Esher Sixth Form College is a popular and successful open access Sixth Form College, situated in Thames Ditton, Surrey.

We offer a wide range of A level and BTEC National courses, have a strong reputation in the local community and are specialists in educating 16-18 year olds. We are judged to be ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted – a clear indication of the excellent results our students consistently achieve. You can find full details of our latest​​ examination results in The College section of the website.

We are committed to:

• creating a culture of high expectations and outstanding achievement for 16-19 year olds
• delivering high quality teaching and learning, tailored to individual learning needs
• developing a broad range of skills and experiences to ensure students fulfil their potential and progress to further study or employment
• promoting inclusivity, tolerance and respect for others within a supportive and caring College community which values diversity
• making a positive contribution to the wider community

Intake

Esher Sixth Form College has over 2,000 full-time students, in addition to part time(adult) enrolments attending in the evening. During the day we specialize in 16-19 education where we have an unusual pattern of student recruitment. Good communication links mean that students travel to the College from a wide area. Although we have partnerships with our local schools, we draw on over 100 schools for our intake – from both the state and independent sectors, from inner and outer London, most of Surrey, and occasionally from other counties.

The diversity of students has a positive impact on the health of the College, making it a friendly and lively place to work and study. The College remains an extremely popular option for post-16 education, with student demand often outstripping our ability to supply.

Curriculum

Our core full-time provision covers a full range of A level and BTEC courses, as well as a small number of GCSE subjects. All students take level 3 courses as part of their study programme. Every student also takes a diverse range of enrichment courses, including the Personal Development Programme, the Extended Project Qualification, work experience, sport, drama and other extension courses.

We aim to provide a curriculum for students which is broad, balanced and coherent, and to ensure successful progression to university, apprenticeship or work. As a rule, about 90% of our students go on to University and data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency demonstrates that our students go on to be high achievers at degree level.

The College is firmly rooted in the community it serves and we offer a highly successful and ever-expanding programme of evening and weekend courses for adults, focused on local community needs. We also hire out our modern facilities to local clubs and organisations.

Performance

Our Summer 2023 exam results demonstrate that our students made excellent progress during their two years at the College. All our headline A level Grade Profiles are above national benchmarks, with our High-Grade A* to B rate being 58.8%, which is 5.3% above the national benchmark. We are equally proud of our consistently strong value added. ALPs, an independent national assessor of value-added performance, have placed us in the top 25% nationally for A level value added.

Due to the wide range of BTECs qualifications, it is more of a challenge to provide a BTEC headline, but in short, our two year courses achieved excellent outcomes, with over 70% of our students on sub-diploma, foundation diploma and diploma, achieving high grades.

These impressive results are achieved in the context of deliberately inclusive entry requirements – our intake is more mixed than one might anticipate and we maintain a genuine open-access policy, without any selection criteria, beyond the relatively modest, minimum entry requirements. Our last Ofsted inspection was in September 2022 and we were awarded Grade 1: Outstanding for all areas inspected; a wonderful accolade for the College.

Key strengths of the College, identified by Ofsted, include:

• Very good progress of students

• Outstanding teaching and learning

• Outstanding extension and enrichment activities

• Very good facilities and resources

• Strong commitment to equality of opportunity

Beyond the Academic

Most teaching staff are personal tutors in a ‘horizontal’ year group structure. We have strong support processes to monitor student progress and to provide careful guidance to individual students when needed. The students run a very effective Student Union which organises many events, some purely social, many raising funds for charity. We have our own registered charity to support Aids orphans in Africa. We have a team of staff who are trained counsellors and who provide an expert level of advice for students with personal problems, as well as a College Nurse. We also have a learning support team which assists students who need extra help in improving their learning skills and supporting those with particular learning needs.

Facilities and Accommodation

The College’s facilities and accommodation are some of the best available in the area, the product of a long term Property Strategy. There are specialist facilities for all subjects, with IT access and projectors in every room, two large Learning Resource Centres, extensive computer access, a Theatre, Drama Studio and a College café for students to relax in. We have a large Sports Hall, where staff and students have free access to an on-site gym. We are also fortunate in having a large, landscaped campus, with tennis courts and

playing fields.

Staffing

The College currently employs some 200 staff, with an approximate 2:1 split between teaching and support functions, mostly on permanent contracts. Relationships across the staffing structure are very good, being supportive and friendly, with encouragement given to colleagues to contribute to a variety of local, regional and national initiatives.

Travel

The College is located in Thames Ditton, with Hampton Court Palace and the River Thames close by, and within easy access of the A3 and the M25. Thames Ditton train station is only a 2 minute walk from Esher Sixth Form College.

Esher Sixth Form College is an extremely successful  College with a proven track record of high quality academic performance. The College prides itself on its positive, vibrant atmosphere, making it a friendly and lively place to work and study.  All staff are extremely hardworking in helping students achieve their potential. A key part of the ethos of the College is its commitment to staff development.