Kieran Smith 

Head of Sixth Form 

A warm welcome to BFS Sixth Form - a centre of excellence for post-16 education which opened in 2016 and secured the highest A Level progress of any state school in Bristol in the most recent set of public exams (2019). 

'The Sixth Form is well led. Leaders have a comprehensive understanding of its strengths and priorities for improvement, promote high aspiration and have a clear vision for how they want the Sixth Form to develop.' Ofsted Inspection, 2018.

Community
Our sixth form is small enough for every student to be known, supported and championed. All students work closely with their tutor and subject teachers to ensure that they are making good progress and are supported pastorally – every student is treated as an individual member of the BFS family. Students are also heavily involved in supporting the lower school through mentoring, reading support, sports leadership, in-lesson support and involvement in the house system. 

Ambition 

At BFS, we set the highest expectations and academic ambitions for all of our students. In 2019, students at BFS gained more progress in their A Levels than students at any other state Sixth Form in Bristol*. BFS students also had the second highest percentage of A*, A and B grades of any non-fee paying Sixth Form in Bristol. Further, since 2019, five of our students have accepted university places at Oxford or Cambridge and almost half of our students have accepted places at one of the universities which are part of the prestigious Russell Group. Students also accepted places onto some of the most competitive courses; including Medicine and Law. We will strive with you to help you achieve your academic and personal potential. We will provide you with expert teaching staff, with two dedicated study spaces, with an exclusive café and with personalised university and apprenticeship application support. 

Opportunity 

Our sixth form is open to all students and we celebrate diversity of all kinds. Students are encouraged to take part in a wide range of enrichment activities including sport, performing and creative arts, outdoor education and peer mentoring.  There are also opportunities to get involved in trips, visits and expeditions as well as in community and volunteering work. This doesn't only make your time at BFS Sixth Form more rewarding and fulfilling but will also strengthen the depth of your CV or university application.  

Ultimately, BFS is an ambitious school which works to ensure every child makes excellent progress from his or her starting point and experiences a breadth of opportunities which develop the whole person. We want our young people to leave the sixth form with confidence and a strong belief that they can make the best of their life chances and be positive citizens with a strong moral compass. Success, to us, is a broad statement about the whole person and is linked to knowing oneself and being equipped to thrive in this fast-moving, ever-changing world. 

I look forward to welcoming you to our Sixth Form community.