Curriculum

Core Studies

The number of lessons you will have varies depending on the courses you have chosen since it can range from 12 to 24 periods per fortnight.  Students are expected to put in at least five hours of private study per subject, per week.  Level 2 courses require significant further directed study time to complete the course.

A Level Courses

Most A levels are based on four units.  Two of these units will make up the Advanced Subsidiary (AS) level in the first year.  The other two are known as ‘A2’ and will be taken in the second year.  Some courses will be assessed as modules during the year, whilst others will have an end-of-course assessment.  ‘Pass grades’ at A level go from A to E.

The structure of these courses allows you to make choices about which subject to study, to which level and for how long.  For example, you could:

• choose four subjects in Year 12 and take all of them to A2 level over two years;
• choose four subjects in Year 12, stop one at AS level after one year and take the others to A2 level;
• choose two or three subjects to study for two years and study one or two AS levels in each of Year 12 and 13 (subject to timetable constraints).

Should it be necessary, you may have the opportunity to re-sit a limited range of GCSE subjects alongside your Advanced level course.

Level 2 courses

Midhurst Rother College provides a range of courses suitable for those students who may not have achieved 5 A* to C GCSEs.  These are one year courses but in some circumstances they can be extended into a Level 3 course in Year 13.  Level 2 courses are the equivalent to a GCSE qualification and Level 3 courses are A level equivalent and can provide entry into higher education. 

Students in the Sixth Form at Midhurst Rother College are also able to access a number of additional courses which provide qualifications at Level 2 and Level 3.  These include Adult Literacy/Adult Numeracy which is an alternative online Level 2 qualification, and the ASDAN qualification ‘CoPE’ (Certificate of Professional Effectiveness).  This course aims to provide a qualification for enrichment and study activities undertaken as part of post-16 provision and allows students to develop and demonstrate a range of skills which will help support future study or work.  CoPE can contribute towards a UCAS application and improve employability.

Supplementary courses at Chichester College

We already have strong and successful links with Chichester College for our students aged 14 to 16.  We are also currently developing closer links for our Sixth Form students.