S6

S6

Sixth year is a pivotal time – we welcome new pupils who join Heriot’s just for Senior 6.

At Heriot’s, we believe that the final year of secondary education should be seen as a bridge between school and Higher Education, as the vast majority of Herioter Sixth Year pupils go on to full-time courses in universities and colleges.

The Sixth Year has to be different to what has come before, encouraging a high level of personal responsibility and independence, in a structured and supportive environment.

Our first means of achieving this is through a flexible timetable. We would anticipate that almost every student will take at least one Advanced Higher course, with many taking two or three. Sixth Year pupils may also begin some Higher or National 5 subjects from scratch and/or pick up subjects they dropped at the end of S4. They may also be able to complete free-standing units of work in some areas. We insist that all pupils take at least 32 ‘points’ worth of courses, where an Advanced Higher is 12 points and a Higher or National 5, 8 points. Other courses are given appropriate points.

Additionally, many staff teach weekly interest courses; these are non-certificated and are intended to stimulate interest in areas not covered in the general curriculum. These can include Ceramics, Film Making, Criminology, Young Enterprise and British Sign Language.

We also try to ensure that every pupil in S6 contributes to the School and to the wider community through some kind of voluntary service.

In co-operation with Circle, a Family Service unit, Heriot’s pupils give support to Primary School children in the Pilton area. In the 2025-26 session pupils will have the opportunity to work with some of our other charity partners, focussing on local charities including CHAS, Cyrenians, Street Soccer and Edinburgh Food Bank. Indeed, the Sixth Year at Heriot’s has previously received an award for Voluntary Service from the City of Edinburgh Council.

In the final post-examination weeks of their school career, Sixth Year pupils are given a wide range of opportunities both in and out of school, and may include a pre-university conference and a variety of local and long-distance excursions for interest, education and entertainment.

The Points System

The S6 curriculum is based on a points system and pupils should aim to study at least 32 academic points.  Points are allocated to courses as follows:

The usual basic academic framework is:

• 3 AH courses
• Or 2 AH courses and 1 Higher/National 5 course
• Or 2 AH courses and 2 Higher/National 5 courses
• Or 1 AH course and 3 Higher/National 5 courses
• Or 4 Higher/National 5 courses