Sixth Form Subject Options &

Entry Requirements

Haberdashers’ Hatcham College is an all-through, inner-city state school with a comprehensive intake that fully serves its local community. The overall student roll is 1820 students, split across three sites, with 320 in the sixth form. The numbers of Pupil Premium, EAL and Free School Meals pupils are above the national average, and at key stage 5 a significant number meet the criteria for bursary. 

Sixth Form General Entry Requirements

Haberdashers' Hatcham College Sixth Form operates fair and transparent entry requirements that match individual student attainment with suitable course choices. Our entry requirements are devised based on the statistical probabilities of students being able to access courses of study and succeed in them, as demonstrated by their level of achievement in their GCSEs. 

Sixth Form Subject Specific Entry Requirements

In addition to meeting the general entry requirements for the chosen pathway of study, students must meet the specific entry requirements for the chosen subject of study as listed below.

A-Level Subjects

 Vocational Subjects

The subjects are reliant on sufficient numbers wishing to take the course and therefore may change depending on demand.

Sixth Form Courses Booklet 2024-25

Subject Combinations

Sixth Form subjects are distributed between four option blocks. Timetables are created from these blocks, so students are only able to choose one subject from each block when they make their subject choices. It is not possible to choose more than one subject from an individual option block. Larger departments and larger Sixth Form subjects are represented in more than one block, and smaller subjects that are popular combinations are spread between blocks, to ensure the majority of students are able to make subject choices that reflect their interests.

We are developing our offer of vocational courses to ensure that we continue to offer courses that serve young people from our local community. Whilst we remain an academic provider, principally, we are continually reviewing our curriculum offer and staff expertise to assess whether wider course options are possible and to give more young people the opportunity to receive a Haberdashers' education.

Sixth Form Curriculum

Hatcham College primarily offers an academic pathway to post-16 students. Students follow syllabi in subjects from the main UK exam boards AQA, OCR, and Edexcel. Students sit linear A-level exams in their subjects; we don’t currently enter them for AS exams.

Students can choose from 23 academic subjects and 6 vocational courses, as well as having additional options in community languages, for example in the last three years students have sat A-levels in Turkish, Polish, Italian, Russian, Dutch and Mandarin.

The majority of students study three A-levels, these three subjects are chosen when students sign up and are adhered to for the full two-year course. Some students are allowed to study four A-levels, if they wish, provided that they can demonstrate that they would be able to manage the workload required by this pathway. This is normally demonstrated by  attaining very strong grades in the majority of subjects at GCSE. In many cases Further Maths is the fourth subject, often for students who have a clear passion for maths and/or physics and a clear vision for their undergraduate pathway. We currently offer four vocational courses, as stated above.

Work Experience, Volunteering and Experiential Learning are encouraged as part of the Sixth Form Curriculum. We ask students to do work experience in any of the holidays in the Year 12 academic year. 

Attending University Open Days and Taster Activities is another great way for students to build their professional portfolio. Taster courses are designed to let students’ experience academic and social life on campus, the decisions students make in Year 12 can have a major impact on both their course and university options. Attending a University Taster Activity can broaden students’ horizons and help students make an informed decision about their future. University Taster sessions will provide an overview of higher education, the application process and next steps. In addition, students will have the opportunity to meet current undergraduates, Admissions Tutors and postgraduate subject specialists. Understandably, all University Open Days and Taster Courses are currently run virtually, however, there is no slowing of their provision or shortage of opportunities for students to access authentic university experiences, online. 

Academic Tutoring

At Hatcham College, we have a dedicated Academic Tutor. She is available to work with students across a range of written subjects to support with revision techniques, essay writing skills and general academic support. She works with students on a one-to-one basis as well as small groups. Any students is welcome to email her directly to book in a session.

Oxbridge Tutoring

At Hatcham College, as a new addition this year, we have an Oxbridge Tutor who supports students who have an interest in applying to either Oxbridge or Cambridge. She runs an Oxbridge Access group, supporting students throughout the application and interview process, as well as organising visits to Oxbridge. Students find her support invaluable, particularly when it comes to advice about the kind of super-curricular learning will support them in their applications. The support offered is bespoke to the individual student and the subject they are applying for.

University and Careers Guidance

The UCAS application process currently begins in March of Year 12, however, this process is being redesigned to begin earlier in Year 12, to encourage more students to attend University open days and research courses earlier on in Year 12, to ensure that they complete their applications as early as possible.

All students meet with our Qualified Career Guidance Practitioner who has 1-1 meetings with them to support them in realising and developing their pathway. Roughly 90% of our students apply for undergraduate courses via UCAS, those that don’t are supported in alternative pathways for example in the last three years students have taken varied, interesting and exciting apprenticeship courses at TfL, the BBC and Accenture. Some students choose a ‘gap year’, and the majority of these students return to us to apply for undergraduate courses via UCAS. We have had 0% NEETs for the last 8 years.

If you have any queries regarding Hatcham Sixth Form, please email us hatchamcollege@habstrustsouth.org.uk