Wallington/Wilsons/SGS

[ToadMum]

The only school that I have come across which doesn't have Year 12 as a formal point of entry is the Queen Elizabeth grammar school in Barnet. Post-16 education of some description may now be compulsory, but it doesn't have to be A levels, or undertaken in a school setting. All our local schools, grammar or non-selective at the age of 11, have entrance criteria either for sixth form overall, or for the various 'pathways' offered. Also, all of our sixth form provision is mixed gender, whereas six of the schools are boy / girl only to GCSE, so sixth form gives the opportunity for a major change if desired (or required, of course ).

[PurpleDuck]

Thank you everyone for comments re. 6th form (re)selection and A levels results (how have we got there from the 11+ exams discussion? ). It's useful to see beyond year 7...

Ladymuck - thank you again for all your info, much appreciated.

[loopylou]

How does this work in comprehensive schools? Do they also push some of their students out of the 6th form if their expected grades are not good enough?

Yes they do. One of the more popular local comprehensive schools was criticised in the press recently as they expect a minimum of 6B grades I believe to continue from Year 11 to Year 12 (something around that standard anyway). As such, the article focused on one boy had been forced to leave after Year 11 despite very much wanting to stay.

Most comprehensives have a minimum standard required to continue to A Levels which is entirely reasonable. It isn't about being selective so much as being realistic. A child who cannot manage reasonable grades at GCSE is not going to be best served by spending 2 years taking some of the same subjects again to a much, much higher standard. The only rule is that if a school has grade requirements for internal applicants (i.e. children in the current Year 11) they must apply those same standards to external candidates too and other factors such as behaviour, interviews and extra curricular activities cannot be considered as part of the criteria.

[PurpleDuck]

A child who cannot manage reasonable grades at GCSE is not going to be best served by spending 2 years taking some of the same subjects again to a much, much higher standard. The only rule is that if a school has grade requirements for internal applicants (i.e. children in the current Year 11) they must apply those same standards to external candidates too and other factors such as behaviour, interviews and extra curricular activities cannot be considered as part of the criteria.

That's a good point. I suppose it just boils down to what could/should be considered 'reasonable grades' and at what point someone would be better off doing something else instead of A levels in their school...

[loopylou]

It can vary by subject as well as by school. For example many schools do not allow a pupil to continue with Physics or Maths unless they achieved an A or B minimum in the GCSE exam. This is because the step up is considered quite significant from GCSE to A Level syllabus.

[PurpleDuck]

It can vary by subject as well as by school. For example many schools do not allow a pupil to continue with Physics or Maths unless they achieved an A or B minimum in the GCSE exam. This is because the step up is considered quite significant from GCSE to A Level syllabus.

Thank you