your A Level subject preferences during the Autumn Term.

Induction day for external applicants is on Thursday 3rd July 2025. Students will not be required to wear school uniform on this day, however we do ask that you wear smart professional clothing (no jeans, leggings or jogging bottoms). 

Please come to the main school entrance at 8.15am, where you will be met and taken to the Hall for a short briefing before sample lessons begin.  Sample lessons will continue until lunchtime at 1.00 pm when there will be an opportunity to visit stalls from current clubs and societies and socialise with other students who will also be starting in September. You are welcome to bring a packed lunch or will be able to buy lunch from the Sixth Form canteen.  

Students attending the AS PE lessons should note that they will need to bring the following sport clothing: White/black sports top, black shorts/leggings trainer socks, trainers.

After lunch, at 1.30 pm, students will be free to leave; for all those choosing Further Mathematics as an AS Level, there will be an aptitude test at 2.30 pm for one hour.  A separate letter detailing the arrangements will be sent to those concerned.

If you are thinking of joining the Sixth Form you should use all possible means to ensure that you choose the right courses and know just what you are taking on. You should look not only at books, pamphlets and computer programmes, but talk to staff, both here in Southend High School for Boys and, in the case of newcomers, in your own schools as well. Above all, study the Sixth Form Prospectus carefully.

Sixth Form Prospectus (click here)

Examine the content and requirements of the subjects, then follow up your reading by discussions with subject teachers, tutors and, where possible, sixth-formers themselves. The more research you do, the clearer your way ahead becomes and the more likely it is that your Sixth-Form career will be a successful one.

These are the subjects the school is offering at GCE A Level during 2025-2027:

• Art & Design
• Biology
• Business 
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Design & Technology (Product Design)
• Drama & Theatre Studies
• Economics
• English Language & Literature
• English Literature
• French
• Geography
• German
• History
• Mathematics 
• Further Mathematics
• Music
• Music Technology
• Physical Education
• Physics
• Politics
• Psychology
• Religious Studies
• Spanish

Please note: it is not possible to guarantee that a particular subject will run. Occasionally, through lack of demand or staffing difficulties, we are obliged to cancel a subject in a particular year. If this proves likely for next year, students affected will be informed at the earliest opportunity.

The choice of A Level subjects is a personal one and should be based on

• your likely ability to succeed in the subject;
• your interest in the subject content;
• the demands of an intended career or degree course.

You must choose four A Levels. At the end of Year 12, you may drop one of the four subjects you have chosen but you do not have to.

GCSE GRADES – MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR ENTRY TO THE SIXTH FORM

Minimum entry criteria for admission to the Sixth Form at SHSB are as follows:

• Applicants will need to accrue at least 52 points from their 8 best GCSE grades (where numerical grades are scored at face value).  Grades below 6 do not contribute to this points score.  Short course GCSEs may be included within this calculation.
• Applicants must achieve at least GCSE Grade 5 in English and Mathematics.
• Applicants must achieve at least GCSE Grade 6 in subjects to be taken at A Level (or, in the case of new subjects, in related subject areas).

Please note:

• GCSE Grade 7 is a course requirement for A Level Maths, Chemistry, Physics and Biology.
• We do not accept vocational qualifications such as BTECs.

Those who wish to study Further Maths at A Level must achieve Grade 8 or above in GCSE Mathematics and will have to meet the minimum requirement in an entry test sat on Induction Day.

Attainment of our minimum threshold allows applicants to be considered for admission to the Sixth Form. Constraints on the size of the Sixth Form means that this alone does not guarantee admission.

Students should only consider joining the Sixth Form at SHSB if they are likely to cope with the rigorous demands of A Level study. Experience has taught us that students who fall below these realistic entry thresholds do not thrive in our academically challenging environment. SHSB is a grammar school with a traditional curriculum, and our approaches to teaching and learning are geared towards preparing students for entry into higher education.

Some subjects at this level will be new to most students. Anyone wishing to select one of these subjects will be expected to achieve Grade 6 or above in a closely related area at GCSE, e.g. English (for Drama & Theatre Studies / Politics), Music (for Music Technology) or Mathematics (for Computer Studies / Psychology).

Less academic students must not choose new subjects on the grounds that these are something they have 'not yet failed at'! If you have difficulty choosing at least two of your four subjects from among those you already study, this may be a sign that A Level at SHSB is not the best choice for you. You should then be prepared to look elsewhere and enrol for a more vocational course of study.

Students must demonstrate a consistently high level of commitment to each of their courses throughout the Sixth Form. Only the Sixth Form Year Leaders may give permission to drop any subject, and the request may be refused. Experience has shown that little or no improvement comes to those who drop a subject; it is more likely that they would have been better fitted to a different type of course.

Admission to the Sixth Form is for two years of study. We expect students to exceed a minimum standard at the end of Year 12 to continue with the same course into Year 13. It is unrealistic to imagine you will cope with the Year 13 if you are unable to achieve this satisfactory level in Year 12. Students are expected to study at least three subjects to A Level with many continuing with four.

Every effort should be made to find out as much as possible about each subject before entering Year 12 in order to avoid the need to make changes. There will be an Induction Course on 3^rd July 2025 at which prospective Sixth Formers may sample lessons in the subjects they wish to study. Every student who wishes to join the Sixth Form is expected to attend the Induction Course. If you have a good reason for non-attendance, you must notify us in advance.

If any subject teaching group is full, it will not be possible to join it after the start of Year 12 unless a place becomes vacant. Therefore it is important to be sure of your choice of subjects as early as possible.

Certain subjects fill all their places more quickly than others, but those applying early can be relatively confident that places will be available. On the other hand, if you delay your application you may find yourself placed on a waiting list.

The move into the Sixth Form is a decision that needs to be taken very carefully, after a lot of thought and discussion. If you wish to study A Levels at SHSB you should find out as much detail as possible about the nature of your specific subject courses, the life of a Sixth-Former and the school's expectations of you.