6th Form - MTS, St Albans or Habs?

[zorro]

I would be grateful for opinions from parents with children at any of these schools - particularly those who entered the 6th Form from another school.
My son is at a less academically challenging local independent school and wants to transfer after his GCSEs next summer - he has just gone into Y11.
I know Habs gets fantastic results at A level but is it very pressured?
St Albans and MTS seem to get pretty similar results and are quite similar in the league tables, but I have concerns about pastoral care at St A's.
St A's also has 2 distractions - it is in the town centre so they can go out at lunchtime and the second distraction - girls! He currently goes to a co-ed school and doesn't seem to have been too distracted as yet but can see this happening pretty soon!
Any thoughts gratefully received as we have to start the application process soon.
Also, when do you have to tell the current school that you are applying to other schools? We have to go to open evenings soon and obviously the other schools will request a reference. My DS has been very happy at his current school and I don't want them to take offence - although I guess he won't be the only one looking to go elsewhere for A levels.

[zorro]

Dear Mods,
Could you please post this in the 6th Form section of Beyond 11 Plus please as I may get some replies then!
Many thanks.

[Waiting_For_Godot]

I can't comment on these schools but I can make some points that my friends have made about the sixth form choices they've made. Most opted for a town if they had been on a campus. They felt the atmosphere was vibrant and buzzing and helped their kids become more independent before university. The schools they went to that were boys schools with girls in the sixth form were very academically rigorous. The girls that enter tend to be super bright and the boys don't want to be outdone academically so knuckle down.
When I went round St Albans, I wasn't keen on the main school but I was very impressed by the sixth form and the sixth formers. I would definitely choose a mixed sixth form now but would still prefer single sex until GCSE. Do you have any other options?

[MrsP]

Agree with WFG's comments re: Girls and town location.

Do you know how many new boys tend to join st Albans at 6th form? I wonder whether the majority of the few extra places are offered to girls to boost their numbers?

[whatgood]

Waiting for Godot, do you mind if I ask what put you off St Albans when you visited? Am considering it as a possible a school for my son. Many thanks

[brightyoungthings]

DS at St Albans and considered 6th form for DD but for other reasons decided on another state option. I do know boys from St Columbas and other independents do transfer in. Our experience of SA is great and I think the town element is fab for the 6th form. The 6th form will also get space in a newly acquired building and the new sports facilities - swimming pool etc, are v impressive.

[Waiting_For_Godot]

Waiting for Godot, do you mind if I ask what put you off St Albans when you visited? Am considering it as a possible a school for my son. Many thanks

I wasn't really put off St Albans but it was more to do with the circumstances of my son so we decided to home ed. But, I did look around it and wondered what I was spending my money on - I'm beginning to feel that about most schools now! I have a lot of friends whose kids are at Habs, MTS and St A's and there is a culture of tutoring whilst at these schools. I didn't want to get involved in that nor have my son being seen as less academic or feeling like the weak one in the class because the tutored boys seemed more intelligent than they actually were.

In saying all that, I was very impressed by the pastoral care and atmosphere at the school and I liked the coed sixth form.