Every student, known by name

Behind every student in our Sixth Form is a tutor who knows them — their progress, their pressures, and their plans for what comes next. Tutor time isn't a register-taking formality here; it's a structured, daily  space where students are challenged, supported, and kept on track, by someone who genuinely knows their subject as well as their story.

We run six tutor groups in Year 12 and six in Year 13, each following a carefully sequenced weekly programme that runs alongside — and reinforces — everything else in our Personal Development curriculum.

Tutors who know the subject, not just the student

Wherever possible, our Sixth Form tutors are subject leads in an A Level or Level 3 subject, and students are matched to a tutor working in a subject area relevant to them. This matters: it means academic mentoring in tutor time isn't generic. A tutor who leads an A Level department can give real, subject-specific guidance on study techniques, results, and next steps — not just general encouragement — while still holding the whole-student, pastoral view that tutor time is built around.

What tutor time covers

Tutor time is sequenced deliberately across the two years, not delivered as a random daily slot. It includes:

• Induction and identity.  Students starting Year 12 reflect on who they are becoming, set academic and personal goals, and identify their support network — captured in an “open letter to yourself,” sealed and returned at the end of the year.

• Skills for independence.  Sessions on professional planning, time management, and study skills, building the habits Sixth Form and beyond demand.

• Global and civic awareness.  Themes on global citizenship, local action, and students' footprint as citizens.

• Readiness for adulthood.  In Year 13 particularly, tutor time shifts toward reflecting on readiness for adulthood, setting final-year targets, and identifying support networks for life after CBSC.

• Transition and takeaway.  Year 13 closes as Year 12 began — with reflection, identity, and a forward look — giving the two-year tutor relationship a clear arc rather than an abrupt end.

A responsive layer, built around real need

Alongside our six standard tutor groups per year, we run an additional Focus Tutor Group, led by our Sixth Form Raising Standards Leads. Rather than following a fixed theme, its focus changes termly  based on what the cohort actually needs at that moment.

This might mean an intensive stretch and challenge group for our highest-attaining students working toward competitive university applications, or a focused group for students who need targeted support to stabilise attendance and re-engage with their studies. The group's purpose is diagnosed and adjusted each term by the Raising Standards Leads — a genuinely responsive intervention, not a fixed label attached to a fixed group of students.

Why it matters

Good tutoring isn't an add-on to Sixth Form life — it's often what makes the difference between a student who's coping and one who's thriving. By combining consistent, subject-expert tutors with a genuinely responsive layer of targeted support through the Focus Tutor Group, we make sure every student has someone in their corner who notices when something changes, and acts on it.

Find out more

If you'd like to know more about tutor group allocation, or wish to discuss your son or daughter’s  tutor tutor group, please contact Mr B Earley, Raising Standards Lead (Welfare) on bearley@carshaltonboys.org.