Leaving private school for state 6th form - experiences?

I hear your anger and you're entitled to it, but they must have been very good for you to have believed they cared so much for all these years, given that the bottom line is that they are businesses and of course there's a hard edge to it, but that doesn't make the whole thing bollocks. That's like rewriting a whole marriage because of the break up. From here, it sounds like they stepped in when your DS really needed it and have helped to turn him from that boy you describe being bullied at primary into this incredible high-flying academic and artistic young man, with what sounds like £150k of bursaries. Whatever way you slice it, that is not a bad deal, and however rough it feels right now, I'm sure he'll find a place easily for those three STEM subjects and do any number of the great music options outside of Sixth Form that PPs have suggested. Or he may yet get a lottery place for the college and be able to do it all there.

We had to go through 4 different Sixth Form options when three turned out to be fibbing about their ability to run a subject. It's bumpy and would've been much nicer for him to stay with his mates in his old school, but it's made him more independent and capable and I know he'll be better at coping with the shift to uni as a result. Sure yours will be the same when you're past this initial hurdle.

I think you can be straight up that if there’s any likelihood of being refused the bursary in yr 12, given what DS has been through, you’d have to decline. It would be very tough on any kid to be declined midway through A level. I’m sure they would understand that.

It's the one I was thinking of too

Where exactly is he musically OP? At what age did he do grade 8? Has he done junior college?

Where do you live? Could he apply for the junior department at one of the conservatoires? They are on a Saturday and some pupils travel significant distances. There would be ensembles to play in as well as instrumental lessons

Oh sorry I quoted the wrong post! I meant Peter Symonds school in Winchester!

It also has a specialist music department. Worth looking into. Brand new music buildings with fully Steinway pianos, apparently.

Not for law apparently.

Just “going to state school” doesn’t result in a contextual offer - how could it, when the vast majority of pupils go to state school? It’s the kind of school (eg FSM percentage, how often they send kids to uni, deprivation of postcode etc) that may result in a contextual offer.

A level music is generally a nice to have rather than a requirement.

if your son is looking at a performance degree in music (ram or similar) it’s pretty much by audition.
academic music degrees also do not necessarily require it.

depending on what instrument he plays there will be ensembles available through the county music service - most offer multiple orchestras and wind bands or similars,

if he plays a brass instrument or percussion there are many many brass bands in the country that would welcome him with open arms - we’ve just recruited a couple of 16 year olds to ours.

if he’s a singer then church/cathedral choirs are always looking for men as are frankly any other choir.

there’s also summer and Easter residentials for most instruments - my DD did national youth choir (singing) who have summer and Easter courses (you need to audition) there’s also national youth orchestra, national youth brass band etc. both my kids did this type of thing and they really enjoyed it and it really developed them as musicians.

(it also convinced one of them she never wanted to be a professional musician as it was way too hard work!!)

music is actually one of the things you really can pursue to a very very high level outside school.

focus on getting him into a good place to do the maths, FM and physics and look for music opportunities outside school. There will be many.

I also know kids who travel to Royal Academy of Music in London in the weekend for lessons. I think it's this one https://www.ram.ac.uk/study/departments/junior-academy/course

My kids aren't going to do music at university so this is all info from listening to other parents in ensembles.

@OneChicHazelHedgehog
It’s all been quite nasty really. Seeing behind the gloss and the taglines about how they care for the boys like family has been illuminating.

Sounds as if it's not just Labour that's the problem.

I see someone just mentioned Peter Symonds. That's our local sixth form college. It's the one most of the kids in the area who want to do music goes.

I see you have not said where you are in the country. Are you in an area with county music service? You mention 6th form so I assume you are in a sixth form college area. I find it hard you don't have one that does music. I went to DC county music concert and they have multiple state educated kids going to Guildhall school of music and Royal Northern College of Music. It's not true everywhere state school kids go nowhere with music. I admit it's not as good as private, but then nothing is.

Idk about Peter Symonds but Cranbrook offers bursaries for its boarding fees.

Oh dear - I just checked and both Peter Symonds and Cranbrook are now around 20k a year to board! So not cheap at all. I guess that most be the actual cost of boarding then.

However pivotal his instrument has been, they'd not have it for much longer anyway and were going to have to replace him, so with reduced funds anyway, they may well have calculated it's better to target them at new Y7s who will fill the gaps longer term. This change was coming and with tough choices to make, it makes sense for them to adjust to it now and know that your son has had a big boost from their support through secondary, and he's repaid it with his playing. The move to sixth form is a natural watershed for many students to switch education providers and while it's a shame when he wasn't wanting to move, it was always a possibility to be planned for. It's come as a shock, but you've got time to absorb that and reframe it and make the most of other possibilities. He sounds super smart and talented and will likely learn well wherever he lands.

Cranbrook is good and Kent County Council runs a good youth orchestra in the holidays at Benenden school I think. Which you can also get bursary funding for and is part funded by the Arts Council. There are things all over the country like this. There is of course also NYO for the very top musicians for Year 12 and 13.