From independent girls to co-ed state at 6th Form - thoughts?

Good! No desire to play that game so glad they’re seeing through it for grades. I just cynically wonder if it helps for an individual university’s own stats...?

@Pumpkinnose I read somewhere they see through it if you did GCSEs in private, especially Oxbridge. So you don't get a lower offer or anything a true state student that went all state in secondary would get. So if you want to play that game, you need to go state before GCSEs

I did exactly the same as Neim. It was an easy transition, both good schools, but I was ready for and relished the freedom at the sfc. Not much of a transition-because everyone was new it was easy to settle in.

It was very common at my sixth form for people from the local private schools switching.

The college didn't like it and started to reject candidates from the private sector

Indeed, but I suspect the universities can still use the “they came from state school card“ which is getting increasingly important...?

@pumpkinnose that is not necessarily correct. If you have done GCSEs in the independent sector then the universities will pick this up, so no tactical advantage to move really.

I think it’s increasingly common, much more likely to get into oxbridge/Russell group from a state. I think there’s definitely some tactical movement going on especially in London.

@SeasonFinale your right. I hadn’t thought about that. Yes, that could make a difference.

I’m a teacher, we get a couple every year. They are fine. Assuming your daughter will do a levels? Pp talked about not all kids want to work hard-they don’t but I would say the majority of a level kids do, and we suggest alternative courses if they don’t. We don’t let them dick about for 2 years.

Neim - I fear you are talking of a time before compulsory education between the ages of 16-18 so indeed with people who chose to stay on unlike nowadays.

Like most education advice on here I guess it would depend on what indie you are leaving and what state 6th Form you are thinking of.

Yes!
Not with my own DC (currently too young for 6th form) but me personally.

The transition for me was ok. I had a lot of questions about what it was like in private school and how lucky I was to have gone. But I settled ok - I’m quite outgoing so that might of helped - I will talk to anyone.
It wasn’t a huge culture shock (I’d been in state school before at primary).
I found that the ones who were there for 6th form actually wanted to be there and would work. The 6th form had a totally different culture of learning compared to the rest of the school because of this.

I love it, it was nice to mix with boys for a change (and contrary to popular belief, not all girls from girls school go mad when they see boys!)

Going from independent to 6th form prepared me better for the real world than independent because I was around people from all walks of life where previously I wasn’t. A lot of people were very hard working, more hard working that the ones who continued to 6th form at my independent because they appreciated the value of education, and as a result this made me work harder and a I came out with better grades than my independent school friends.

The biggest difference I noticed was the shorted school days - which I preferred. And the lack of compulsory sports and games - again, I preferred this. I found my class sizes at 6th form were small and in some cases were smaller than the classes in my independent. Also, the pastoral care was 100x better.

If our DD wants to co-Ed state 6th form then absolutely go for it!