Year 12 Open Evening for 2026 starters

Over 1,100 prospective Sixth Formers and their families from Denbigh and across Milton Keynes attended our recent Sixth Form Open Evening.  The buzz and energy around the School was fantastic to see as our visitors toured the facilities and talked to staff and current Sixth Formers about their aspirations for Post-16 Education and beyond.

As always, our current Sixth Formers were keen to show off their Sixth Form and came back for the evening to act as faculty helpers, allowing our visitors to get a first-hand account of student life in the Denbigh Sixth Form.  Two students, Lucas Amps and Angel Adeoye were part of the Headteacher presentations and gave inspiring and motivational talks to packed audiences in the Meeting Hall.

Mr Bennett, Director of Post 16 Education said: ‘It is wonderful to see the pride staff and students have in our Sixth Form.  We had some amazing feedback from parents during the event about how impressed they were with everything they saw and how welcoming and informative our staff and student guides and faculty helpers were.’

You can view the slides from the presentation given by Mr Steed, Headteacher and Mr Bennett, Director of Post 16 during the Evening here:

You can also listen to Mr Bennett talking you through the presentation here:

To start your application for our exceptional Sixth Form starting in September 2026 click here: https://denbigh.net/…/sixth-form-application-form/ #thinkdenbigh

Our 2026 Prospectus is also available at: Prospectus – Denbigh School – Milton Keynes

Virtual School Tour

Join us for a virtual tour of our wonderful school. Visit each of our faculty areas and take a look at our Sixth Form study and social facilities, including the Sixth Form only Brewhouse Cafe. Take a virtual walk down our Street where students dine and socialise before moving outside to see our outdoor facilities and sports pitches.

Faculties

Please take some time to explore our faculty areas by clicking on the header links in the tables below. This will take you to the dedicated page on our school website for each Faculty where you will find contact details for members of staff, Schemes of Learning, Assessment & Feedback policies & enrichment opportunities offered by each Faculty.

Business & Computing	Creative Arts	Design & Technology	English & Media
Business	Art	Fashion & Textiles	English Literature
Computer Science	Dance	Product Design	English Lang & Literature
Economics	Music		Media Studies
CTEC Technical in Business	Music Technology
Football Academy	Theatre Studies

Humanities	Mathematics	Languages	PE & Sport
Geography	Mathematics	French	BTEC Sport
History	Further Mathematics	German	Physical Education
Philosophy & Ethics		Spanish

Science	Social Science
Biology	Health & Social Care
Chemistry	Psychology
Physics	Sociology

Mentoring and Support in the Sixth Form

Pastoral support is vital to ensure student success.  In the Denbigh Sixth Form, pastoral support starts with a Mentor and extends to the Heads of Year and Sixth Form administrators. The most important person in our students’ time in the Sixth Form will be their Mentor.   Students stay with their mentors for the two years to ensure that they develop an effective and supportive relationship.  Students will have two 30 minute group mentoring sessions a week with their mentor, where they will be guided through the principles of VESPA. Mentoring will also include careers education as well as Personal, Social and Health Education.  Students will cover aspects related to supporting their own Mental Health and be supported through challenges over the two years.   Mentors are also responsible for writing references and supporting job applications and UCAS. There is always someone on hand to provide guidance and support.  If further support is required, students also have access to the school counsellor on a referral basis.       

Student Experience

The Denbigh Sixth Form attracts students from a number of local secondary schools in and around Milton Keynes.  One of the features we are particularly proud of is the experience that all students go through when they arrive at Denbigh School, whether they are internal students or ‘new to Denbigh’ students.  As the video will demonstrate, the support available through mentoring and the wider Sixth Form community provides an excellent experience for students transferring from other schools.  The Denbigh experience is about more than just a focus on academic excellence, it is very much about developing the whole person.  The opportunities in sport, the arts and wider leadership roles all contribute to the student experience.  Denbigh Sixth Form is concerned with preparing our students for their lives post A-Levels, whether that is at University, in an apprenticeship or in a career.  These experiences, available to all, will provide an excellent grounding on which to make the next steps in the students’ lives.

We provide a comprehensive induction programme for our prospective students including a Futures Day in the Autumn Term for Denbigh’s Year 11 students when they become Sixth Formers for the day to sample A Level classes and Sixth Form facilities. We also offer a two day Induction programme in July where all students who have a conditional offer of a Sixth Form place at Denbigh are invited in to experience all aspects of being a Sixth Former at our school.

Football Academy

Denbigh’s Football Academy was established in 1999 meaning that it is the most established provider of football education in Milton Keynes.  We offer students a two-year challenging, but flexible, Level 3 course which is the equivalent of two A-Levels. There is also the opportunity to take an additional A-Level for those students with appropriate GCSE scores. Academy students also develop their footballing skills and learn how to coach young people. Academy graduates go on to a variety of pathways, both academic and vocational.  Alumni have gone on to complete university courses at leading institutions, whilst others have taken up successful positions in disciplines such as sports coaching, physiotherapy and sports analysis. 

Our Academy works in partnership with the Milton Keynes Dons Community Trust which allows Academy students the opportunity to train and compete in a high-performance environment at the MK Dons and gives boys from the MK Dons Talent Pathway access to Denbigh’s first class education offer.

Careers

We have a strong Careers team at Denbigh School, ensuring that students get the right support, advice and careers education to prepare them for their next step.

Careers education is delivered through the following means:

• Mentoring sessions
• Personal guidance with our independent Careers Adviser
• Careers Week
• Year 12 Work Experience

UCAS and Apprenticeships

Every year, approximately 75% of Denbigh students apply to University.  All applications take place through the UCAS website and students are provided with extensive guidance and support to help them through this process.  UCAS also provides information and the means of applying for apprenticeships.

The UCAS process officially starts in school in July of Year 12.  However, it is never too early to start looking and doing some research and wider reading about university courses and careers.  There is a wealth of experience in the Sixth Form Pastoral Team to guide students through all aspects of the application process, including supporting those students who aspire to become doctors and/or apply to Oxford or Cambridge University.  

For those students who are considering an apprenticeship or going straight into a career then support is also provided.  Through mentoring sessions and our Post-18 Futures Day, the Sixth Form Team work closely with the school’s Careers Advisor to provide students with comprehensive advice and guidance on apprenticeships and employment opportunities.  Employers from a wide range of businesses are also invited into the Sixth Form Centre to talk to the students and provide them with information relating to their specific sectors.

To support UCAS and apprenticeship applications, we also draw on the contributions of the Denbigh Alumni, with ex-students making regular visits throughout the year to speak to our Sixth Formers about their choices and experiences.  During our Post-18 Futures Day, the Alumni provide more specific guidance about the UCAS and apprenticeship processes and talk to our students about how they made their choices and provide guidance about things to consider.

Enrichment

Denbigh Sixth Form prides itself on the amount of enrichment opportunities that are provided for our students.  These include formal timetabled enrichment opportunities offered in Year 12 alongside a wide variety of more informal, short term opportunities throughout the year.

In Year 12, every student is expected to choose from a range of activities that could include taught options such as Extended Project, Conversational Skills in a Foreign Language, Cooking and Food Hygiene, Wellbeing Ambassadors, Upcycling, or volunteering options such as reading with a Year 7 student, Academic Mentoring or Class Mentoring.  This choice will then be timetabled for an hour a week.   

Our students compete in local and national challenges and competitions, as we believe competing against their peers in this way improves their subject knowledge and self-confidence. They perform superbly and regularly reach regional and national finals. Our students also successfully compete in National Olympiads in subjects such as Science, Maths, Geography, Business and Modern Languages.

We help and support students who wish to gain work placements to support their Higher Education applications or future career plans. Our students have gained valuable experience in scientific research establishments through the Nuffield Bursary Scheme; have taken part in the Sutton Trust Summer School Programme to prepare for university life and undertaken MedLink courses. Students have also undertaken work placements with MK City Council’s Town Planning Department through the Royal Town Planning Institute’s ‘Explore Programme’. Our students have sampled life at Oxford and Cambridge through shadowing schemes such as the ‘Inspiring Excellence Programme’.

Beyond the classroom, the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award is a popular option for our students.  Alternatively, we have elections to appoint representatives to School, House and Sixth Form Councils, alongside a wide range of sports teams including Football, Rugby, Netball and Basketball.  We also support those students who are regionally or nationally ranked in their sporting fields in combining their studies with their training schedules.

We offer a wide variety of trips across the Sixth Form, including World Challenge and an international Business related trip through to numerous optional day trips.

Sixth Form students take a leading role in many of the School’s Creative Arts activities and productions, and they can join our popular Debating Society that discusses current ethical issues and enters local and national debating competitions.

There are a number of exciting opportunities for Sixth Formers to mentor and read with younger students, both at Denbigh and in our partner middle schools.

Enrichment