Independent Study Periods

Everything you need to know

How long is it? 

Year 12 students complete at least 1 hour a week. Year 13 students complete at least 2 hours a week.

Independent study appears on your timetable, but you don’t have to do it then. You can fit it in whenever you’re free, and split it into shorter sessions if that suits you better. As long as you’ve done the full time by the end of the week, you’re all set.

The Ryken Study Centre, open 8:30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday

The Pavilion (Library), open 9:30am to 3:30pm, Monday to Friday

Birtles and Ward Hall, if you study Art, Music, Drama, Sport, Media or Film

Your College ID card has a QR code on it. Just scan in and out at the machines in each study space and your time is recorded for you. Remember to scan out too, or your time won’t count. If you have any problems scanning, let a member of staff know at the Ryken Study Centre desk.

Plan to spend around 4 extra hours a week on independent study for each subject. Your teachers will set work for this time, and you can also use it for homework, revising for assessments or making revision notes. In Year 13, it’s a great chance to go back over what you learned in Year 12.

We check attendance every week. If you’re not completing your time, we’ll email you and your parents or carers to let you know. At the end of each half term, our pastoral team gets in touch with students whose attendance is lowest and works with their families to agree the next steps.

For parents and carers 

You can make a real difference by encouraging your young person to complete their Independent Study Period each week. The more they get done at college, the less they’ll need to do at home. 
For parents and carersÂ