I know we've discussed this before because of St Olave's but I just read this article.
https://schoolsweek.co.uk/students-unla ... um-grades/It's been making me think because most schools I know about - not my children's school but both my dh's comprehensive school and the comprehensive a friends daughter goes to, as well as many others I know of - have a minimum grade requirement at the end of year 12. It seems that this is unlawful.
Does anyone know if schools can offer places just for year 12 and then offer another place for year 13? (Seems unlikely due to funding).
If schools have to stop this policy then it seems likely that grade requirements at sixth form entry will go up. For example both the schools mentioned above require 5 grade 4s as a minimum requirement for A levels but then one school requires 3 Ds to stay on into year 13 and the other requires DEE.
I appreciate that if it's illegal then it can't be done but I can kind of understand why schools do it. To give students a chance to see if they can manage A levels seems ok but at the same time if they are getting Us in AS levels then they're unlikely to gain much from remaining into year 13.
Maybe it's doing a disservice to children to be allowed to start A levels on the back of GCSE results that maybe suggest that A levels are not the right way to go? But many schools don't offer BTECs so then would lose a lot more pupils at the end of year 11.
Thoughts?
I