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Original poster

3 Year Sixth Form - Need advice please

32 replies

GoMilou · 02/12/2015 10:55

My niece is in Year 11 and is 14 years old. She turns 15 late August 2016.

Some schools will let her enrol in Sixth Form next year, however it appears she might not be allowed to join university in 2018 as she will only be 17yrs old then.

We understand that in the past she could have taken 4 AS subjects, completed those, then started Year 12 again with 4 AS subjects (completely different subjects of course) continuing with 3 of these to A2.

As things stand now, none of the schools that will let her join Sixth Form next year are offering any AS except in Further Maths.

She will be applying to uni for Maths/Engineering/Economics so taking a gap year is probably not helpful.

The reason she came to be in this situation i.e the wrong year group is long and complicated but she is stuck with it. She is cared for by an elderly relative and has no academic support or family know-how at home.

She was made to take GCSE in 3 subjects in Year 10 incl. History and Physics, which we weren’t happy with but could do nothing about as it was school blanket policy.

Her school recommend 1 AS (Further Maths) and 3 A2 subjects followed by a gap year. But her Maths is going to get rusty in a gap year?

What else could she do without ruining her chances of a good university?

Is there anybody familiar with this kind of scenario that can advise us please?

Any advice gratefully received.

Milou.

OP posts:
Lancelottie · 02/12/2015 13:31

Further Maths here - DS did a few modules this way though not the full A-level.

Original poster
GoMilou · 02/12/2015 11:50

Maths is trickier, but perhaps she could NOT do the FM early, and do that in a gap year instead (easy enough to do online), to keep things ticking over

Lancelottie, that's fantastic, thank you. I had no idea she could do this and will definitely discuss this option with her. Perhaps she could do a gap year of French, German and Further Maths and work part-time.

I also love the idea of a Year in Industry.

disquisitiones Your posts are always very helpful. I can't thank you enough.

Schoolchauffeur Another new idea for us to explore. I didn't know that about Scottish unis. Thank you.

OP posts:
Schoolchauffeur · 02/12/2015 11:34

All universities in Scotland will take 17 year olds as in Scotland some students do leave after S5 as uni offers in Scotland are expressed in terms of Highers which are taken in S5 during which year most students turn 17. So Scottish unis are all geared up for those not 18.

Original poster
GoMilou · 02/12/2015 11:27

Thank you very much, Ladymuck. That's very helpful to know and we will try to follow up by contacting the individual universities she is interested in.

The advice about unis not giving her a place came from some of her teachers and we took it as gospel truth.

It's a shame about the early GCSE in History, she did well and isn't taking it any further but this isn't just about the grade, it is debatable how much she got out of it at such a young age.

OP posts:
disquisitiones · 02/12/2015 11:25

It isn't hugely uncommon for maths, and most universities allow some sort of exception depending on the circumstances. They would almost certainly prefer her younger than to have had a gap year.

Going to university under 18 isn't that uncommon, not least because in other countries students can finish their high school diplomas before they turn 18. (Grade skipping is also fairly common in other European countries such as France.) My understanding is that student loans are also possible for those who are (just) under 18.

There may be a few exceptions but most university maths, physics and engineering courses do take under 18s. Only the very top universities have opinions about gap years for maths and even they don't say an absolute no to gap years for maths, if the student has reasonable plans.

Lancelottie · 02/12/2015 11:07

A gap year for engineering is pretty standard practice, really: maybe she could apply for a Year in Industry if they'll take her at 17, or other work experience somewhere.

Maths is trickier, but perhaps she could NOT do the FM early, and do that in a gap year instead (easy enough to do online), to keep things ticking over. Are you sure the universities won't accommodate a 17-year-old for maths? We certainly had a couple of very young maths students in my time there.

Ladymuck · 02/12/2015 11:04

Who is telling you that universities won't take her younger? It isn't hugely uncommon for maths, and most universities allow some sort of exception depending on the circumstances. They would almost certainly prefer her younger than to have had a gap year. That said, they won't take her age into account when making offers, so taking GCSEs in year 10 is not usually advisable.