Welcome
We are proud that our small and supportive environment, with a focus on academic excellence, prepares our students for the best universities in the country.
We expect exemplary behaviour, attendance and punctuality, and a willingness to work hard – in return we offer high quality teaching, excellent pastoral care and a wide range of enrichment opportunities.
The choice of which sixth form a student goes to is very important and is not a decision to be taken lightly. We work closely with both students and parents to ensure that they have the support they need to make the best decision for them.
To apply for a place, please head to the admissions section of our site. If you have any questions, or would like to visit us and have a look around our building, please contact us by calling 0121 446 1300, or emailing sixthform@arkstalbans.org.
We look forward to welcoming you to our sixth form community!
Destinations
Our sixth form provides pupils with precise and personalised careers advice and guidance and as a result, our alumni secure places at highly desirable destinations and on competitive courses.
In recent years, our pupils have gained places to study at prestigious universities such as Cambridge, Durham, Warwick and the London School of Economics. Recent cohorts have each seen multiple pupils gaining places to study medicine.
Our sixth form teachers and leaders are experts in guiding pupils through both the UCAS process and through the application processes for a range of competitive apprenticeship providers.
Achievements
The results our sixth form pupils achieve both in A-Level and BTEC qualifications consistently demonstrate academic excellence.
Pupils in our school make higher than average progress than their peers in other sixth forms and colleges. Our teachers are subject specialists and experts in their field, with many of them holding doctorates and master’s degrees in the subjects that they teach.
Our academic success is supported by an Ark-wide digital strategy which provides all pupils with their own laptop and licensed access to high-impact and evidence informed online platforms such as Up Learn.
Pathways and Enrichment
As part of the national network of Ark Schools, our sixth form provides pupils with access to national programmes which support access to hard to reach destinations, including Oxbridge and healthcare courses such as medicine.
These national programmes extend to supporting pupils even after them have left us. In recent years, Ark St Alban’s Academy alumni have received over £100,000 in bursaries to which applications are exclusively for pupils from Ark Schools.
It’s Small and It’s a School!
In choosing Ark St Alban’s Academy you are choosing to join a sixth form which is part of a school. We are unapologetic in holding high standards and encouraging good habits around conduct, organisation and hard work.
Our sixth form is also smaller than most, with only around 100 pupils in each year group. The allows teachers and leaders to know each pupil well and to provide them with the pastoral support and guidance that they need. Our approach to pastoral support is enhanced by the availability of a 16-19 bursary which is available to support pupils experiencing financial hardship to cover some costs, including transport costs.
Diversity
Our school is a diverse community and this is also reflected in our sixth form. Pupils from a range of backgrounds and faiths work together and excel at our school.
As a Church of England School and in representing a largely Islamic pupil-body, faith is an important part of school life. Culture days, collective worship and inter-faith services characterise our celebration of faith and its importance to many pupils and families that we serve.