Visiting Sixth forms
Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators
Re: Visiting Sixth forms
DD is taught in bigger groups than she was for GCSE and much prefers it. I think she finds it very dynamic and stimulating. I am not sure if any is more than 20 but I don't think they are much smaller either.
G55's advice about Y13 policy is spot on and very pertinent- I have been really shocked at schools 'culling' at the end of Y12 to keep their league tables looking good. Interestingly the highly selective grammar DD is at doesn't do this; but one of our local 'comprehensives' does. Personally I think it is abhorrent- what is a child supposed to do if they are booted out, as if they don't feel enough of a failure already?
G55's advice about Y13 policy is spot on and very pertinent- I have been really shocked at schools 'culling' at the end of Y12 to keep their league tables looking good. Interestingly the highly selective grammar DD is at doesn't do this; but one of our local 'comprehensives' does. Personally I think it is abhorrent- what is a child supposed to do if they are booted out, as if they don't feel enough of a failure already?
Re: Visiting Sixth forms
Tonbridgemum.... I presume you are in Tonbridge. Applications for Kent sixth form have to be done through Kent CC even to stay in the same school....http://www.kent.gov.uk/education_and_le ... _home.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Your child's current school should give password etc
I think their deadline is the end of November, but other areas are a lot later.
Your child's current school should give password etc
I think their deadline is the end of November, but other areas are a lot later.
-
aliportico
- Posts: 888
- Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2007 12:19 pm
Re: Visiting Sixth forms
Oh, that's different to anything I've seen before. So does that mean you can only accept one offer, or can you still have a couple of provisional places?
I'm going to write about my pros and cons here, so if anyone has any comments or wants to share theirs, I'd love to hear them
Background:
DD2 has just started y11 at a 'good' comp. She got A* in English Lang and Maths this summer, and is doing various GCSEs and also doing probably C1 and S1 AS modules in Maths this year (despite getting 394/400 ums for her GCSE, she is not finding S1 easy so far, which I am evilly finding amusing). She is pretty set on doing French, Spanish and History A levels.
At the moment her alternatives are stay where she is, go to 6th form college about 10 miles away, go to 6th form college with excellent reputation about 20 miles away, or (outside chance) go to excellent 6th form at a school in the city where her dad works, about 30 miles away - bizarrely all these options have similar journey times!
Pros of staying:
She can do C2 at her leisure in y12 and get her Maths AS. Or, if this year goes remarkably well, she could do C2, C3, C4 and S2/D1 and have a whole Maths A level by the end of Y12.
She thinks she'd like to run for head girl!
She fancies going on the Venture Force/True Adventure/whatever it's called trip to Botswana in 2 years' time.
The school know her, know her strengths and weaknesses, seem to care about her (she's a slightly overanxious perfectionist and they are being very gentle with her atm).
She has especially good relationships with her two current language teachers, to whom she's already talked, and they say that although they have small groups (up to 5), they get very good results.
She doesn't have to make a big change, doesn't have to get to know fellow students and teachers all over again.
Lots of her friends will stay on - the 6th form is growing and improving year on year, and is out in suburbia (so they stick with the easily-accessible option!)
Pros of leaving:
She can drop Maths, lol, and do Govt and Politics AS which she would do if she went elsewhere.
She might even be able to leave the house later, though will still have a journey.
It will be a good step and preparation for the even bigger change of going to university.
Classes are likely to be bigger - and more competitive? (She sees this as a con, she likes being top! I changed schools for 6th form from a small girls indie to a big boys indie with a few girls in the 6th form, and found the competition hugely invigorating, so I see it as a pro.)
She might not even have the French and Spanish teachers that she knows well.
The possibility - if she goes to the 20-miles-away 6th form college - of there being a choice of paths to follow for History. (Thank you 11+ forum for making me realise that was even an issue.)
The 20-miles-away college has really good uni prep, lots of admissions tutors coming in to speak, etc.
Being able to reinvent self a bit and be treated more as a grown-up?
---
I think these lists are quite different, hard to choose between them. I think she needs to visit places and get a feel and just see which appeal. But she will want to talk through every detail and expect me to make intelligent contributions
so I am just trying to be prepared 
I'm going to write about my pros and cons here, so if anyone has any comments or wants to share theirs, I'd love to hear them
Background:
DD2 has just started y11 at a 'good' comp. She got A* in English Lang and Maths this summer, and is doing various GCSEs and also doing probably C1 and S1 AS modules in Maths this year (despite getting 394/400 ums for her GCSE, she is not finding S1 easy so far, which I am evilly finding amusing). She is pretty set on doing French, Spanish and History A levels.
At the moment her alternatives are stay where she is, go to 6th form college about 10 miles away, go to 6th form college with excellent reputation about 20 miles away, or (outside chance) go to excellent 6th form at a school in the city where her dad works, about 30 miles away - bizarrely all these options have similar journey times!
Pros of staying:
She can do C2 at her leisure in y12 and get her Maths AS. Or, if this year goes remarkably well, she could do C2, C3, C4 and S2/D1 and have a whole Maths A level by the end of Y12.
She thinks she'd like to run for head girl!
She fancies going on the Venture Force/True Adventure/whatever it's called trip to Botswana in 2 years' time.
The school know her, know her strengths and weaknesses, seem to care about her (she's a slightly overanxious perfectionist and they are being very gentle with her atm).
She has especially good relationships with her two current language teachers, to whom she's already talked, and they say that although they have small groups (up to 5), they get very good results.
She doesn't have to make a big change, doesn't have to get to know fellow students and teachers all over again.
Lots of her friends will stay on - the 6th form is growing and improving year on year, and is out in suburbia (so they stick with the easily-accessible option!)
Pros of leaving:
She can drop Maths, lol, and do Govt and Politics AS which she would do if she went elsewhere.
She might even be able to leave the house later, though will still have a journey.
It will be a good step and preparation for the even bigger change of going to university.
Classes are likely to be bigger - and more competitive? (She sees this as a con, she likes being top! I changed schools for 6th form from a small girls indie to a big boys indie with a few girls in the 6th form, and found the competition hugely invigorating, so I see it as a pro.)
She might not even have the French and Spanish teachers that she knows well.
The possibility - if she goes to the 20-miles-away 6th form college - of there being a choice of paths to follow for History. (Thank you 11+ forum for making me realise that was even an issue.)
The 20-miles-away college has really good uni prep, lots of admissions tutors coming in to speak, etc.
Being able to reinvent self a bit and be treated more as a grown-up?
---
I think these lists are quite different, hard to choose between them. I think she needs to visit places and get a feel and just see which appeal. But she will want to talk through every detail and expect me to make intelligent contributions
so I am just trying to be prepared Re: Visiting Sixth forms
Don't forget also the issues of friendships. There's something very special about friendships you have built up since Year 7. Starting again at sixth form can be a slow process, even for the gregarious. It's not quite the same having a load of new friends - even if you get on with them really well - as having some around you who know you really well and accept you for who you are.
Re: Visiting Sixth forms
I think the only way is to visit a few schools to get a good idea.
Maybe it's just Kent that have a centralised system for applying. I don't know yet how it works or how many we can put on the list... hopefully the school will explain, but I believe we can hold more than one offer.
Maybe it's just Kent that have a centralised system for applying. I don't know yet how it works or how many we can put on the list... hopefully the school will explain, but I believe we can hold more than one offer.
-
aliportico
- Posts: 888
- Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2007 12:19 pm
Re: Visiting Sixth forms
Well, she's only been there since y9, but yes, I did put friends on the staying listY wrote:Don't forget also the issues of friendships. There's something very special about friendships you have built up since Year 7.
Having just been through the end of y11 with dd1 has reminded me how important those friendships are.Re: Visiting Sixth forms
Well they can still see old friends out of school - DD sees hers on a regular basis and I think it is very healthy to have non-school friends to spend time with. Personally I would not put this high on a list- they won't be going to uni together or getting jobs together and 16 is a good age to start putting other considerations first. The nature of sixth form means a lot of mixing up anyway, according to which subjects they do and when their free periods are.
-
aliportico
- Posts: 888
- Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2007 12:19 pm
Re: Visiting Sixth forms
I don't think it would stop her going elsewhere if she liked the other place better. Just that so far all she has to go on is what she knows, and one of the nice things about staying are all the people there who know her. Personally, I'd quite like her to move - although those friendships are important to her, they haven't always been helpful.
Re: Visiting Sixth forms
My ds1 is in year 11, he needs really to stay at school because he has special needs and needs the security of staying at his school. He thinks he will do science/maths combination of some sort.
We're going to look round college tomorrow, I don't think he'd cope with it but feel I should give him the choice. I'm not even sure he'll get above C's in his chosen subjects but school are fairly confident. He just says I'm too strict. Hmmm.
Dd1 is in year 10 so she is coming too. She is not academic but working harder now, has decided she wants to do A levels because her grades are ok. But is it worth doing Food Tech, Drama and German - being brutal, she won't get to university - but she has to stay at school and do something - or go to college. Is it worth anyone doing such a combination of A levels? It seems a waste of time to me (but if I tell her that she just says I always say she's "stupid", which incidentally, she isn't!) I don't know what to do; but I suppose we have another year before deciding.
We're going to look round college tomorrow, I don't think he'd cope with it but feel I should give him the choice. I'm not even sure he'll get above C's in his chosen subjects but school are fairly confident. He just says I'm too strict. Hmmm.
Dd1 is in year 10 so she is coming too. She is not academic but working harder now, has decided she wants to do A levels because her grades are ok. But is it worth doing Food Tech, Drama and German - being brutal, she won't get to university - but she has to stay at school and do something - or go to college. Is it worth anyone doing such a combination of A levels? It seems a waste of time to me (but if I tell her that she just says I always say she's "stupid", which incidentally, she isn't!) I don't know what to do; but I suppose we have another year before deciding.
-
Thingsbehindthesun
- Posts: 463
- Joined: Wed Apr 13, 2011 11:25 pm
Re: Visiting Sixth forms
Hi ginx,ginx wrote: Dd1 is in year 10 so she is coming too. She is not academic but working harder now, has decided she wants to do A levels because her grades are ok. But is it worth doing Food Tech, Drama and German - being brutal, she won't get to university - but she has to stay at school and do something - or go to college. Is it worth anyone doing such a combination of A levels? It seems a waste of time to me (but if I tell her that she just says I always say she's "stupid", which incidentally, she isn't!) I don't know what to do; but I suppose we have another year before deciding.
I have sent you a pm
