We have a thriving and well respected Sixth Form of over 150 students with a traditional ethos of student support and an excellent academic reputation.

As well as those who took their GCSEs with us, students join us from Exeter and across  Devon who are attracted by the range of academic courses that we offer, the specialist teaching and the very personal support they receive. Our students also have access to a very stretching, structured study programme, similar to the International Baccalaureate, that includes opportunities for creativity, sporting and voluntary activities and the Extended Project Qualification. Set within the historic College House, separate from the main body of the school, the Sixth Form is a learning environment that fosters and encourages our students to become creative and technical intellectuals equipped with the skills needed to thrive at undergraduate level and employment. Students can loan laptops from our well stocked library and use them wirelessly anywhere in College House – even in the College Café. We offer over thirty A Level subjects, in addition to GCSE retakes in English and Maths.

The Sixth Form has a proven track record of successful applications to all sectors of higher education - around 75% of our students take up university places each year with many progressing to Russell Group universities and competitive courses such as Medicine, Veterinary Science and Law. Our ethos of excellence also extends to the Arts, Humanities and Sports Sciences with sixth formers going on to study at degree level in large numbers, in all of these disciplines.

Students who achieve highly in their GCSEs are encouraged to apply to join our Aspire Scholars Programme, which supports them to aim for the very top universities and professions. Students are given the opportunity to meet with other like-minded sixth formers, attend summer schools and lectures from visiting speakers as well as being coached for interviews for university and internships.

The Sixth Form at QE centres around our Diploma Award, with students taking programmes of study based around A-levels, BTEC vocational courses and GCSE retakes. These are complemented with enrichment activities, careers guidance and work experience. We aim, through this approach, to provide all students with a balanced and broad based Sixth Form programme to prepare them as fully as possible for life after school.

One of the strengths of QE's Sixth Form is its tutorial group system. On entry, a student is placed into a tutorial group in which he/she remains throughout their time here, usually with the same Mentor. This enables them to develop friendships with other students and have the continuity of regular contact with a member of staff who will be supportive and helpful in both academic and personal matters. Students register with their Mentor twice a week and have regular discussions concerning their progress and their plans for the next steps, whether those are academic or employment related. We also have a structured programme of monitoring students’ progress, involving regular feedback from subject staff and one-to-one mentoring sessions.

Our recent Ofsted report was full of positive praise for the Sixth Form, commenting that 'Students make strong progress on academic programmes. The quality of teaching, learning and assessment on 16 to 19 study programmes is good. Students speak highly of their teachers and feel well supported. Teachers have high expectations of what students can achieve and set suitably challenging work for them. Consequently, students extend their knowledge and understanding quickly.' They also noted that 'Sixth-form leaders have introduced an effective system for tracking students’ academic progress. This has improved tutors’ ability to identify quickly any students who are falling behind with their work. As a result, tutors and teachers are able to provide well-targeted help and mentoring. Students have access to a ‘study plus’ facility on the Western Road site that provides a good environment to study in and additional help for those students who need it.'

Sixth Form Open Mornings

These are held on the first Wednesday of every month during term time between 9.00am-11.30am.

• Meet with Vicky Evans our Head of 6th Form
• Tour our Western Road Campus.
• Meet our Student Leadership Team, who will provide an insight into 6th Form life.
• Experience a taster lesson, meet with subject staff, Tutors or student ambassadors to discuss course content and student experience.
• Enjoy an introduction to our Aspire programme which aims to stretch our most academic students and help achieve their ambitions for higher education at prestigious Universities.
• Explore the variety of enrichment activities we have to offer as part of our Diploma Award in Creativity, Action & Service.

Get in touch with our Sixth Form Office on 01363 778364 or email sixthformoffice@qe.devon.sch.uk - for further information.