Sixth Form
Our goal is simple: to enable you to fulfil your potential.
To achieve this, you need plenty of opportunities coupled with effective support.
A typical Norwich High School Sixth Former takes three A Levels and an EPQ. However, each student is unique, with timetables which are carefully crafted to suit their individual needs.
Do you have a deep curiosity about the living world, love problem-solving and want to understand the fundamental processes that govern life?
A Level Biology covers an expansive range of both human and plant topics, using the AQA syllabus. The course explores the fundamental principles of life, from molecules and cells to whole organisms, populations and ecosystems. Complex subjects such as genetics and gene cloning techniques are also studied in depth. It includes a strong focus on practical skills and mathematical application in a biological context.
Students who have studied Biology have progressed onto a wide range of courses, including Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine, Pharmacy, Biological Sciences and Marine Biology, including Oxbridge. You also have the chance to get involved with a range of extra-curricular opportunities in school, including assisting with KS3 Science club, joining MedSoc or AgSoc and helping with our Freshwater Watch project, measuring nitrate and phosphate levels in our local rivers.
Do you see yourself running your own business? Do you want to figure out why some companies succeed while others fail, explore how marketing campaigns influence consumer behaviour, or understand how a business is financed and managed?
This course provides a comprehensive understanding of business in a variety of contexts. You’ll cover essential functional areas such as marketing, finance, operations, and human resources. Furthermore, you’ll analyse business strategy, the impact of external environments and crucial ethical considerations. This subject develops strong analytical skills and provides practical insight into the dynamic world of commerce. We use the AQA examination board.
Fieldwork and industrial visits form an important component of the course, with visits over the last few years including Coca Cola Enterprises, Jaguar Land Rover, Cadbury, Harry Potter Studios, The Bank of England and the Museum of Brands. You will also have the chance to take part in the GDST Leadership Enterprise Advanced Diploma, an innovative partnership between the GDST and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), designed to equip young women with the skills they need to become leaders and entrepreneurs.
Are you fascinated by how things are made and why they react?
Chemistry is key to our understanding of the natural world and to the enhancement of our quality of life and the environment. Advances in Chemistry underpin much of modern science and contribute directly to our everyday lives, from the food we eat and the medicines we take, to the environment in which we live.
This course follows the OCR Chemistry A specification and provides a rigorous study of the core areas of chemistry, spanning physical, inorganic and organic chemistry. These core areas cover fundamental chemical principles, the study of carbon-containing compounds and the chemistry of other elements. A strong focus is placed on developing strong practical, mathematical and theoretical skills. Chemistry is an essential subject for progression in a wide range of scientific, engineering and technical careers, including medicine, environmental technology and engineering.
If you are inspired by the cultures of Greece and Rome, you will love this A Level course.
The breadth of Classical Civilisation enables you to investigate literature, history, art history and archaeology within the same subject and gives you a wide range of skills which can be applied within and beyond many higher education courses. No prior knowledge or study is needed to tackle A Level Classical Civilisation and we follow the OCR syllabus.
There are also plenty of exciting extra curricular activities on offer, including lunchtime symposiums, museum visits to Cambridge and London and a bi-annual residential trip to Greece and Italy.
If you are fascinated by algorithms and logic and want to understand the architecture and theoretical principles that power the digital world, then Computer Science would be an excellent choice of A Level course.
This course follows the OCR specification and provides a strong foundation in both the theoretical principles of how computer systems work and the practical application of coding and problem-solving. It builds skills in analysis, design and systematic development through a significant programming project.
Computer Science is a field in which there is a high demand for graduates, with many companies actively recruiting females with an appropriate degree. Graduates gain highly valuable skills which are essential for degrees in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science and technology-related careers. If you are wishing to pursue the subject at university, this A Level is a sound introduction and is welcomed by many top universities.
If you have a passion for storytelling and live performance, want to develop confidence and strong communication skills and you’re excited by the idea of learning through practical, hands-on experience, then studying Drama at Norwich High Sixth Form would be perfect for you.
We offer a Drama A Level course or a BTEC Performing Arts at Sixth Form, allowing us to specalise the course for the specific cohort of students.
These courses emphasise practical creativity alongside research and theoretical understanding. Students learn through experience – seeing theatre and making theatre for themselves. You will develop skills that are not just essential for Drama, but applicable to a wide range of higher education subjects and in the workplace.
The practical nature of the subject encourages participation in school productions and performance-based activities, offering a pathway to develop technical, interpersonal and communication skills. You will develop highly transferable skills in managing deadlines, teamwork and communication.
Do you love discussing current events and world affairs, figuring out why prices change and how government policies affect your life and understanding how businesses make big decisions?
Economics is the study of how individuals, firms and governments make decisions about the allocation of scarce resources. The course provides a balanced view, covering both microeconomics (focused on individual markets and decisions) and macroeconomics (exploring the national and international economy, including issues like inflation and growth). Economics is current, always changing, and always interesting.
Students develop valuable transferable skills, including collecting and analysing economic information from different sources, strong written communication, problem-solving, and sophisticated evaluation skills, opening up a wide range of career and higher education opportunities. You will also have the chance to take part in the GDST Leadership Enterprise Advanced Diploma, an innovative partnership between the GDST and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), designed to equip young women with the skills they need to become leaders and entrepreneurs. We use the AQA examination board.
Do you enjoy reading, writing and discussion? Do you have an interest in the theatre and cinema? Are you an imaginative person who is interested in exploring ideas? Do you want to develop your analytical skills and become an independent thinker?
This OCR course encourages mature, independent study, demanding a clear awareness of different interpretations, contexts, comparisons, and connections between texts. You’ll engage with diverse works across poetry, prose, and drama, developing your ability to critically analyse language and literary techniques. The structure balances closed-text examination with independent, non-examined assessment (coursework). A seminar approach predominates, stimulating genuine, in-depth discussion within a relaxed and supportive environment, preparing you well for university-level study.
The EPQ is an A Level standard standalone qualification designed to develop abilities beyond the A Level syllabus. It is highly valued by universities and employers, with many institutions making lower A Level offers to students undertaking the qualification due to the advanced skills it cultivates.
The EPQ is a self-directed project and students can choose their own topic based on personal interest. Students will plan and complete an individual project, which can be a dissertation, an artefact, a performance, or a report. This involves obtaining, critically selecting and analysing information from a range of sources, solving problems, and taking decisions critically and creatively. Recent EPQ projects have included: Colonising Mars, Animal Welfare in Great Britain, India/China as a future superpower and creating an educational video game or short film.
Timetabled skills lessons and regular supervision sessions cover essential skills like planning, time management, research, referencing, report writing, analysis and evaluation.
Do you have a passion for making, creating and seeing ideas come to life and want to develop your own unique artistic voice?
Studying Fine Art fosters creative thinking and encourages the development of crucial independent study skills. The course is a journey of exploration where you’ll be given the opportunity to independently investigate and explore a rich array of disciplines as part of your project work. This includes foundational skills like drawing and painting, as well as contemporary approaches such as print-making, sculpture, digital photography and film-making. You will learn to observe the world critically, understand the language of visual communication and translate your concepts into compelling finished pieces.
This A Level is widely acknowledged as being a vital stepping stone towards higher education in art and design and a successful career in a broad range of creative disciplines. It provides a robust portfolio of skills, including visual literacy, critical analysis and self-management. Possible career paths for students who excel in Fine Art include professional artist, architectural design, illustrator, curator, fashion or graphic designer, and roles in the film or media industries.
Choosing to study a Modern Foreign Language at A Level will enable you to develop and build on your skills and knowledge acquired at GCSE. It will also enhance your employment prospects and facilitate foreign travel. Finally, it will provide an insight into another culture and society as well as providing you with a sound basis for further study. The A Levels in Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) cover social issues and trends, artistic culture, grammar, and one film and literary text for each language.
This course provides an in-depth study of contemporary French-speaking society and culture. You will develop advanced language skills across all four key areas: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Beyond mastering grammar and vocabulary, you will also cultivate crucial critical and analytical skills through the detailed study of a key French film and a literary text. The A Level broadens your understanding of social issues, political landscapes, and cultural heritage, opening doors to a huge variety of university courses and international career paths. We follow the AQA examination syllabus.
Our Modern Foreign Languages courses also offer a wide variety of extra-curricular opportunities, including language immersion trips abroad, cinema trips, lectures, workshops and a strong alumnae network of students who have progressed to language based career paths.
A Level German provides a comprehensive cultural, social and political understanding of the German-speaking world. It develops advanced fluency and communication skills across listening, reading, writing and speaking, preparing you to engage confidently with native speakers. In addition, you will cultivate crucial critical analysis through the detailed study of a key German film and a literary text, often focusing on the context of post-reunification Germany. This subject offers a valuable window into international affairs and enhances your university and career prospects globally. We follow the AQA examination syllabus.
Our Modern Foreign Languages courses also offer a wide variety of extra-curricular opportunities, including a German and History trip to Berlin, a visit to the Goethe Institut London, lectures, workshops and a strong alumnae network of students who have progressed to language based career paths.
This course provides a deep cultural and social understanding of the vast Spanish-speaking world. It develops advanced fluency and communication skills across all four language areas: listening, reading, writing and speaking. You will also enhance your critical analysis by studying a key Spanish film and a literary text, giving you profound insight into different perspectives and histories. Mastering Spanish is an asset in a globalised world, opening up opportunities in international business, travel, and diplomacy. Many students progress to study Spanish as a sole subject or jointly with another discipline at university, including Oxbridge. We follow the AQA examination syllabus.
Our Modern Foreign Languages courses also offer a wide variety of extra-curricular opportunities, including a language immersion trip to Granada, cinema trips, lectures, workshops and a strong alumnae network of students who have progressed to language based career paths.
Are you a curious global citizen who wants to understand the world’s most pressing issues?
The OCR A Level in Geography has been designed to give learners the knowledge, understanding and skills necessary to become engaged global citizens. Through the study of dynamic and contemporary content, learners can understand and interact with issues which affect people and places at a range of scales from local to global.
The full A Level includes a personal geographical investigation based on fieldwork, carried out during a six-day field trip to Wales in March. You will also have the opportunity to visit Iceland to explore this country’s fascinating physical geography, a truly amazing opportunity to enrich your Geography studies further.
Geography is highly regarded as it develops highly valued transferable skills: communication, teamwork, problem-solving, IT (especially GIS and AI), critical evaluation and research. Consequently, Geography graduates have one of the highest rates of graduate employment.
An understanding of the past is essential to understanding the world in which we live, as individuals, as communities and as nations. History is vital to our sense of identity and purpose. But there is more to History than this. History is the study of the interactions between fascinating people and peoples. What makes History great at A Level is the opportunity to discuss, question, challenge and create new arguments about historic events and decisions. In the process we learn more about the past and often even more about ourselves.
Our History A Level course follows the AQA specification, studying ‘The Making of a Superpower: USA 1865-1975’ and ‘The Wars of the Roses, 1450-1499’. Students will also undertake a Non-Examined Assessment (NEA) Historical Investigation, which allows students to research a topic of personal historical interest. The course develops rigorous analytical, research and essay writing skills through a balance of breadth and depth studies.
There are a huge range of extra-currciular opportunities on offer, including residential trips to The US and Berlin and other short trips within the UK, engaging with relevant conferences and speakers. Students regularly progress to study History and related subjects at Russell Group universities, including Oxbridge. Career routes include: Law, Diplomacy, Journalism, Civil Service, heritage work, teaching, finance and much more!
If you are fascinated by the foundations of Western civilisation and literature and love the challenge of deciphering complex languages and grammar, you will relish this A Level course.
This course focuses on developing rigorous linguistic skills through translation and comprehension, alongside the in-depth literary study of significant Latin and Greek authors, such as Virgil and Cicero. We use the OCR examination board.
Studying Classical Languages develops exceptional analytical, critical thinking and logical reasoning skills, opening doors to highly competitive fields like Law, History, English and Philosophy. Students have progressed to a diverse range of subjects including Classics at Oxford and Warwick, Biology at Oxford, Medicine, Dentistry and Psychology at UCL. There are plenty of extra-curricular opportunities, including a bi-annual residential trip to Greece or Italy, visits to museums in Cambridge and London and theatre productions.
Mathematics and Further Mathematics are versatile qualifications that are well respected by universities and employers alike. Careers for women with good mathematical skills and qualifications are frequently well paid, interesting and rewarding, and there is huge demand from science, engineering and manufacturing employers.
This course extends knowledge gained from IGCSE, delving into abstract concepts like Calculus and introducing real-world applications through Statistics and Mechanics. We use the Edexcel examination board.
The department is immensely proud of its continued outstanding success at A Level. We are one of the subjects with the highest number of students in the Sixth Form and a significant proportion go on to study Mathematics or a related STEM subject each year.
A Level Further Mathematics is a separate qualification from A Level Mathematics and is both fun and rewarding. It broadens your skills and promotes deeper mathematical thinking. The course extends many of the topics that are covered in A Level and also introduces brand new concepts, such as complex numbers, hyperbolic functions and modelling with differential equations. It is an additional course and can only be taken by students also studying A Level Mathematics. We use the Edexcel examination board.
Further Maths is a highly valued qualification for competitive university courses. Students are well-prepared for studying demanding Maths-based courses at top-tier universities. Students studying Further Maths at Norwich High have access to a dedicated GDST-wide Maths enrichment programme designed to prime students for studying Maths-based courses at world-class universities such as Oxford and Cambridge.
Our A Level in Music is ideal for any budding performer, fully supported by a plethora of additional opportunities only available from the Norwich High School Music department. An A Level in Music follows the AQA syllabus and comprises three main areas of study: Performance, Composition and Historical and Analytical Studies. It demands a high level of performance and composition alongside the academic study of diverse musical genres and history.
Our musicians have a range of exciting opportunities that include regular concerts, masterclasses and workshops and we perform in school, in and around Norwich and Norfolk, and all across Europe with recent venues including Tuscany, Venice, Lake Garda, Prague and the Costa Brava.
Watch the A Level Music subject overview
Do you love to question assumptions about the world and reality? Are you are fascinated by abstract concepts like morality, knowledge, and existence? Do you want to learn how to construct sophisticated, logical arguments?
A Level Philosophy explores fundamental questions about knowledge (epistemology), morality (ethics), mind, and God (philosophy of religion). You will engage with the ideas of history’s greatest thinkers, examining their arguments and applying rigorous logic to timeless problems. Philosophy teaches students to think logically, construct sophisticated arguments and critically evaluate abstract concepts, developing highly valued analytical skills that are transferable to virtually any academic discipline and career path. We follow the AQA A Level specification.
Students also have the opportunity to attend Philosophy conferences at Cambridge University, lectures and ‘Philosophy Goes to the Movies’ film nights.
In the Sixth Form, our students choose between the academic A Level (scientific/sociological theory and performance) and the vocational BTEC (practical skills and industry knowledge). Both are taught by the PE department and are highly valued for careers in health, fitness, medicine and management. It is a broad subject which relates well with other subjects such as Biology, History, Psychology and Chemistry. You will get the opportunity to study your chosen sport in greater depth and analyse your technique.
Our current A Level students have been able to attend a sports science trip to Loughborough University and lectures and coaching sessions with Olympic athletes at the GSA’s Girls Go Gold Sports Conference, held in Wimbledon. There are also plenty of opportunities to get involved in competitive sport across a range of disciplines, as well as the chance to assist with PE lessons in our Prep School.
If you love the challenge of complex problem-solving and want to understand how our world works, then A Level Physics would be perfect for you.
We use the OCR A course, which explores the fundamental laws of the universe, covering everything from forces, motion and electricity, to the cutting-edge fields of quantum physics and astrophysics. Physics develops a powerful combination of skills: it teaches you to think logically, model real-world situations mathematically, and rigorously test hypotheses. By developing strong problem-solving, analytical, and practical skills, this subject provides an essential foundation for degrees in Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics and a wide range of highly technical and scientific careers.
Our Sixth Formers will have the opportunities to take part in lots of unique and exciting experiences, including a trip to CERN in Geneva, visiting the LHC in Switzerland, and attending a masterclass by the National Space Centre.
Watch the A Level Physics subject overview video
Are you passionate about current events and how decisions are made and do you love to discuss and debate controversial issues?
Politics is a social science all about people, how they interact and how they organise their society. This course provides a deep understanding of UK politics and government, including core political ideas and the dynamics of global affairs. You will explore topics such as democracy, elections, ideology and international relations. We use the Edexcel examination board.
The subject develops essential skills in critical analysis, logical debate, and sophisticated essay writing, making it an excellent choice if you wish to demonstrate a broad-minded interest in life and the shape of the world around you. These transferrable skills are essential for a wide range of academic and professional careers, including law, journalism and public administration.
We engage in the wider world with trips, visits and experiences. Recent examples include visiting the Houses of Parliament, representing the school at the European Youth Parliament debates at Newnham College, Cambridge, presenting at a UEA politics conference on Counter-Terrorism, enjoying 6+ Lectures such as using drones as weapons of war and delivering an active democracy assembly to our Prep School. There are also exciting residential trip opportunities, including to the US and Berlin.
Watch the A Level Politics subject overview video
You would enjoy this subject if you are driven to solve real-world problems with innovative solutions, you love making, creating, and testing your ideas, you are interested in materials, sustainability, and manufacturing, and you want to combine creativity with technical knowledge to become a future designer or engineer.
A Level Product Design provides both theoretical knowledge of design principles, materials and manufacturing processes, and practical application through a major independent project. It focuses on developing innovative, user-centred and sustainable design solutions. Our core mantra in Product Design is: problem, design, make and evaluate. We strive to empower young girls to become the new female technologists, designers, architects and engineers of the future. Through making, creating, testing, and exploring, you will learn new smart skills combining old and new technologies, and bring life to your creations, gaining valuable experience that bridges the gap between creativity and technical feasibility. We follow the Edexcel Design and Technology course (9DT0).
We offer Product Design Scholarships at Sixth Form and you will also have the chance to take on a leadership role in our F24 programme. Future pathways for students include Product Design, Architecture, Engineering, Interior/Spatial Design, Graphic Design, Sustainable Design and Design Management.
Do you find people fascinating? Are you intrigued by why people act in the way they do? If so, then psychology will capture your imagination.
Psychology is the study of behaviour – what people and animals do, think and feel. It is a broad subject that explores major theoretical approaches, their development through research and their real-world application in fascinating areas such as Criminal and Clinical Psychology. As a social science, Psychology is all about the mind and behaviour. Psychologists observe human behaviour, create theories to explain the behaviour and then carry out research to test these theories. A scientific way of looking at things can be an advantage as you develop key analytical and evaluative skills essential for higher education and careers in fields like mental health, education, and marketing. We use the Pearson Edexcel examination board.
Extra-curricular opportunities include a chance to participate in psychological research with UEA and the University of Portugal and entering the GDST Psychology Cup competition. We also offer trips including London Dungeons and Law Courts and host a brain dissection day.
Do you have a passion for texture, pattern and colour and want to develop both your creative expression and technical making skills?
Textile Design consists of the exploration of a variety of materials, techniques and processes in a structured format that will encourage you to be both expressive and ambitious in the production of your work. Throughout the course, you will have the opportunity to delve into disciplines such as drawing, printing, embroidery, pattern cutting and garment construction. Projects often reflect and draw inspiration from current trends seen within the fashion industry, but all work maintains a strong contextual reference to both historical and contemporary textile practice.
We have a commitment to first-hand experience and offer trips to the V&A in London and print hubs in Norwich and Cambridge. Students have the opportunity to show off their creations at our incredibly popular end of year Fashion Show, which is hosted by our A Level Textiles students.
This subject develops technical mastery alongside creativity, providing a strong portfolio for university courses in fashion, surface design, interiors and costume.
