Brighton college sixth form

[Rosyoutlook]

Hello, could anyone give me an idea of the average GCSE attainment for those starting in the sixth-form? We are considering it for our ds who has been state educated, is bright with good predicted GCSEs but I'm wondering if he is bright enough.
Thanks.

[AlwaysTeaTime]

Sorry you haven't had much traffic! I have second-hand knowledge of Brighton and we did look at it for DD. I'm afraid the academic standard is very high- almost everyone who enters the sixth form will have all A*/A as the bottom thirty internal candidates are not accepted into Y12 and the external exams for entry are apparently very rigorous. Bear in mind also that the bottom 20 or so don't progress to Y13 so it is a very high pressure environment- Brighton College is the best performing co-ed in the country for a reason, and they try very hard to ensure that their results every year are the best. However, if your DS is academically-minded and will cope with the pressure from staff and peers then it is a great school.

[Bashstreetmum]

They don't sound like a good school to me at all if the bottom 30 students who have come through their own school are not good enough to enter their own sixth form and another bottom 20 they have taught don't make it into Year 13. Sounds like they are failing many young people. Very uncaring!

[Rosyoutlook]

That does sound tough thank you, we shall see.

[Drinkstoomuchcoffee]

It's an academically selective school, which is reflected in its results.

Most of the applicants for sixth form will have a string of A*s and As at GCSE. But some will be coming from abroad and will have no GCSE results to take into consideration. Admission is based on a combination of existing results, school reports, interview, outstanding talent and their own exams. They look at the whole person.

If your DC is from a privileged background, has been at a high performing state school and does not have a string of As and As chances are not great. If however they are naturally intelligent, have come from a school in special measures, play rugby with Harlequins Academy or are in the NYO and have A in the subjects they want to do at A level, you may be in with a chance.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Talk to admissions and ask if they think your DCs profile sounds a good. Sitting exams and going through interview processes can be an experience in itself. Not being accepted for something, accepting that and going on to the next hurdle is also a useful life experience in itself.

[Rosyoutlook]

Very wise words, thank you.

[user1469200607]

Hi mumbytheriver, I hope I'm not too late but I'm a pupil at BC who's about to enter the Upper Sixth. I'm here to give some friendly advice about making what can be a very difficult decision to send your child to a school like BC. I realise that some of this stuff might have been said already but I do know a bit more about the application process etc.

Sixth at Brighton College is fantastic, especially if you have a child who is bright, willing to learn and willing to get stuck in elsewhere in College life. I joined the school after CE at 13+ so I haven't been through the entry into the Sixth Form myself but have many friends who have made the transition incredibly successfully.

Places are very competitive and are given on the basis of various factors, one of which is that your child will achieve their predicted GCSE grades. These will be the first thing the College asks for and should be high, with a good smattering of A*s in order to be able to compete not only with pupils already at the school but those who are joining from elsewhere into Sixth Form.

Another factor is pre-testing. Prospective students will be invited to attend an assessment day at the College where they will complete a series of Verbal Reasoning, English and Maths papers and a General paper assessing aptitudes in scientific reasoning, logic and writing.

Either on the same day or soon afterwards students will be interviewed by a senior member of one or two of the departments that your DS might join for his A-Level studies. Depending on which teacher you get will depend on how tough the interview is but as a general rule, your DS should be up to date on current affairs and developments in their chosen subjects as well as having a more specific area of interest within that subject.

Finally, the College will ask for a confidential reference from you DS's current school which should be provided along with his predicted GCSE grades.

New pupils at Sixth Form are expected to be some of the best academically in their year group with most applying to Oxbridge in their Upper Sixth year. However, if your DS finds the transition difficult, which can happen, the academic and pastoral support is second to none. Teachers at BC want every child to succeed and fulfill their potential and so will go out of their way to put on extra clinics and out of timetable lessons so that this can happen for your DS.

You mentioned that your son has ADHD. This will be taken into account throughout the application process and the school will do all they can to accommodate him. Once he is at the College he will recieve first class support from the lovely teachers at the SEN centre during his free periods.

I hope this is in some way useful to you. A final bit of advice to your DS would be to just relax and be himself during the assessments. Brighton College is a great school that suits all sorts of people and I'm sure your DS will love it here. I would recommend coming to one of our open days to find out more and see the College for yourselves. The next one is on 24th September for the whole College and on 15th October for Sixth Form entry specifically. If you have any more questions about College life please don't hesitate to ask. Alternatively you can contact our head of Sixth Form, Mr Patton, who would be happy to talk to you further about the application process.

[user1469200607]

Sorry, ignore the paragraph about ADHD, I copied it over from another thread that I am on by accident. The rest of the information still stands true though. Again, if you have any questions, please do ask. Sorry again!

[user1469200607]

Also, reports that the bottom 20 students in the year are asked to leave before Upper Sixth is completely false. No one in my year has left due to pressure from the school, some just get into Sixth Form and don't like it. These tend to be within the first term of Lower Sixth and are pupils who have been in the school for a while and want a change of scenery. This is a personal decision and one that the school does not interfere with.

The idea that there is a cull is completely untrue and the school would not be fulfilling its duty of care and education if they left students stranded without a school in which to complete their exams in and apply to university from in their final year.