State school 6th forms oversubscribed

Yes, but there are quite a lot more private sixth formers than private GCSE pupils, the percentage of privately-educated sixth formers is considerably higher. About double!

What areas have no sixth form places?

I'm glad we're out of this for the eldest but it'll depend on area

His was highly sought after, usually by house price

Not sure if it's even more so now

Not everywhere. But plenty of areas where it has been publicised that at key points of moving e.g. Y12 and Y7, there are no state places in whole boroughs/counties.

The suggestion is that private schools everywhere are rapidly emptying into local state schools and displacing current students.

I'm saying, not in my area they're not, and in fact private school kids coming to our sixth form in increasing numbers would be a good thing for the school.

Providing a contrast to your bubble, and your ideology.

It depends on the child and the provision, surely? I'm very iffy about sixth form colleges in general but I'm an immigrant who went through a P-12 system where the major exams are at 18, not 16. I have huge issues around the concept of GCSEs in general, and I think there are a lot of kids who will thrive better in a school-based environment until they're 18. One of my kids is definitely in this category and fortunately there are at least two school sixth form provisions, including his current school, that will really suit him.

I haven't been as impressed by the main sixth form college in terms of the value add and breadth of its offer, but a lot of kids (and their parents) seem very happy with it so I suspect a lot depends on what you yourself grew up with and the local provision.

Which schools are saying they don’t have places, quite the reverse round here. Link?

What do you think is happening? People are concerned and worried about this. Schools are saying they have not places. May be in your bubble and with your ideology you can’t see it but private schools children also matter. Even if they are only 7 percent.

There is a massive problem in some areas of the country where there aren't enough local spaces for these kids. How is that difficult to understand? Not much use to you in herts if there are a load of spare spaces in Newcastle.

The variation between counties and boroughs for their sixth form admission policies can make it very difficult for those that live on the borders.
Some prioritise by post code others by GCSE grade. Some of my DC's friends had problems as just missed the grades for schools in our town but the nearby city college had originally rejected them on address. The alternative sixth form was miles away at the other end of the county and limited but expensive public transport.
However students from the city were taking up places in our town schools.
Fortunately the city college did take them on results day (an empty desk means missing revenue)

@MayaPinion Which top public school? Not a boarding school presumably as parents are not local.

Anyone reading this thread would think there are no private 6th forms left! Private school 6th forms that were tiny and not very academic in the the first place are vulnerable. However these were not top private schools in the first place, in general. Mostly they are used as havens to take dc away from bad behaviour elsewhere. Rejoining the state system at 6th form eliminates behaviour issues as those dc have mostly moved on. The larger long established academic private schools will keep the vast majority of dc. Parents at these schools will never be interested in their local comp. For them, education is not just about results. It’s a much broader set of goals.

‘I don't think it's a bad thing that sixth forms are setting minimum grade requirements to take a-levels. Tbh i think most of them don't set the minimum high enough.’

And I think it is fantastic that they do. No-one’s future should be decided by something they did at 15/16 and many children, bright and able children, don’t get high grades in every subject for many reasons.

At our excellent 6th form - this is recognised and the students there thrive with results that are in the top in the U.K.

Ours is top performing in the country but you can get in with grade 5/6s in the subjects you want to study for A level. It’s non selective that way. Because it’s a STATE 6th form, and takes from the local secondaries. And some private pupils do go. But they don’t care if you got 10x 8/9s.
The main criteria is that you prove you want to be there and can study independently.
Their future plan - if they get hugely oversubscribed- is to ONLY accept state educated pupils who meet the criteria ( post code is also used as one of the criteria so keeps it to children within the county)

It’s a fantastic 6th form, and as one should be - show them you ca study the a levels, show them you’re willing to try your best.
They don’t care about all the rest of it, your extra curriculars are only relevant if they’re relevant to the subjects chosen.

Just go to a Sixth Form College instead, not a school with an "add on". They offer a far better provision al round.

VAT refugees 😂

I agree that a lot of university tariff requirements are very high now.

Interestingly a lot of degree apprentiships or level 4 apprentiships seem to ask for 3 Bs or B, B,C. But they have so many hoops to jump through so I dont know who actually gets them.

It is a bit bonkers to end up in a situation where a qualification isn't worth having unless you can get the higher grades. A C in particular should be seen as a solid pass that let's you on to do other things.

So there was no problem when 16-18 became compulsory for ALL children, but there's now a massive problem affecting a tiny proportion of the 6% of kids in private education.

What's really disappointing is the total lack of logic and critical thinking skills in presenting these arguments.

I am well aware of the context in which schools are operating.

But the purpose of state schools is to educate the local community and that is the motivation behind most of the schools that I have been involved with.

No, it’s really common for PS pupils to move to state after GCSE, especially to top performing schools and colleges where there’s a wider range and combination of subjects and teachers who specialize just in A level. My DD went to a large college which was stuffed full of students from a top public school.

@SpanThatWorld
Schools want the best results possible, and to appear as high as possible in the league tables.

I don't think it's a bad thing that sixth forms are setting minimum grade requirements to take a-levels. Tbh i think most of them don't set the minimum high enough.

A student achieving 5 grade 6 GCSE's is very unlikely to go to secure decent grade A-levels.

So many kids think getting 5's and 6's and thus enough to get into 6th form means they'll do fine at a-levels and go off to uni. The reality is with 5's and 6's they'll likely get c's and d's at A-level which won't leave them with a lot of choices of uni places as since a* grades at a-level tariff requirements have increased accordingly

Too late for that if you did gcses at a private school

More like £70k in London for 2y of sixth form.

Our local private school doesn't have a sixth form and neither do a few of the local secondaries.

Entrance to any school's sixth form around here has always been competitive. My DS went to one of the local grammar and entry to the sixth form has never been guaranteed. Many of his friends had to leave and go somewhere with lower entry requirements.

My DD went to the private school and left last year and is now at one of the local colleges. Her year group from school are now spread around the local colleges and sixth forms. Only a tiny minority went on to a private sixth form ( they are a fair distance away, have quite high entrance criteria and the fees are much higher)

Over a third of my daughter's year have given notice for sixth form and I know lots more who are planning to. It's usually under 10%. They are having to run a 2nd round of 6th form applications.