What do you know about Islington Collegiate Sixth Form - ICS

I’m in Y11 but it does sound good. DM me if you have any more info.

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Original post by Tsueychi

Hi i go to ics, if u have any questions feel free to private message

Reply 3

Original post by urmum12365

Hi i go to ics, if u have any questions feel free to private message

Had my interview. The teacher grillled me - i selected a history question and they are quizzing me like they are some prof of history. We will know in a few weeks apparently.

Do you think there will be any major changes in how things are run? I like that it’s very bespoke and they seem to know the students very very well.

What are the main strengths would you say?

Reply 4

Original post by urmum12365

Lol don’t worry too much about the interview, I thought i bombed mine but still got in - i guess they care more about ur passion for ur subject than actually getting questions right.
In terms of main strengths, there are loads of strengths but the main ones that come to mind are the small class sizes (largest class in my year has around 12 people, i think the intake for ur year will be larger so take that with a grain of salt). there are also so many supercurricular things on offer, we have basically at least one thing on every week and our teachers tell us about any other opportunities. we’re also a small school so everyone knows each other and it’s very friendly here, i found it so easy to make friends which isn’t the usual for me. the career guidance is also great, teachers regularly check up on what you want to do and advise you on how to get there.
idk what changes there will be, but im sure there will be many - they genuinely take student feedback on board and try to change things for us

Good to know. What subjects would you say are very strong at ICS? The engineering school sounds good. Did you also apply to LAE, woodhouse and the usual circuit? Why ICS for you?

Reply 5

Original post by urmum12365

maths/fm and psychology are particularly good but all the subjects are taught at a good standard to be honest, but you have to push yourself especially if you’re doing chemistry since we tend to fall behind schedule quite easily. i got offers from laet and woodhouse but i chose ics mainly for the small class sizes and i don’t regret my decision

Yea the psychology teacher was the one interviewing me.

How full on is it? Is it manageable?

They keep taking about ncs. Does that matter much to ICS

Reply 6

Original post by Mmmmark

Yea the psychology teacher was the one interviewing me.
How full on is it? Is it manageable?
They keep taking about ncs. Does that matter much to ICS

Hi there,

I'm a current Year 13 student at ICS. It's so nice to hear that your considering the sixth form.

In terms of workload there is definitely a large amount of work set, but that is to be expected of any academic sixth form where students are being stretched further. I would say what sets ICS apart is the degree of support that we have provided but then also the quality of work set. After lessons are finished teachers set something called 'consolidation' but then also 'pre learning'. Consolidation is work which goes over what we have covered in class to ensure you have perfected it. Pre learning is the topic that we will be learning next lesson. This work is made easily accessible by the surface devices (Like an Ipad/Tablet) that each student will get from the start of their studies. This structure allows for very fluid and continous learning where nothing is left untouched. Moving onto the academic support. Students are provided with academic tutors for free in subjects which they need more support into or are aiming for a top grade. For example right now I study Bio, Chem, Maths and have free private 1 to 1 tutors that teach me each subject each week for 1hr. Onto mental health services we have links to a CAMS nurse who can deal with anything physical. But then also mental health staff members who you can see for weekly checks ups about anything.

I would say overall its very manageable. If you have a passion for learning and enjoy your subject there should be no reason why anyone could not excel in ICS. The reasons our teachers keep talking about NCS (Our partner school) is because we are modelled against them. They are a very well established school constantly ranking in the top state sixth forms in the UK. The only difference between ICS and NCS is the class size where in my year there are 30 people in NCS there is around 200-300. We follow their exact plan from the slides we cover in class to the exams we sit.

I hope this helps! Any other questions please feel free to ask!!

Reply 7

That sounds ideal. I’ve only heard good things about it. Do the internals mix with externals well. I hear everyone forgets who is internal or external.

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Original post by Mmmmark

That sounds ideal. I’ve only heard good things about it. Do the internals mix with externals well. I hear everyone forgets who is internal or external.

Yes I probably can't remember to be honest. Because it's so small everyone is friends with everyone and there no like small groups.

Reply 9

Has anyone actually heard back. They said a fewweeks, a few weeks ago. How many offers arethey giving out?

Reply 10

Original post by Dominoes2015

Hi there,
I'm a current Year 13 student at ICS. It's so nice to hear that your considering the sixth form.
In terms of workload there is definitely a large amount of work set, but that is to be expected of any academic sixth form where students are being stretched further. I would say what sets ICS apart is the degree of support that we have provided but then also the quality of work set. After lessons are finished teachers set something called 'consolidation' but then also 'pre learning'. Consolidation is work which goes over what we have covered in class to ensure you have perfected it. Pre learning is the topic that we will be learning next lesson. This work is made easily accessible by the surface devices (Like an Ipad/Tablet) that each student will get from the start of their studies. This structure allows for very fluid and continous learning where nothing is left untouched. Moving onto the academic support. Students are provided with academic tutors for free in subjects which they need more support into or are aiming for a top grade. For example right now I study Bio, Chem, Maths and have free private 1 to 1 tutors that teach me each subject each week for 1hr. Onto mental health services we have links to a CAMS nurse who can deal with anything physical. But then also mental health staff members who you can see for weekly checks ups about anything.
I would say overall its very manageable. If you have a passion for learning and enjoy your subject there should be no reason why anyone could not excel in ICS. The reasons our teachers keep talking about NCS (Our partner school) is because we are modelled against them. They are a very well established school constantly ranking in the top state sixth forms in the UK. The only difference between ICS and NCS is the class size where in my year there are 30 people in NCS there is around 200-300. We follow their exact plan from the slides we cover in class to the exams we sit.
I hope this helps! Any other questions please feel free to ask!!

How would you describe the average day at ICS?

The interviewer told me to go to the taster day to see. How representative is this day of the day to day. Sorry for all the questions

Reply 11

Original post by Kingsterking

How would you describe the average day at ICS?
The interviewer told me to go to the taster day to see. How representative is this day of the day to day. Sorry for all the questions

Hi there.

Your average day-to-day at ICS will depend on how many subjects you take. If you are doing 3, you will have at least one private study session (self-study) each day, whereas if you are doing 4 you have maybe 2-3 a week. Overall the timetable is very manageable. I will give you an example of what my timetable for Monday looks like (Bear in mind I'm in year 13 and do 3 subjects, so it will look slightly different to a year 12 who is doing 4).

P1/2 (8.30-10.10 am) Biology
Break (10.10-10.30am)
P3/4 (10.30 am-12.10 pm) Maths
Lunch (12.10-1.05 pm)
P5/6 (1.05 pm-2.45 pm) Private study (Can study whatever you want, I usually do homework)
Break (2.45-2.55 pm)
P7 (2.55-3.45 pm) Intervention (Chemistry Intervention)

Depending on how far you live this gives you lots of time in the evening to revise/relax.

Let me know if you have any more questions!! :smile:

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 12

They were talking about societies and debate. Where does all Of that stuff fit in

Reply 13

Original post by Kingsterking

They were talking about societies and debate. Where does all Of that stuff fit in

Societies are usually independent and student-led and therefore do not run on the normal school timetable. For example, I was Head of the MDV Society (Medicine, Dentistry, and Veterinary Sciences) in year 12. If we had meetings we could either come to school early and do it from 8-8.30 am or even do it during the nearly 1hr lunch break which still gives you time left over. Students usually find a time that fits society the best overall.

Moving onto Debate. I do not currently participate in debate society anymore but have been a few times in year 12. Usually debate would be from 4-5 pm after school. Bearing in mind sixth form is open until 6.30 pm for anyone who wants to stay and study late.

Reply 14

Really good to know. Do you know when offers are coming out at all.

Reply 15

Also what does the school do to support those who want to study abroad. What’s that programme like

Reply 16

Original post by Kingsterking

Also what does the school do to support those who want to study abroad. What’s that programme like

I am not on the programme but from what I've seen its really good. They get professionals to come in and help you with things such as personal statements etc etc or prep for different admissions tests. The main location where students apply to outside of the UK is universities in America or Canada with people getting offers from top universities there with financial scholarships as well. I know that in year 12 those interested in applying to America go on a trip there for a week I think to visit all of the top American institutes.

Reply 17