Pre A Level

The Pre A Foundation Programme at St Bees School equips students with the confidence, skills and awareness to pursue and exceed in their A Level studies after just two terms.

Students commence the course in September, joining a range of classes, focusing on a variety of subjects including core subjects - Maths, English as an Additional Language and all three Sciences - Biology, Chemistry and Physics in addition to a selection from History, Geography, Economics and Art.  Students will also take part in our bespoke Global Awareness Programme, only available at St Bees School – a unique class developing debating, analytical and presentation skills.

Following successful completion of these first two terms, students will automatically gain a place to continue their studies to A Level at St Bees School.

There are two major components to the Pre A Level Foundation Programme at St Bees.

• How St Bees prepares its second language students for the demands of the A Level, with a focus on the academic dimension. This focus comprises the subjects studied, the character attributes which develop students’ EQ skills and the progress tracking delivered through the school’s mentoring system.
• The second component relates to enrichment and support.

During these A Level preparation terms, students have a range of opportunities to broaden their horizons.

This counselling is provided individually for each student through the school’s specialist
staff along with general seminars on university applications.

Pre A Level Prospectus 

St Bees is proud to provide made-to-measure language support. Once the language
needs of an individual student has been defined by our team of specialists, the student
receives a schedule of the timings and location of the EAL support lessons. These are
scheduled to complement the student’s academic timetable. EAL support lessons take
place in a group of 2-4 students who share similar language needs.

During the Pre A Foundation Programme, students are prepared for University life. As
members of the St Bees boarding community, they grow in maturity, learning to accept
responsibility for their own behaviour and contributing positively to leadership and
teamwork. Personal organisation is one the ten character attributes we promote at St
Bees, and following completion of a St Bees A Level programme too, students will be
fully prepared for an independent life.

 IQ + EQ : Academic Attainment in balance with Character Development
This is the cornerstone of the St Bees educational philosophy and the first of our Guiding Principles. Unlike the myriad components of the Chinese ‘virtues’ education, the St Bees character development programme focuses on those attributes which combine to enable students to maximise their educational potential.

This dimension is not a ‘bolt-on’ or delivered through worksheets. St Bees schools commit to the development of this dimension in two main ways:

1. integrated within lessons, with opportunities designed into all schemes of work
2. delivered through the weekly GAP lessons for all students.