Welcome to Nottingham University Samworth Academy Sixth Form
We pride ourselves on being a Sixth Form which provides the ambition and rigor required for young people to develop their skills and experiences: becoming independent, playing an active role in their community and moving into employment or Higher Education.
At NUSA Sixth Form you will study in an inclusive environment that will challenge, reward and ensure that you work to the highest standards allowing you to thrive. We drive our students by developing their growth mind set, supporting their academic progress to ensure they achieve the best outcomes for a successful future.
We are proud to have built strong links with local employers and higher educational providers that will benefit you along your journey to gain the very best opportunities for your chosen future pathway, whether for university, higher education or employment.
Alongside your education, we will provide you with a wide and varied range of enrichment and curriculum opportunities that give you the very best experiences and preparation, in order to support our students to develop into resilient, motivated and confident young adults.
Being a student in our Sixth Form combines the best of both worlds. We provide the structure that comes with being a school along with more freedom of expression. We offer a wide range of courses and students are able to choose the subjects that best suit their abilities and interests. Smaller class sizes enable staff to provide regular individual support and intervention. We nurture our students to develop excellent study methods and sound exam techniques so that they can express their thoughts and knowledge more effectively. The impact of this is seen through the academic improvement achieved by our students.
We look forward to building an outstanding sixth form provision with ambitious and dedicated students.
Lucy Strawson
Head of NUSA Sixth Form
Our pathways
We have four different pathways to choose from at NUSA Sixth Form:
- A Levels
- A Level/BTEC Combination
- BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma
- T Levels
A Levels
Select from our Social Science specialist A Levels, choosing 3 subjects. Course information can be found below. The majority of these courses are assessed by an external examination at the end of Year 13, however some courses will differ.
A Level/BTEC Combination
Alongside selecting 2 or 3 A Level subjects you may wish to consider one of our BTECs in either Business or Sport. These are assessed mostly via coursework throughout the two years, meaning less external examinations in Year 13. The BTECs are equivalent to one A Level and are worth the equivalent UCAS points.
BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma
The courses are equivalent to three A Levels and are awarded the same UCAS tariffs, for when applying to University and Higher Education.
You will have to complete a range of units, assessments and exams that will be taught, researched, and marked, as you build a portfolio of your assignments. You can feel proud to achieve a BTEC because, whatever your plans in life—whether you decide to study further at university, go on to employment or an apprenticeship, or set up your own business—your BTEC National will be your passport to success in the next stage of your life.
You will have the opportunity to develop the following transferable skills throughout the BTEC units on all courses, all highly desirable in any career:
- Teamwork
- Working on your own initiative
- Problem solving
- Business skills
- Planning
- Presentation
- Evaluation skills
T Levels
Why choose a T Level?
T Levels give you another choice after your GCSEs. Check out the 5 great reasons for choosing a T Level – and get ready to move to the next level. You select one T Level in either Education and Childcare or Healthcare Science
Created with Business
T Levels have been designed with leading businesses and employers to give you the knowledge and skills you need.
More than 250 businesses – including Fujitsu and Skanska – have been involved so you can be confident your T Level will move you to the next level.
Get ahead in your career
T Levels give you the chance to learn what a real career is like while you continue your studies.
Your industry placement will last for at least 45 days – when and how you complete it depends on the T Level, school or college, and employer
Qualifications that count
When you pass your T Level, you will get a nationally recognised certificate showing the overall grade you achieved - pass, merit, distinction or distinction*. It will also give details of what you learned on the course to help you move into skilled employment or a higher apprenticeship.
Awarded UCAS points
Your T Level will be worth UCAS points – a T Level Distinction* is worth the same as 3 A levels at A* – and will be recognised by universities and other education providers so you can choose to continue studying if you wish.
Learn your way
T Levels involve more classroom study than apprenticeships, which means you can experience an industry while you continue your studies.
Our Aims
- We aim to provide a curriculum which is appropriate for each student in its range and demands and which raises aspirations of all of our young people within our setting.
- We aim to encourage and develop academic skills of increasingly independent study, research and thought.
- We aim to encourage and develop wider personal skills to allow a confident entry into Higher Education, Apprenticeships and Higher Degree Apprenticeships and to create adaptability and resilience befitting the realities of working life in the 21st century.
Pastoral
Being in the Sixth Form is a new phase in every student’s life and will feel different from anything that has been experienced at school so far. Relationships with teachers will change, as students are expected and encouraged to take more responsibility for their own learning.
The whole Sixth Form team, your tutors and your teachers work closely with each individual to help them to develop both academically and as a person, to make sure they achieve your very best, and encourage them to take up a wide range of opportunities to prepare for the future.
Our aim is to support each individual through this important stage of education and prepare them for the demands of higher education and employment, give them opportunities to experience new activities and challenges and encourage them to think independently and make informed decisions about their future.
Each student has access to a personal tutor, our pastoral support officer and Directors of Sixth Form to provide support for wellbeing and pastoral concerns.
Students can also be referred for specialist counselling if they are struggling and are supported through this process by our team.
Tutor Periods
We aim to ensure that students are given opportunities to develop themselves as global citizens in the 21st century.
Through a suitable and appropriate PSHE curriculum, students will undertake a programme that covers a range of relevant issues including; British Values, supporting and developing student resilience, providing opportunities for students to understand their own mental health and preparing them for next steps through a careers unit, external applications and UCAS.
These sessions are planned to cover the following across Year 12 and 13;
A core tutor programme that includes units on Resilience, Initiative, Organisation, Communication, Leadership, Endurance and Wellbeing.
- E-safety
- Exam preparation
- Delivery of study skills/critical thinking through university providers
- Work skills- Careers unit, collation of exam results and certificate, writing CVs, applying for jobs, writing Personal Statements, Interview techniques
- The World around Us/British Values/Current Affairs/Political parties /Government · UCAS preparation
Independent Study
Students at NUSA Sixth Form benefit from dedicated Post 16 study areas to use during their study periods and before and after school. They are equipped with access to computers, as well as refreshment facilities, to allow students to use their private study time productively. In addition, many post 16 students take advantage of other independent study areas around the school.
Enrichment
We provide:
- Activities to develop confidence, character and resilience.
- Group work to develop team working, communication skills, leadership and problem solving – skills that employers often say are lacking in school and college leavers.
- Tutorials and seminars through our tutor programme and careers provision.
- Life skills, such as: the ability to travel independently, how to cook and eat healthily, stay safe, personal finance, or preparation for adult or university life.
- Activities to support students to build experience for their CV and/or personal statement.
Peer Mentoring
Mentors can provide advice that can reduce stress and provide confidence to younger students. Student Mentors have themselves successfully completed compulsory education and they have an understanding of what younger students are experiencing.
Reading Coaches
Peer reading offered by 6th formers one of a number of opportunities for successful students to help students with reading and learning needs in the lower school. Volunteers help develop literacy skills in Year 7 and 8 students, giving them the confidence and encouragement needed for them to thrive and progress.
Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)
Our students can opt to study for the Extended Project Qualification alongside their other A Level or BTEC choices. The course is designed to prepare them for academic life at university, with a big emphasis on independent learning. Students design their own research project, shaped from their personal interests and they then organise their time to research, plan, write, present and evaluate their final project. The outcome can be a research paper, a scientific report or something artistic and creative. The course lasts for a year and is the equivalent of half an A Level. Unlike many one-year courses, an A* is also available to students, which means highly successful projects can gain a few extra UCAS points! Universities also love students who study an Extended Project, which means they often lower their entry requirements for successful completion of the course.
Sports Leaders Level 3 Certificate in Higher Sports Leadership
The Level 3 Certificate in Higher Sports Leadership is a nationally recognised qualification that enables successful learners to lead unsupervised groups of people in sport and recreational activities. It is a fun and practical qualification teaching generic leadership skills such as organisation, planning, communication and teamwork through the medium of sport. Students are provided with the opportunity to lead lessons in curriculum time, officiate and coach in Sports Partnership Events and lead sessions in primary schools. The course provides students with an opportunity to show important employability skills and qualities such as leadership, communication, self-confidence and community spirit.
Duke of Edinburgh Award (D of E)
This provides you with the opportunity to try new activities, develop key life skills and contribute to the local community through the ‘volunteering’ section. You will complete the final assessment by planning and completing, as a team, a fully self-sufficient expedition in the Peak District.
Work Experience
You will be encouraged to find a placement which supports your interests and career aspirations. Work experience takes place at the end of Year 12 and helps you develop additional experience in support of your UCAS application.
Student comments
“I have been a student at NUSA Sixth Form for nearly two years now and really enjoyed it from the beginning. The staff have helped me massively get to my next stage in life and I really appreciate that. They have been so supportive and believe in me from the very first day that I could succeed within the Sixth Form. As long as you, as a student want to succeed and are committed, the teachers will try their best to make it happen.”
Lewis Walls (Year 13)
“I made the decision of staying on at Sixth Form partly because of the teachers, the teachers know and understand how I work and helped me achieve everything I wanted, to be where I am today.”
Renee Brandy-Harris (Year 13)
“For me choosing to attend NUSA sixth form was one of the best decisions I am yet to make in my life thus far. It’s a very different experience to how it was as a student in the main school. The members of staff at NUSA Sixth Form respect and treat you as an adult, and take what you want seriously, they are so supportive of the decisions you make and really do know what they are doing... so to any upcoming students trust what they are saying because they know what they’re doing and will be the people you go to for the next year or so who will have all the knowledge and tools to get you where you want to be. With my qualifications from Sixth Form I was accepted into all of my university choices including my first choice. The experience overall has been really positive and I am so thankful for all my teachers, and I won’t ever forget the doors they have helped me to open.”
Angel Carlisle-Brown (Year 13)
“Studying at NUSA Sixth Form is enjoyable and fun, you are set with challenges and given activities that can help you learn and grow, but the support is also important. The support and affection you are given by teachers is amazing, they help you through tough times and are understanding; you never feel alone. This is why NUSA Sixth Form is the best place to go, you will not regret it."
Savannah Thornhill (Year 13)
Course Guide
Click on one of the options below for further information.
Vocational Pathways
BTEC Extended Diploma Health & Social Care
BTEC Extended Diploma in Business
BTEC Extended Diploma in Sport
T-Level in Education and Childcare
A-Level Psychology
A-Level Sociology
WJEC Level 3 Applied Diploma in CriminologyBTECs
BTEC Business
BTEC SportApply for a place for September 2025
Entry requirements
Minimum five GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including English and Maths.
Other Level 2 pass qualifications are accepted as equivalent to a grade 4.
Apply Online
The application process for September 2025 entry is open: please fill out the form below to apply.
Please complete all the fields on the application form and ensure you enter a valid e-mail address so that we can contact you.
Please read through this form carefully before you start to complete it. You will be required to complete your personal details, information about your qualifications and your provisional course choices.