An awesome pre-university experience with a range of diverse offerings and distinctive characteristics.
Sixth form at RIC is a fresh alternative to traditional education.
The College’s reputation was first established in the excellence of our Maths and Science teaching and the fact that many of our students achieved their ambitions to become doctors, vets and dentists. The College consistently sends students to top Russell group universities for subjects such as Medicine, Dentistry, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Natural Sciences, Mathematics, Actuarial Science and Engineering.
RIC has expanded since 1984 and we now have particular academic expertise in English and the Creative Arts, Film, Media and the Social Sciences. Traditional A level subjects still form the largest numbers of A level entries, Mathematics and English Literature the two largest subject areas. Our first class results demonstrate that motivated students are capable of doing well in subjects across the academic spectrum. Good Schools Guide awards have been won is Mathematics, Film Studies, English Literature, Chemistry and Sociology.Our arts department won the ISA Award for Excellence and Innovation in Fine Arts.
The College values traditional academic subjects and creative and practical subjects equally. Many of our students mix the two and successfully gain entry to top universities. Graphic Design and Music Technology are taken by many applying for Engineering degrees alongside Physics and Maths. History of Art complements Fine Art, Global Perspectives works well alongside Geography.
Classes are small and teachers quickly ‘tune in’ to the learning needs of their students, enabling them to set tasks that provide a high level of interest and challenge. The quality of discussion and questioning in lessons is outstanding. Lessons pass briskly and teachers do not allow individual students to hide.
Good teaching is not in itself always enough to ensure success. Rochester Independent College is always exceptionally supportive. People are not born with the ability to study, pass exams, revise or to organise their time properly and we believe it is the job of a good school to foster and teach these skills. Exam technique, a skill sometimes neglected even in good schools, is given much emphasis.
Examination success is as much about confidence and motivation as subject knowledge. When it comes to exam revision, students find that Rochester’s intensive revision programmes are unmatched anywhere. Students don’t have to struggle with hastily scribbled notes on some long forgotten classroom lecture. We do not send our students away on study leave and the tutors are on hand to guide and structure revision right the way up to the final papers.
The College aims to support and monitor students to ensure that all coursework and revision is completed satisfactorily. We are however also keen to ensure that students develop the confidence and study skills necessary for them to succeed independently once they leave the highly structured environment of the College and proceed to university. We aim to strike the right balance between academic hand holding and encouraging independence. An important part of the College’s teaching ethos is that staff are available to help students individually outside of scheduled lesson times.
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A levels are a chance to specialise after the broad educational grounding that GCSEs offer and this is something you should consider strongly before making your choices. RIC is different from many schools in that our timetable is constructed around the needs of the students. In this respect, there are no combination of subjects that are prohibited for students at RIC. Most of our students joining us in Year 12 will choose four A level subjects to start with and we are flexible enough that if, for whatever reason, a subject is not working well for a student then it is still possible to alter their programme.
At the end of year 12 it is usual that students drop one of their subjects in order to move forward with their strongest A levels in Year 13. This not only helps students to refine their programme in order to enhance their chances of securing the grades for their preferred university, but also allows for an understanding that the fourth subject in the first year can be selected to highlight the range of academic disciplines that have been of interest. In this respect, the fourth subject chosen in Year 12 could be seen as a form of academic enrichment which highlights a student’s abilities in a range of subject types.
Two years ago James had very few options on GCSE results day; few schools would even speak to us, let alone discuss A levels. Only one school gave us hope and that was RIC. Thank you for not only making this possible and for giving him the confidence to know that he can succeed. James has done better than many of his contemporaries from his old grammar school, who, unlike him, were allowed into the sixth form
The most interesting thing about Conor’s move from Gravesend Grammar was that he went to RIC for the results but the College was actually less of an exam factory than many schools are. RIC is about the development of students as a person which is a much more significant thing.