Changing schools for sixth form.

My DD moved to a sixth form college. We lived a 60 second walk from her secondary - she could literally leave the house at 8.48am and make it before the gates shut at 8.50am and the college was an hours bus journey.

It wasn't easy - I used to dread the mornings, and we did have some wobbles when she regretted her decision. BUT we have now got through it and both her and I think that long term it was the right move. The college treated them as adults, they hadn't known them as children so there were no preconceptions about who they were. She also got to meet a much wider range of people due to the catchment area than were at her school and it gave her confidence knowing she could handle the change.

She also did very well at her a levels and says she didn't think she would have done as well if she had stayed at her secondary. So overall it was the right move for her although definitely not the easiest option.

CamperVamp - You sound SO grudging and resentful about her.

I know the schools OP is referring to. I don't think the OP has a grudge. I think the issue is taking a gamble on another school being as good as the one her DC is in.

you live in an area that sounds isolated and lacking in public transport.

The area is neither isolated nor lacking in public transport. However, a number of schools in the area are spaced a fair distance apart. Links are good but traffic in the area builds up at school pick up and drop off times so journey times can be unpredicatable and, if the roads are particularly congested, can make a fairly easy journey take a bit of time.

My ds started a new school in year 12, he is now in year 13 and tbh it took the whole year to settle in. Friendship groups and sports teams were well established and he had to work hard to break in. Teaching styles were very different to his old school so that made the jump from gcses to a levels even bigger.

Overall it was the best sixth form for the combination of subjects he wanted to do so he stuck it out but readily admitted he would have been happier had he been able to stay in his comfort zone at the old school.
Look around lot of places and apply to as many as you want. You don't have to make a decision until after results day and she may well feel very different by then.

You sound SO grudging and resentful about her.

I understand you have other responsibilities, but try not to piss on her chips. It's not her fault you live in an area that sounds isolated and lacking in public transport.

Maybe just get her to do the journey as part of her testing out of schools. And to think about the social implications. But not in the tone you post about her here.

(I also had 4 kids at three different schools. No SNs to contend with though, and my kids are all very independent by nature and keen to just get on with stuff by themselves.)

The work involved will start if she does move to another 6th form as she will want lifts to places and probably want to go to parties in places that are in the middle of nowhere.

Oh, well I don't do that sort of thing! Never have, and so if/when I do, it's greatly appreciated. My ds has just started at a sixth form college 20 miles south of us - I did suggest he only made friends with people who lived north of the college rather than those forty miles away, lol, but I have no doubts about him sorting out his own transport wherever his friends happen to live.

Maybe talking about being a bit more independent this year needs to be part of the "which sixth form" discussion - she might grow up a bit and surprise you.

FiveHoursSleep I think those are all points you should discuss with your DD.

Highlighting these issues will enable to her to see that it isn't just a case of going to a different school will suddenly make her feel much happier. Moving may/will present other issues and it will be their responsibility to overcome them (with a little help and support from you along the way).

Helping her to build independence now will benefit her later on if she decides to go to Uni.

I suspect, given her areas of interest, she may decide to stay once she has seen the other schools and gone through the various stats. etc. Science is a strength of the school and certainly there will be a good sized peer group for the science subjects - great for forming study groups etc.

Have any of her school friends told her that they are looking to move. Could this be making her think that she should move too?

Involve her in the decision process as she may be at a point where she is wanting to feel she is making decisions for herself. It may also make her feel more secure and reassured as she goes through her A Level course if she feels it is something she has chosen to do herself, not something she is being made to do.

If she stays at the school but feels it was her choice to stay she may well be much happier going forward.

I appreciate that this will be a hard time for you as you feel the school she is at is the right school for her. However, do bear in mind that your DD will have changed a lot since she started at the school. It is worth going through the selection process again to ensure that it is still the best fit for her.

My Dc changed schools for sixth, to one with a longer journey.

As others have said, go with an open mind and don't set yourself against the idea, or your Dd at this stage. Be positive, ask how they approach sixth form / number of subjects / EPQs / entry requirements/ extra curricular etc.

Apply for all those she likes and are good. You can hold several offers and decide after results.

It's interesting to see this thread as we have a similar dilemma. DS1 doesn't hate his current school at all but says he wants a change for sixth form. We've seen the sixth form College (some distance away) and will look at two other schools where the sixth forms have great reputations. However, only one of these offers a subject he wants to do - and the other place that offers it is his current school. So he has to make some decisions about A level combinations as well as where he'd feel happiest.

TheSecondOfHerName - A small number of subjects are taught jointly, so a few girls do have some lessons there.

That explains why I see girls there sometimes. I wasn't sure if they were based at that site.

FiveHoursSleep - We are looking at state schools only as would rather spend money on tutoring if necessary.

It could still be worth asking about bursaries etc. There may be some information here as a starting point:

www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/11plus/viewforum.php?f=31

I just have a headache thinking about the extra work that it will entail.

I know what you mean. I thought I would only be going through the school selection process the once (yr6), then I realised that I would need to do it all again for 6th form.

Even if your DC decides not to move, it is worth doing the research as there is a possiblity they may change their mind a couple of months in. If you have already laid the ground work you will be able to move fast if you feel that a change is needed.

I think a lot of DCs get a bit of shock when they move from GCSEs to A Levels as A Levels require more self study etc. I think this is what causes so much movement in and out of the schools in the first couple of terms of 6th form.

When looking at the A level results for the various schools do bear in mind that the co-hort may be very different to the one that entered the school in year 7 / did GCSEs there.

If you want a state school which is the same or better in terms of results, there's the co-ed one beginning with P (north of the town where her current school is). I'm not sure how feasible the journey would be though.

MumTryingHerBest
The boys school only enrols boys in the sixth form. A small number of subjects are taught jointly, so a few girls do have some lessons there.

Personally, I think it would be very difficult to find a sixth form better than the one at the school she's at. However, it's also important that she feels heard. Could you take her to a couple of open days this term?

There aren't any sixth form colleges in the same town (apart from the FE college which doesn't offer A-levels). I seem to remember you live in a different local authority, if so then there might be sixth form colleges in your direction.

DS2 is applying for RS and SCD as a back-up (because they require slightly lower GCSE grades for the subject combination he wants). However, these might be a bit far for her.

Finally, if she is really unhappy at school, then I suggest she goes to speak to someone. The health & welfare team would be sympathetic.

My DD moved for 6th form. She went from an all girls to a mixed. Best thing she did. Have a fabulous 6th form experience Some of her friends that stayed- I would say while academically were no different, socially maybe didn't have such a good time as DD. Which I feel is just as important, learning to mix with new people and opening your eyes to new surroundings

I just have a headache thinking about the extra work that it will entail.

I haven't found it to be much extra work for me. With dd2 we looked at two other places, talked about them and she decided to apply to one, whilst thinking that she would probably stay at her old school. She did the application and went to the interview - no effort required from me beyond the initial two evenings out.

With ds, we only looked at one other place, he liked it and thought he would probably move. Again, he did the application and went to the interview.

Our parental input has been pretty minimal - mostly it's just involved talking about the pros and cons and so on. Plus discussion of A level choices, but that'll happen anyway!

I would strongly encourage you to let her look. If you don't, or keep
Pushing back you will always be the one she can blame in future. As someone else said above, she may look and decide to stay put.

Absolutely can be done - has happened v successfully in this house - but with following provisos:
Reasons for wanting to go to new place are stronger than simply a desire to leave the old one! Get her to articulate all this to you - almost as though presenting a business case - challenge her thinking. You'll know if/ when it's the right thing.
Look v closely at results for individual subjects at A level (can be quite different from broad brush GCSE league table reporting) & subject destinations.
How serious is new school/ college about integrating pupils - going in as one of a cohort of 30+ is very different to one of 4 or so. What will extra-curricular side be like & how important is this to her?
What will she really get from the move that existing school can't provide?
Is the drive really coming from her or is swept up in Yr 10/11 talk about 'how awful' current place is? IME, the ones who generally regret moving/ and want to go back, fall into this category.

Finally, listen to her - the drive to move came firmly from our DD, we could see how miserable she'd have been if she'd stayed and so helped her do the homework on options and then went with it. She was determined to make it work & it's been an absolute success not just in terms of academics, but more importantly her happiness. As an aside (but not a reason for going per se), the move at 6th has provided another stepping stone toward university - meeting completely new people, settling into new environment etc.
As other OPs have said, there's movement a plenty at 6th , with DCs coming, going, & even moving back a week or so in.

Good luck!

My DD has just changed this summer - she was at a good comp (could have done better at GCSE) and applied for 6th form before GCSEs taken :
there at her good comp as her absolute fall back (5 GCSEs A-C req),
at a superselective grammar as her dream ticket (ended up needing 4A*, 4A),
and at a local grammar (5 A required) as her probable.

She didn't get the superselective grades, but qualified for the "probable" and is there now and very happy indeed - she chose to be there.

The problem with applying for more than one is that those that accept even conditionally all seem to have induction days in June/July that they expect attendance at.

My DD changed schoolsfor 6th form and went to a school that had far better A level results in her subjects than where she was. She improved on one subject froma B at GCSE to an A at A level. I would therefore agree with posters that you need to look at the subject results over several years: not just one low or high achieving year. Also she may need maths to go with Biology and Chemistry for enty to degrees in this field.

My oldest has just changed schools to a 6th form college.

This time last year she was adamant she was staying on, and I only persuaded her to look round and apply as a back up. She only started preferring the 6th form around Easter and wasn't totally sure until she'd got her results, but, despite hating decisions, she was certain by then.
So she may change her mind.

I wouldn't go at it with "I can't help you because I'm dealing with the younger ones". That sounds firstly as though you don't care about her in comparison (yes, I know exactly where you're coming at it from, but it's very direct) and secondly it does sound like you want to object all the way, which, as we all know with a stroppy teen, is exactly the way to make them dig their heels in.

What I'd do is go and look round the other schools that are possible. When you've been round then talk about it as an adult conversation. Not "I prefer this" but "What exactly is good and bad about each?" In that bring up how can you get there? It may be that there's a perfectly good bus/train. So you can say "you realise that will add 40 minutes onto your school day" and that can go down as a disadvantage.

Then make a choice but, if possible, if she chooses elsewhere, make sure her old school is still open to her.

I was the opposite to your dd. I wanted to stay and I ended up moving. I still don't know if it was worth it. I got to where I wanted to get to, and I'm not sure I would have in the old school. But my friends stayed on, and I missed out on things I had looked forward to doing when in the 6th form.
But if I hadn't got to where I wanted to get to, it would definitely have been a bad move, and I would have been throwing it back at my parents I'm sure.

Also the reasons why my parents thought it would be better to move mostly became very quickly obvious that they'd been blinded by a smoke screen. They didn't believe me then and they still don't now. So things that you think are great may be you believing something she knows not to be true.