Sandridgebury Lane, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 6DB
Year 13 Information
Curriculum
As outlined in depth on the curriculum page and in our curriculum plan linked below, our students in Key Stage 5 are able to follow an individualised programme that meets their needs and ambitions. The curriculum provides opportunities that develop their independent learning and academic skill set as well as their communication, teamwork and other vital employability skills.
STAGS offers students in Key Stage Five a very wide range of A level courses: Art, Art Textiles, Business, Classical Civilisation, Computing, Dance, Drama, Economics, English Literature, Film Studies, French, Fashion & Textiles, Geography, History, Mathematics and Further Mathematics, Music, Politics, Psychology, Photography, PE, Religion Philosophy & Ethics (REP), Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Spanish and Sociology. Opportunities also exist to study other subjects at local schools.
All students study three A Level subjects, with some students taking Further Mathematics as a fourth option.
All Year 12 students also follow the Step Up programme which includes sessions on careers guidance, financial understanding, UCAS guidance, issues affecting teenagers and study skills. The Step Up programme also is where Relationship and Sex Education lessons are delivered to extend students’ prior knowledge from Key Stages 3 and 4, and where the statutory requirement of Religion, Philosophy and Ethics is covered. Here they study topics on, amongst others, Bereavement, Animal Rights and Holocaust Studies.
The curriculum is enhanced at Post 16 with a wide variety of enrichment opportunities, which include amongst others an Arts Award, Debating, Food Skills, Language Leaders, Young Enterprise, Sports Leadership as well as Core Mathematics and the Extended Project Qualification.
Curriculum Overview - Autumn 2026
Assessment and Reporting of Progress
In Year 13, students also receive three report cards. One in the Autumn Term prior to their mocks with a UCAS predicted grade and MLO followed by another early in the Spring Term which will include a mock exam result. A third and final report will be sent in the Summer Term before the exam period begins which will include a comment from the form tutor. Similar to Year 12, the report card will contain MLO, ATL and their Target Grade. Students will be awarded an ATL as outlined below. We have high expectations of all students at STAGS and we expect most students will receive a ‘3’ for ‘Meeting STAGS Expectations’.
Over the course of the year some students may demonstrate that they have exceeded these expectations and will be awarded a level 4. For exemplary attitude students will receive a level 5 and will be rewarded as per our behaviour policy.
| 5 |
Exemplary |
Students who consistently meet the 'Exceeding' criteria |
|
. . 4 |
. . Exceeding STAGS Expectations |
Students who, in addition to meeting the STAGS expectations, also:
|
|
. . . . . . 3 |
. . . . . . Meeting STAGS Expectations |
Students demonstrate independent and proactive learning habits by:
|
|
. . . 2 |
. . . Below STAGS Expectations |
Students who fail to meet one or two of the expected criteria, for example:
|
|
1 |
Serious Concern | Students who continually fail to meet the expected criteria |
Key Dates for 2026-2027
If you have any queries about your child’s progress within a subject, please do not hesitate to contact their Subject Teacher. If your queries are more general i.e. across a number of subjects, please contact your child’s Director of Learning.
