VLE
In addition to providing students with thorough preparation for Pearson Edexcel AS and A2 unit examinations, the Sixth Form at The British School of Kuwait aims to bridge the gap between the levels of academic and social maturity of students finishing Year 11 and the levels required by top universities worldwide.
This is achieved by offering a breadth of experience that goes far beyond the classroom. Students' timetables are constructed in such a way that they spend a fair proportion of their time in the Sixth Form Centre, a self-contained area of the school containing private work areas, a common room, a careers and university library and their own kitchen. The Sixth Form is a community of senior students, working together towards common ends.
In Kuwait, compulsory education ends after Year 11. Kuwaiti students in private schools following the National Curriculum of England sit GCSE/IGCSE examinations towards the end of Year 11, and some universities in Kuwait and abroad admit students to undergraduate courses on the basis of those results.
However, most quality universities cannot admit students directly from Year 11 because the first year of their undergraduate programmes start at a significantly higher academic level. Such universities, when admitting students from the British education system, will require them to have completed additional Sixth Form qualifications before they can be admitted. Sixth Form, so-called because it historically followed the fifth year of secondary level education, is the collective term for Year 12 (the Lower Sixth) and Year 13 (the Upper Sixth).
In Year 12, students typically study four Advanced Subsidiary (AS Level) subjects, sitting ‘unit examinations’ in January and May/June. In Year 13, students typically take three of their AS Level subjects forward to a higher level, known as ‘A2’. Some students also broaden their studies by taking an additional AS Level subject in Year 13. Unit examinations in Year 13 are again held in two sessions: January and May/June.
Final examination results are released in August. Compatible AS units may be combined (a process known as cashing in) to complete certifiable AS Level qualifications. Compatible AS plus A2 units may be cashed in to complete certifiable Advanced Level (A Level) qualifications.
Students may graduate either from Year 12 with AS Levels or may continue to Year 13 and gain full A Level qualifications, the results of which will determine the types of universities to which they may be able to enter.
A Level examinations are administered through a series of examination boards. There are currently six such boards: AQA, CCEA, CIE, Pearson Edexcel, OCR and WJEC. Some of these boards also offer AS/A Level qualifications to international students. The British School of Kuwait offers Pearson Edexcel AS and A Level qualifications.
Subject to availability, option block arrangement and uptake, the following AS and A2 subjects may be offered:
The AS Level option blocks are optimised each year to minimise clashes for Year 11 BSK students who are intending to enter the Sixth Form and who are likely to meet the entry requirements.
Each year, we make every effort to carry the AS option blocks forward to create the following year's A2 blocks, in order that students who start AS Level courses can, if they meet the entrance requirements for Year 13, continue to complete full A Levels in those subjects.
A full-time Sixth Form Coordinator (SFC) leads the Sixth Form students. Her office is within the Sixth Form Centre and her role includes the team-building required to enable the Sixth Formers to develop real independence.
As well as providing career, academic and pastoral guidance, the SFC assists students through the sometimes tortuous process of university selection and application: UCAS for the UK, Common Application for the USA, and other combined and individual application systems worldwide. BSK hosts around fifteen university visits annually – ranging from individual visits by Kuwait and GCC universities through to full-scale university fairs of 25 or 30 UK, US or Canadian university representatives
The SFC can also advise students on TOEFL, IELTS, SAT, BMAT, UKCAT, LNAT, ELAT, TSA and other additional certifications which may be required for university entrance. The SFC endeavours to prepare students for university interviews and in some cases can even assist with suitable accommodation and support when students travel overseas for interview.
To better prepare students for the rigours of university life and the ability to make wise decisions without their parents’ direct involvement, Sixth Form students at BSK opt into one or more student committees, membership of which helps to develop the required independence, planning skills and respectful interpersonal approaches. These include:
In addition, BSK offers an extensive range of afterschool programmes, including:
Recent students have been supported to establish an environmental charity, exhibit and sell their artwork, promote youth awareness programmes in Kuwait, write articles and have them published in the Kuwait press, give media interviews on a range of topics, write press releases, give presentations and attend international conferences – among others. Sixth Formers are encouraged to find and pursue their own interests, especially when others may also benefit.
Sixth Form students submit written applications and are interviewed in the September of each year. Selected Year 13 students are appointed as Senior Prefects. Their role is to train, monitor and appraise other Prefects in the execution of their duties, and also to represent the School by assisting at events.
It is from the body of Senior Prefects that the Head Boy and Head Girl, together with their Deputies, are appointed. These four senior students are expected to generate realistic and workable ideas to implement and refine the workings of the Prefect system across the school.
All BSK students belong to one of four Houses: England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales. The House system provides opportunities for students to develop personality, morality, creativity, knowledge and skills. Students' identification with a House and participation in House activities contribute to excellence in academic, social, sporting and cultural fields, inculcating fair play, teamwork, citizenship, initiative, perseverance, resilience and self-discipline.
Senior students from Year 12 are appointed each year as House Captains. Their role is to bond, motivate and organise the activities of students within their House. This is a significant leadership role and there is strong competition to become a House Captain.
A Sixth Form education prepares students thoroughly for the academic and social demands of even the most prestigious universities worldwide. The most popular destination for BSK's Sixth Form graduates is the UK, with Canada second, followed by the USA and then Australia. Western universities with satellite operations in GCC countries are also gaining in popularity.
Sixth Form students have lower drop-out rates and can complete their degrees to a higher level, within shorter periods of time than can students who enter university courses when younger, from a lower level of education and without having benefited from the opportunities to gain significant leadership experience.
Ms Emma BowieSixth Form CoordinatorEmail: emb@bsk.edu.kw