Sixth Form College

Welcome

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Post-16 education is an exciting, yet challenging ‘next step’ prior to moving into the increasingly competitive employment market, securing a place at university or, as is increasingly the case, successfully progressing onto an apprenticeship pathway.

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Plume College remains a very popular post-16 choice where year in, year out, our students achieve excellent results whilst growing as individuals at the same time. We have absolute confidence that this will only continue moving forward.

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Plume College is highly successful and continues to develop and evolve across all key areas whilst remaining as one of the largest school-based sixth forms in Essex.  We offer a wide range of courses and excellent opportunities for students to further their studies in a well-supported, nurturing, collaborative yet expectant environment.  

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Purpose built facilities serve the College well with students having their own coffee shop, a number of common rooms and a large study room equipped with modern computers and internet access. College students also have access to their own fully equipped Learning and Information Centre (LAIC).

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An experienced team of tutors and a fully committed team of specialist College staff are also available to provide Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) to our sixth form students to help them with their studies, whilst also preparing them for Higher Education and employment. Our detailed induction programme also helps all our students to quickly settle into both the academic as well as the social life of the College.

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Those who join the College enjoy the greater freedom and the responsibility of working as a post-16 student whilst at the same time, being supported by staff who have known the majority of them for many years. However, in recent years, we have welcomed many students from other schools and these students have also settled in quickly whilst enjoying notable success at the same time. For example, las of our Deputy Head Girls joined the College from another Essex school, whilst my own daughter also joined as an external student in September 2018 and flourished, as expected, throughout her two-year programme in a whole variety of ways, especially from an academic perspective.

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I hope you will take the opportunities provided to you to explore the range of courses that we have on offer and also hope we will be welcoming you into Plume College, and the Plume Family, in September 2023.

 

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Sixth Form College Introduction

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Plume College provides post-16 education to the vast majority of students who attend the Plume from Years 7-11, and an increasing proportion of students each year join us from other local secondary schools.

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The College has seen steadily growing numbers in recent years, and this brings great advantages in terms of the range of curriculum opportunities that we can offer – currently over 37 different courses, and each year this develops and expands further.

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While Plume College is based on the Fambridge Road site, College students have the benefit of separate College areas for 6th Form students only, such as the Common Room with its own food outlet, the College Library, the College ICT room and Level One, which is a combined leisure and study area. Most College lessons take place in the main academy building, but many subjects have dedicated 6th Form teaching areas. The College day runs from 8.25am – 4.10pm, as many subjects now provide Period 6 lessons in order for our curriculum offer to be as flexible as possible.

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The College has a dedicated leadership and support staff team, to provide the support and challenge needed for College students to be successful. Students are assigned a Tutor Group on entry to the College. Students meet as a group with their Tutor on a weekly basis and follow the comprehensive College tutorial programme.  Tutors will use one-to-one mentoring to track and support College students' academic progress and welfare.

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There are many opportunities for College students to become involved in student leadership – for example as Head Boy and Girl; as part of the College Student Leadership Team; as Learning Mentors for younger students and in leading and managing charity events, enrichment and social events. There are also a wide variety of sporting opportunities, not least the Football College team.

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The College has the advantage of providing the familiarity and stability of the academy environment, alongside the greater flexibility and responsibility of being a 6th Form student, and provides an excellent gateway onto university, further education, employment and apprenticeships.