Top Tips for Embedding Culture, Ethos and Vision in Your Sixth Form

Foreword from John Philip, Alps Senior Education Consultant

I originally wrote the first edition of 99 Ways to Improve Your Sixth Form in the early 2000s while still teaching at Little Heath School. That decade brought two Ofsted Outstanding judgments, a second SSAT specialism, and a journey that connected me with Alps and PiXL, both of which played significant roles in the development of our sixth form. 

The success of that sixth form and the insights gained from working with schools across the UK and beyond led to what’s now a well-travelled piece of work – continually updated to remain relevant. What strikes me most after 20 years of policy shifts and social change is how enduring the fundamentals of a great sixth form really are.

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Top Tips for Creating an Outstanding Sixth Form Culture: Culture, Ethos, Vision and Values

Unless you have the right culture in place, your strategies are much more likely to fall flat. 

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast” was the key theme of my discussion with the amazing Julian Appleyard OBE, and that webinar is still available to watch at CultureEatsStrategy. 

 The importance of creating the right culture for learning and aspiration cannot be overstated.

Tip 1: Treat the Sixth Form as a Priority 

It is crucially important to ensure that the Sixth Form matters, and that there is as robust a focus on improving Post-16 provision as there is at KS4. 

Tip 2: Define and Live Your Values 

Develop a commonly understood and consistently applied set of core values that define your school or college’s vision of Post-16 education. This culture and these values should underpin all your policies and practices and be used to assess all important policy decisions, such as whether to implement new initiatives. 

Tip 3: Keep Calm Amid the Chaos 

In turbulent times schools and colleges are constantly bombarded by external pressures. You can’t fight chaos with chaos.  

Ensure you stay true to your culture and values and prioritise those things you can control such as the dignity and respect with which students are treated, the quality of teaching and learning, the quality of target setting, guidance & support and the quality and focus of your leadership at all levels. 

Tip 4: Involve All Voices in Shaping Values 

Ensure that your culture, values, and ethos are shared and owned by your teachers and students by involving them as partners in their creation, review, or refinement. Review regularly. 

Tip 5: Create a Culture of Aspiration 

• Focus on ensuring that your students will aspire, believe and achieve. Ensure that displays in study areas / social areas / sixth form classrooms reflect your key values. Ensure they are aspirational and inspirational. 
•  If you have not done so already, check out Zero Gravity– many schools I worked with through PiXL value their mission to ‘spread opportunity across the UK and power high-potential students into top universities and careers.’ 
• Similarly, the Elephant Group, formed in 2018 by my friend Matt Jones OBE, who I had the privilege to work with as his KS4 & Post-16 PiXL Associate at ARK Globe Academy, is excellent. The Elephant Group is committed to increasing the number of academically gifted non-selective state school students within the UK’s ‘top third’ of universities. 

Tip 6: Celebrate the Successes of Former Students 

Celebrate these successes in displays, in assemblies and in publications. Make a video and take photographs on Sixth Form Results Day each summer and use with current students and their parents.

In 11-18 schools it is important these successes remain visible in the main school. Display a ‘Wall of Success’ in Main Reception showing the university, apprenticeship and career destination of recent sixth formers. 

Where possible, bring former students back to share their journeys – including how they got where they are now – with your current students. 

Tip 7: Promote a Growth Mindset with Teaching Staff 

In staff training, for example the INSET day at the start of September, make sure that the academic achievements of sixth formers who have made excellent value-added progress from GCSE and/or from Key Stage 2 (KS2) are celebrated publicly so it is not possible for any teacher to have low aspirations for students based on prior attainment. 

There must be no ceilings! Your aim should be to establish a growth mindset culture. 

If you do not currently measure progress from KS2 to Level 3 I would heartily recommend that you do to demonstrate how transformational the seven-year journey has been. 

Tip 8: Recognise the Value in Everyday Progress 

Establish a culture of continuous incremental improvement every day by everyone, students, teachers, and support staff.  

Truly ‘outstanding’ schools and colleges are ‘restless’ places where everyone believes they can improve and learn new skills. 

Tip 9: Value Every Student Equally 

Make sure that each young person in the Sixth Form is valued equally. Treat each student as an important individual who will be challenged to aim higher to be the best they can be. 

The cared-for young person on a Level 2 course who is re-taking GCSE English and Mathematics should be of equal value to your school or college as your highest-flying Oxbridge-bound Level 3 student. 

Tip 10: Encourage Transitional Adulthood 

Treat the young people in the Sixth Form as ‘transitional’ adults. 

If you treat them as children, they are likely to respond as children. If you treat them as ‘transitional’ adults, partners on a crucial journey, they are much more likely to respond as adults. 

Equally, because they are transitional adults, parents have a right to be kept informed and given the chance to support them if there are issues to be resolved. 

Tip 11: Empower Students Through Assemblies 

Use assemblies to widen horizons and inspire your students. Broaden students’ understanding of current affairs, bring in inspirational speakers and celebrate students’ successes. 

Ensure assemblies are not just used for information giving – this can be done by email, WhatsApp, text-messaging, X, Bluesky, Facebook, and on notice boards. 

Tip 12: Recognise and Praise Student Progress 

Make sure you have appropriate praise-mechanisms for sixth formers. 

• Consider postcards home and monthly tutor-group prizes, for example shopping-vouchers.  
• Even better, involve your students in discussions about how best to ensure that praise is a significant and regular feature of school and college life. 
• Ensure that you reward and praise students who have a brilliant attitude to learning and / or make a great contribution to the school or local community or who exceed expectations, as well as those doing best academically.

Tip 13: Involve Students in Shaping Your Culture 

Ask students to lead assemblies displaying their talents – this can help to build a stronger sense of community and provides them with the opportunity to develop their confidence and to embed key communication skills. 

Tip 14: Make Sixth Form Life Memorable 

Ensure your students’ time in the sixth form is memorable. It is important sixth form life is enjoyable as well as aspirational. For 11-18 schools it is important this enjoyment is visible to all main school students.  

Tip 15: Start the Journey Early 

Consider recruiting for the Sixth Form starting at the Y6 Parents’ Evening each summer when you introduce them and their children to the school. 

Emphasise the norm is for their child to join the school for a seven-year journey. 

Tip 16: Build a Scholar’s Programme 

Consider setting up a Scholars’ Programme if you do not do so already. The purpose is to have structures and activities in place, so students raise their horizons systematically from Y7 through to the Sixth Form. 

Tip 17: Give Students a Voice 

Ensure Sixth Form students have the opportunity in year group assemblies to consistently reinforce why they are enjoying Sixth Form and where they hope to be at 18 and beyond. 

If you are also able to involve students from previous cohorts too, even better. 

Tip 18: Use Role Models to Inspire 

I would also encourage Heads of Subject to identify the best Sixth Formers studying their subject(s) to have the opportunity to go into appropriate sets in Y10 and Y11 to explain why they love that subject and what their post-18 ambitions are.  

Tip 19: Define Your Sixth Form’s Unique Appeal 

Each sixth form should develop its unique selling points that will appeal to lower school students. 

Closing Thoughts from Alps Education: Embedding Culture, Ethos, Vision and Values in Your Sixth Form

Embedding a strong culture, ethos and vision isn’t just about policy – it’s about purpose, people and persistence. 

These top tips from John provide practical, proven ways to build a sixth form environment where aspiration thrives, individuality is celebrated, and every student is empowered to succeed. 

At Alps Education, we understand that a thriving culture must be backed by meaningful insight. 

That’s why our KS5 tools – like Alps Connect and Alps Summit – are designed to give school and college leaders the data clarity they need to drive improvement. 

From value-added analysis to monitoring tools and performance benchmarks, Alps provides a shared language that supports better conversations, sharper interventions and more ambitious outcomes for every learner. 

If you’re ready to enhance your Post-16 provision with smart, supportive analytics, we’re here to help you make it happen. Book a demo with our friendly team today and see how Alps can support your sixth form’s success.