IB at state boarding for sixth form

ListeningQuietly ah that's interesting, thanks. I emailed them a couple of days ago and they don't seem keen on allowing 4 a levels nor on her starting before she's 16 (the different school systems mean she'd be at the school a couple of weeks before her 16th birthday). Think they might now need crossing off the list tbh.

That definitely sounds like a good thing! Lack of independent study skills used to be what made the leap from A level to degree difficult for some students I believe. Perhaps this will help... Mind you I'm years out of the loop!

Keswick is just A levels and BTEC, though the "extended project" looks interesting - do all sixth formers do that now?

Dallam's fees are rather more what I was imagining paying! I'm sure Hockerill's are only so high because they're in bishop's Stortford, but that extra £6000 per year tips it from manageable into a big "making sacrifices" deal which puts too much pressure on DD and everyone else- we have two younger children.

I spent a lot of time in the lake District a couple of decades ago and certainly have a soft spot for it. Getting there and away from where we live is tricker - logistically Hockerill is ideal!

There's a lot to think about but luckily we have a year to play with as she'd need to apply this time next year.

We'll definitely need to do some trips to England for school visits in the first half of 2020!

Thanks sendsummer that's very helpful. They don't seem to have it explicitly listed as a bilingual IB.

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross no they aren't, thanks.

It's not essential she does a bilingual diploma - I've only been internet searching for 15 minutes but I can't find any indication of state schools offering them at all.

Shes getting a good free education which meets her needs etc where she is so I'm tempted to say she should stay put, but understand her desire to spread her wings and study in the UK. I was similar at her age. I understand it to the tune of about 12k per year absolute maximum though She might be better off waiting, completing her education where we live and working in the UK later ... I hate to quash the idea without fully investigating though.

sendsummer as things stand UK universities aren't really of interest, but yes it's an odd though probably fairly common dilemma. She has to have German at higher level though for German universities. She also has to have English - the German school system has never been interested in the fact she's a native English speaker, she's never been allowed to opt out of English which is compulsory (we asked if she could take Spanish instead but the answer was no, no exceptions).

I didn't know that there was a bilingual diploma before reading your posts. Hockerill have sent me a PDF about how they meet German university entrance requirements but I'm travelling atm and my internet isn't up to opening PDFs but I'll be reading it when I'm home.

A bilingual diploma obviously sounds ideal - I don't suppose you know where offers them? I'll Google too obviously!

VivaLeBeaver could also be interesting.

I've fired off more enquiry emails.

DD has looked at dress codes and now has a preference for Peter Symonds which I can understand!

sendsummer as I understand it even with IB you have to pick a native language - or am I misunderstanding? Her English and German are as close to being the same standard as it's possible to be IMO so it really doesn't matter which is down as her native language except in the way that impacts other choices. I didn't think it was possible to have both as native language for IB but will investigate further.

If she did A level she'd hopefully do German as an extra without having to sit through all the lessons, but in the end she wouldn't mind as she's had to sit through English as a foreign language lessons and learn to play the niche game of trying to only use vocabulary and grammar you've actually been taught in tests, since she was 9!

CitadelsofScience and stucknoue did you or your children attend state boarding schools? Can you give me any idea of pros and cons (other than the obvious child away from home) and anything we should look out for when contacting the schools or looking around?

OVienna thank you I will. Hockerill would tick all the boxes but the boarding fees are so high! Over two years it's £14- 16,000 more than most of the others!

Peter Symonds College also looks interesting!

German teenagers are self sufficient creatures used to being very independent and some of the school websites have actually made me wonder whether DD would feel rather smothered and babied! Perhaps that impression is inaccurate as the websites are certainly aimed at parents rather than pupils, so probably intended to be reassuring. The stand alone sixth form might well be better in that way though...

Thank you CitadelsofScience Burford looks promising if the A level combination is possible. The boarding fees are far more realistic than Hockerill and more what I was expecting, certainly worth considering despite no IB.

Just choosing a school and worrying about the subjects later doesn't work because she wouldn't be able to attend German universities without 2 MFL plus maths and whichever counts as her native language (basically she has to do English, French German and maths) which is why IB is better for her specific case as she could also do history, art and a science - subjects she prefers to maths! The IB options are very limited though.