Thomas Aveling School, The

The Sixth Form at Thomas Aveling has a special place within the school. Not only do we achieve excellent results, but we ensure that students are fully prepared for the next stage of their lives, be that university, higher apprenticeships, or employment. Students are recognised as young adults and are encouraged to take an active role within the school community.

The school’s facilities include a Learning Resources Centre, a Sixth Form Study Centre, Common Room, Art Studio, purpose built Sixth Form Science Laboratory, Drama, Dance, Recording, Music, Information Technology, Science and Technology Suites. Our sports facilities are excellent, with a Sports Centre, Fitness Suite, and all-weather courts.

​For the young adult, the Sixth Form with its new courses, offers a fresh approach to Sixth Form studies. Great care has been taken to provide an appropriate learning environment for our 16+ students.

We provide a friendly and supportive atmosphere and welcome applications from students in other schools, as well as our own Year 11. The staff are experienced and highly qualified and share the aim of achieving the highest standards of academic qualifications. We hope you will wish to join u

Applications Open:  Thursday, 6 November from 5pm

Applications Close:  date and time to be confirmed by the school soon!

How To Apply:

Internal students - Apply via Applicaa using this link - https://thomasaveling.applicaa.com/year12

External students - Apply via KentChoices using this link - https://www.kentprospectus.co.uk/login. Please note - After sending your application, you'll receive a welcome email from Applicaa asking for further information.

Entry Requirements:  Five GCSEs grade 4 and above.  Refer to individual subjects for the specific entry requirements.

You will be given expert and friendly support to help you make choices about your studies. Making the right choices can be difficult, but we will always ensure that every student receives guidance and support about academic matters, career choices or progression into further and higher education. The help provided will ensure any choice made is an informed decision.

In addition to your studies, there will be several opportunities for you as a young adult to develop personal interests, as well as undertake work experience. A well-established programme of extra-curricular activities operates in the Sixth Form, as well as recreational and social activities arranged by students and staff, to ensure that staying on at school means more than just study.

Extensive and appropriate support and challenge are embedded into our provision, ensuring at Key Stage 3 that students are emotionally ready to make excellent progress through our Horizons programme, and at Key Stage 4 that students are prepared for life after school through our alternative curriculum for selected students.

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Our intention is to ensure students make outstanding progress and that the curriculum removes any potential barriers to learning. We want students to be able to follow their own interests and use their talents to the full and have designed a curriculum to enable this to happen. We are ambitious for our students and ensure they have the knowledge and skills that will make them successful, not only in school, but in life. 

To this end, in addition to the wide range of academic subjects, students across the school take part in a parallel curriculum called TA Character. This is a scheme that looks to develop the character education of our students with particular focus on our 5 main virtues of Pride, Resilience, Creativity, Ambition and Respect. We recently gained the Kite Mark from the Association of Character Education for our work in this area.

Students at the Thomas Aveling School follow a very broad and balanced curriculum. The Arts, Sport and Personal Development are valued highly.

Development of language and building knowledge are integral to curriculum planning. Subject Leaders, who are experts in their subjects, carefully construct a curriculum that promotes a deep understanding of a wide range of topics. Teachers plan learning that allows students to embed and recall knowledge through techniques such as interleaving of topics and spaced practice. This builds firm foundations for progression to the next level and exam success. 

We are very pleased with our wide offer of vocational and academic qualifications in the Sixth Form– all at Level 3. Over half of each cohort of Year 11s stay with us to complete further study before applying for university or higher-level apprenticeships and professions. Those unable to stay with us, or who already know the career they want, are supported in their applications to local colleges and apprenticeships.

In addition to carefully constructed and challenging curricula plans, students also gain much needed assessment practice in dedicated “assessment lessons” for each subject, which are in addition to the taught lessons. PSHE lessons continue with a focus on next steps and being able to be a contributing member of society.

We have recently introduced the EPQ to further enhance our offer and add extra challenge for our most able students.

Our students are ambitious and aspirational and ready to take their next steps. Nearly all students (over 98%) complete Key Stage 4 and engage in further education (usually staying in our Sixth Form), apprenticeships, or training, very few are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) at the point of leaving us. Over 70% of Sixth Form students go on to competitive universities, and nearly all others gain high quality jobs or apprenticeships.

In addition, we also see the impact of the wider curriculum by the number of opportunities offered and taken up by students. These include Bronze, Silver and (first time in 2019) Gold, Duke of Edinburgh Awards, sports teams, arts clubs, various musical opportunities, coding clubs and various trips far and near to generate an understanding of their position in the world and a further enjoyment of learning.

In the Sixth Form, tutor groups contain both Year 12 and Year 13 students. This helps the year groups to integrate and allows opportunities for peer mentoring support. Form time sessions involve students completing activities linked to the TA Character Virtues. Alongside this, students are also completing a programme based around the ‘VESPA’ mindset. This programme aims to help students become motivated and organised by looking at the core principles of: Vision, Effort, Systems, Practice and Attitude. We also use Form times to discuss current affairs and issues relevant to Sixth Form students.

Students are timetabled with a one-hour assessment lesson in each of their subjects every fortnight. This is supervised and held in exam conditions. This allows students to have regular practice at writing exam style questions in timed conditions. They receive regular feedback on their work.

Every student in Sixth Form has one hour a week of timetabled PSHE lessons. These lessons look at career advice and job applications. Students are introduced to the University application process and are given intensive support and guidance with their personal statements. They are also advised on other routes after Sixth Form such as employment and apprenticeships. In Year 12, students also undertake a PSHE programme that encourages them to develop the “soft skills” that are recognised by employers. These include completing independent research, working as part of a team to organise a community initiative, and delivering a presentation. In Year 13, PSHE lessons also involve looking at “Life Skills” such as finance and health related issues.