Sixth Form | Woldingham School

Three Pathways. One Purpose.

While Woldingham students continue to achieve outstanding A Level results, we know that the traditional pathway through A Levels to university is not the best fit for every student. Therefore, we have evolved our Sixth Form curriculum to offer three different pathways, each of which provides an individualised, academically robust foundation for future success.

A Level pathway

Woldingham students enjoy outstanding success through the traditional Sixth Form A Level pathway, which leads to top UK and international universities and opens doors to exciting careers.

Most students on this pathway take three A Levels – from a choice of 26 subjects - alongside our additional curriculum, which includes our innovative Horizon programme, which focuses on developing critical thinking, intellectual maturity and moral awareness through university style lectures and seminars, and our FutureProof personal development programme. Students may choose to add an EPQ or another of our additional curriculum options to their A Level studies.

Current A Level subject choices are:

Art
Biology
Business
Chemistry
Computer science
Dance
Design and technology
Drama and theatre studies
Economics
English literature
French
Geography
German
History
Maths
Maths – further
Media studies
Music
Physical education
Physics
Politics
Psychology
Religious studies
Sociology
Spanish
Textiles

Students on this pathway with sufficient capacity and interest are encouraged to broaden their horizons further by adding one of the following options to their A Level studies: Extended Project Qualification; Level 3 Certificate in Higher Sports Leadership; Certificate in Mathematical Studies; or students can pursue a range of MOOCs (massive open online courses).

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The Woldingham Business Diploma pathway

The Woldingham Business Diploma pathway offers a unique opportunity of Sixth Form students to specialise in business as an alternative to the traditional A Level programme of study.

Working closely with our corporate partners and business leaders, the Woldingham Business Diploma blends the Pearson BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Business offering business theory with its practical application, enabling students to develop work-ready skills and gain real business and leadership experience that will differentiate them in an increasingly competitive labour market.

Students on this pathway opt for electives alongside the BTEC in Business, choosing a qualification in accounting (AAT Level 2 or Level 3) or in marketing (CIM Level 2 certificate) or perhaps a single A Level and / or an EPQ as part of their overall Diploma. This gives them huge choice, enabling them to pursue their next step at university, in an apprenticeship or degree apprenticeship, follow an entrepreneurial ambition or to enter the workplace directly.

Elite Performance pathway

Our unique Elite Performance pathway is truly flexible. It offers the choice of taking BTEC Diploma in Business (equivalent of pursuing two A Levels) or two A Levels, with the option of adding one of the electives on offer for the Woldingham Business Diploma, depending on the student’s commitments. Each student’s timetable is designed to enable her to develop her talent and manage her training or rehearsal schedule alongside her academic studies.

This pathway enables students to achieve academic results whilst pursuing their passion in an environment where excellence and strengths beyond the classroom are recognised and valued.

The Sixth Form Experience

The two years spent in Sixth Form are often the most memorable, exciting, and challenging time at school. Woldingham’s new, purpose-built Sixth Form Centre in the heart of the school’s grounds provides the perfect setting for our senior girls to develop intellectual curiosity, be stretched academically and flourish as individuals.

With deliberately different spaces to inspire our all-girls Sixth Form, the centre boasts a collaborative zone where they learn to lead, listen and delegate as they take part in a range of projects and activities, gaining the skills for success in whatever career they choose. The silent study space provides a calm and purposeful setting for independent study, leading to academic growth and success in exams. The café is a social space for breaks, forging friendships and promoting wellbeing. The centre also has classrooms and a small lecture theatre exclusively for the Sixth Form.

The centre is also home to our new whole-school library, where students can undertake research, read, study and enjoy as an additional calm space on site.

The wellbeing of each student is at the forefront of everything we do. Pastoral support for both day girls and boarders is delivered by our dedicated Sixth Form and tutor teams, who get to know each Sixth Form student well, providing the ideal environment for academic scholarship to thrive in a mutually supportive environment.

Woldingham students achieve outstanding A Level results, securing places at leading UK and international universities, opening doors to exciting careers. We have high expectations for all our students but, as in the rest of the school, we see our Sixth Form as a ‘greenhouse’ not a ‘hothouse’, where our dedicated and enthusiastic teachers provide the academic rigour and stretch to bring out the best in every student.

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Developing a futureproof skillset

Woldingham’s Sixth Form is a place of limitless ambition. Of course, this means facilitating the academic success that will open doors to the most competitive courses and universities in the UK and overseas - but that is only part of the story in the Sixth Form at Woldingham. We have a sector-leading programme to support our students in developing a skillset that is futureproof: creativity, communication and critical thinking, persuasion and negotiation, as well as resilience, initiative and problem-solving.

The development of these skills is at the forefront of our Sixth Form offering. Students enjoy a range of opportunities, including networking breakfasts with business leaders, public speaking workshops led by professional trainers, inter and intra-school competitions, such as STEM Solutions and debating - the list goes on. There is our Horizon programme, unique to Woldingham’s Sixth Form, which focuses on developing critical thinking, intellectual maturity and moral awareness through university style lectures and seminars, and our Student Leadership Programme, accredited by the Institute of Leadership.

Each student has access to unlimited individual support from our Higher Education team to help her explore her interests, select appropriate courses, and prepare her applications. The team works with every student to ensure she has considered and explored all possibilities to find the best option for the route she wishes to follow, including vocational courses and higher or degree apprenticeships.

The Higher Education team includes specialists in applications to medicine, dentistry and veterinary science, Oxbridge, art and drama schools and US and overseas universities.

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Sixth Form boarding

Many of our Sixth Formers choose to board enabling them to focus on their academic, sport and other activities in a safe and supportive environment. It is also a good transition to life at university or working away from home.

Sixth Form boarders live in purpose-built, modern accommodation. Lower Sixth boarders live in Berwick House, where they have their own study bedroom with a laundry area, kitchens, common rooms, an IT suite and study areas. In Upper Sixth, students move to Shanley House, where their study bedrooms have en suite bathrooms. Shanley has its own common room and study areas.

Weekends at Woldingham offer a range of activities and trips. Sixth Form boarders often take the opportunity to visit London, enjoying the city's world-renowned galleries and museums, as well as the chance to do some shopping.

Destinations and outcomes

Woldingham students are high achievers, going on to prestigious universities in the UK and overseas, to degree apprenticeships and to successful careers.

In recent years some of the most popular UK universities for Woldingham students have included Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Durham, Edinburgh, Exeter, Manchester, UCL and Warwick. Students have also taken up places at a range of universities overseas, including Berklee College of Music and Tufts University in Boston, USA, Bond University in Australia and IE Business School, Madrid. Recent degree apprenticeship placements have been awarded to Woldingham students at Goldman Sachs and Thales UK. Other students have secured places at conservatoires such as the Royal College of Music and prestigious drama schools including The Brit School.

Students secure places on a very wide range of courses, with a spread across science, arts and humanities, social science and business-related courses, reflecting their diverse achievements and interests and the broad education offered at Woldingham.

Examination Results and Destinations of Leavers 2026

Map of Destinations of Leavers 2024-2026