At Birchwood, each form group is assigned to one of our four Houses: Dane, Hadham, Stort or Waytemore. You can find out more information about our House System and how the Houses got their names here. By being a member of one of our Houses you will foster a sense of community spirit and a healthy dose of competition.

The link between attendance and attainment is proven. Therefore, the highest standards of attendance and punctuality are expected from our Sixth Form students. All students are expected to attend school full time, whether they have a timetabled lesson or not, arriving at the school site by 8:30am each morning. A continued inability to meet attendance requirements will lead to a review of the student’s future at the school.

All students will be issued with a lanyard when they begin Sixth Form. This must be worn at all times while on the school site. Students who forget their lanyard will be issued with a temporary replacement. However, repeated failure by a student to remember their lanyard will be sanctioned. Replacement lanyards are available but will be charged.

At Birchwood Sixth Form, we want our students to feel professional, confident and comfortable whilst studying. Our Sixth Form dress code is therefore based on smart business wear, reflecting the standards and expectations of a professional working environment.

As Sixth Form students, you are senior members of the Birchwood community and role models to the rest of the school. The way you present yourself should reflect the maturity, responsibility and high aspirations expected of a Birchwood Sixth Former.

We want our students to take pride in their appearance, pride in themselves and pride in being part of Birchwood Sixth Form.

The expectation is simple:

Dress professionally, look smart and feel comfortable.

What does smart business wear mean?

Students should choose clothing that would be appropriate for a professional workplace, interview, university visit or business meeting. There is flexibility within this expectation, allowing students to develop their own personal style whilst maintaining a smart and professional appearance.

Appropriate Dress

• Smart suit or tailored jacket and trousers.
• Smart trousers, chinos or tailored skirts, skirt length should be much closer to the knee than the hip.
• Smart business dresses.
• Shirts or blouses.
• Smart jumpers or cardigans.
• Ties must be worn, except when the dress code is relaxed during warmer weather.
• Smart shoes or boots.

Not Appropriate

• Jeans or denim.
• Tracksuits, sportswear or leggings worn as trousers.
• Hoodies or sweatshirts.
• Casual T-shirts or tops with large slogans/logos.
• Shorts or excessively revealing clothing.
• Trainers, flip-flops or beach footwear.
• Ripped or excessively distressed clothing.
• Hats or caps inside school buildings.

Personal Presentation

Students are encouraged to express their individuality through their choice of appropriate clothing, accessories and personal style. However, presentation should always remain smart, professional and appropriate for a school environment.

Jewellery and make-up should be discreet and appropriate for school. Hairstyles should be suitable for a professional environment.

Remember – you are a role model

Being part of Birchwood Sixth Form comes with greater freedom, but also greater responsibility.

Our younger students look to Sixth Formers as examples of how to behave, communicate and present themselves. We expect our Sixth Form students to demonstrate the standards we want across the whole school community.

A Birchwood Sixth Former should be someone who can walk into a lesson, a university interview, a work experience placement or a professional meeting and feel confident, comfortable and appropriately dressed.

Where People Grow and Excellence Prevails.

Our Sixth Form students play an active and fundamental part in the school's running.

They chair the Student Council and are strongly involved in the vibrant array of clubs and associations. These range from sports and interest clubs to working groups that look at student voice and representation.

Sixth Formers also support lower school students, organise trips and social events, raise funds for charity, and manage their own Common Room.

In addition, there is a timetabled lesson of ‘Enrichment’ each week when students participate in a selection of indoor and outdoor activities.

Service to the wider school is one of Birchwood’s Sixth Form’s great strengths. There are a variety of leadership roles and responsibilities that students are encouraged to take on. These include: the Sixth Form Leadership Team, Senior Prefects, House Captains, Mentor Prefects, Environment & Wellbeing Prefects. The hard work of all our students in leadership roles has a huge impact on making the school such a vibrant, inclusive and successful community.

More information on Sixth Form Leadership can be found here.

Sixth Form students have the opportunity to attend several trips throughout Years 12 and 13. These vary from subject-specific trips such as theatre visits for Drama students to career-focused visits as part of our Careers Programme.

We have a dedicated Sixth Form Instagram page, separate from the main school account, with content created by our Sixth Form students.

Visit it here:  Instagram