Dd1 & I would like some opinions on a dilemma about 6th form

She needs to go and visit the other college, meet the staff etc. do you know anyone who goes there that you can meet up with?

Just be aware that getting in to a top US university, is very different from getting in to Oxford. If she wants to apply to Ivy League Colleges, you can pm me and maybe we could talk on the phone.

I also agree with what not fluffy said...I went to a grammar school and the girls that ended up going to Oxbridge were getting all A* at GCSE. Not sure if this is standard.

She needs to view the college, she may instantly love it or hate it which will make the decision easier.
Id recommend the college for the language reasons that people have stated above. Also, how well she adjusts studying away from her comfort zone will help her decide whether she wants to move to the USA.

Don't forget though that excellent welsh does open additional doors for work in the future. I presume you speak English at home? So she is effectively bi-lingual?

I would say if this current school has enabled her to get to 13 a/a* at gcse it is hardly a slack school.

I left my upper school to go to a sixth form college where I didn't know anyone and it was definitely the best decision for me, but then I was bored of my sleepy market town and needed to broaden my horizons. I did have parents that were prepared to run me around a lot though so I didn't miss out socially. There were lots of other kids who didn't know anyone either and I made friends really quickly. But as someone else said she will probably do well anywhere, so it might be more of a gut feeling for her rather than a well thought out analysis.

She doesn't need A levels to go to uni in the states. She could skip VI form all together

Learning in Welsh so far sounds great to me (how cool!) but I do wonder if your dd's vocab is at the equivalent level in English? Imo, this is something you would need to check and address, if necessary, before university.

I think I'd come down on the side of familiarity. My dc is doing AS levels this year and has changed school, as the old school didn't have a sixth form. Half a dozen friends also went to the new school and this little pool of 'normality' has really eased the transition to the sixth form.

Hi,

My eldest DD is a few weeks away from finishing her A Levels now and found herself in a similar situation when finishing her GCSEs. She'd been predicted 13A*s and didn't achieve those grades- she was gutted and decided she wanted to move to a different (better performing) school to take her A Levels and apply to university. She was very undecided until the last minute about what to do, but eventually decided to leave her old school.

She says now that it was the worst decision she could have made- she hates the extra travel and misses her old friends and the 'school spirit' that her year group had built up over five years. She feels that she didn't appreciate what she had (firm relationships with teachers, familiarity, solid group of friends) until it was gone. For her, the experience was fairly negative, and she believes (as steppemum says) familiarity would have been more useful to her than the swap.

I know that what I've said here is biased, and of course your DD could have an entirely different, more positive experience. I just wanted to give you my point of view having experienced this. Perhaps a visit to the sixth form college during a 'working day' to get a feel for the place would be helpful- your DD's gut instinct is important too! Wishing you the best of luck!

another thought, switching schools is going to take some adjusting, especially if she switches languages. She has to be happy and want to make that switch. There is a lot to be said for familiarity at this stage.

I would say it is wise to research with her fully what the options are, but at the end of the day it should be her choice. Staying at sixth form at your old school can be a good option. I do see your point too, but she needs to choose so that sbe owns the decision and feels good about it herself IMO.

if she is bright and focused, she is probably going to do well anywhere.

Of more concern to me would be which language she is studying in.

If she goes to Oxbridge or US, then she will study in English, is she then going to switch at university level, learning to write academically in English, having done all her academic writing up until this point in Welsh? Would it not be better to switch now? Then she will have the advantage of having studied well in both languages, which will give her an advantage, rather than going to end of A level in Welsh which may limit her choices.

I would want to find out how Oxbridge and US colleges would see a student who has studied through the medium of Welsh their entire school, and now wanted to change to study in English. It is like a Dutch/French/German student coming to study. Would she be required to sit a written English test for example?

Just to add, I am massively in favour of bi-lingualism and bi-lingual education, so I am not coming from a negative viewpoint IYSWIM

Well the current school does sound like it is doing well for her, by her predictions. I think there is a big value to continuing with your friends, and not having a potentially miserable upheaval. You have no guarantee that Hereford 6th form would choose to put her in the push-for-oxbridge group, though I get that they have more experience of preparing pupils for it. You can always go elsewhere for career advice, you are not restricted to the school careers advisor. I'd stay. But in the end it is down to what your DD wants to do.

If the sixth form college is so good then that sounds a better option. No offence meant but learning in Welsh in the local comp does sound a bit insular and she might be better to broaden her horizons.