When students consider their options at age 16, their choice doesn’t just consider the quality of education on offer – they want to know how the school, college, or apprenticeship they decide on will catalyse their pathway to success in their careers. The opportunities that they are afforded, the network that they can access, and the support they can receive all become more important than ever before. Ultimately, though, when stepping into a new environment, many students want to know that they will feel welcomed and that they are in the best place to thrive at this important stage of their educational journey.

Whether your son’s existing school doesn’t offer Sixth Form study, or whether you’re looking for an environment that offers your son the best chance of success in life beyond school, we think that Warwick would be a fantastic next step for him.

Don’t just take our word for it, though – hear from some of our students instead. Isaac and Sam both joined our Lower Sixth from other schools this year, and we asked them how they have found life at Warwick in their first term with us.

Isaac – ‘I have had a great experience at Warwick so far’

Isaac said that he has ‘had a great experience at Warwick so far’, stating that he has ‘appreciated the teaching quality and enjoyed learning more about the subjects I take for A Level.’

Whilst he recognises that ‘it can often be hard to move schools’, he found that the transition was helped by ‘how friendly and welcoming all the staff and students were and continue to be.’ Specifically, he noted that his Form Tutor, the Head of Year, and Head of Sixth Form were all ‘particularly helpful in how welcoming and friendly they were.’

Even though he has only been with us for a few months, Isaac says that he has enjoyed all the opportunities afforded here at Warwick, both curricular and co-curricular: ‘I take part in Young Enterprise on Friday afternoon, which has been both insightful in the skills I have developed, but also fun.’

Whilst outstanding academic provision should be a given, it was great to hear that Isaac finds his lessons ‘engaging but also clear’, assisting the enjoyment of his studies at this critical time.

Academic enrichment is core to our education provision, and our Encounters programme – a series of guest lectures from thought leaders on several specialist subjects – illuminates this fact. Isaac is just one of the students who has found our Encounters to be insightful: ‘I have found the Friday Encounters very interesting. I have attended many, but I particularly enjoyed the encounter with Lord Graham Brady… the Encounters have really helped to enrich my academic learning.’

When asked about his favourite experiences so far, Isaac mentioned House Shout – a whole-school event  that always promises to be one of the highlights of the academic calendar – alongside Encounters and playing football on a Wednesday.

Sam – ‘Deciding to change schools has been the best decision I could have made’

For many students, the thought of changing schools can be a daunting one – they could be apprehensive about leaving existing friendship groups or about stepping into a new environment, and these feelings are completely natural. However, we also find that those students who do take this step and join us in Sixth Form have a fantastic experience and are set up excellently for life beyond school.

Sam’s experience with us aligns with this sentiment: ‘Deciding to change schools has been the best decision I could have made… I had a broader choice of A Levels and I’m being pushed and supported in both my studies and my rugby.’ Continuing, Sam says ‘I’ve loved my time so far due to the wealth of co-curricular opportunities and the supportive yet motivating culture.’

Similarly to Isaac, Sam found the transition from his previous school to Warwick to be ‘fairly easy’. Whilst he says that the transition was ‘heavily aided by the fact that I already knew a few boys prior to coming’, he also feels that he has been ‘welcomed by teachers and pupils who [he] didn’t previously know’.

Excellence in sport is synonymous with Warwick School, and our pupils are afforded a plethora of opportunities to develop and excel no matter their ability. Sam is a keen rugby player and says that he has enjoyed the opportunity to ‘play more rugby’, and particularly remembers the ‘amazing home win vs. Northampton School for Boys’. Since joining us, he has ‘travelled all over the country to play rugby’ and is excited about the upcoming South Africa tour later this year.

As a school, it is fantastic to hear that all the things that make up The Warwick Way — our excellence in teaching and learning, opportunities to broaden horizons in and out of the classroom, and our family-like community — aren’t just words written down in our prospectus or spoken during a speech from our Head Master, James Barker, they are truly lived by our pupils – no matter when they join us.

We are confident that your son’s experience at Warwick School Sixth Form will be as positive as those detailed by Isaac and Sam, and those lived by many other boys day in, day out. If your son is interested in being welcomed into an environment that enables him to thrive and sets him up for success in life beyond school, please do get in touch. Our friendly Admissions Team can be contacted at WSS-Admissions@warwickschools.co.uk and will be happy to answer any questions you may have.