Moving from an independent school to a state Sixth Form: how did you manage the notice-period gap?

you need several state school backup options. we changed from private to private and had the same issue, we were even trading up academically and had to have a leap of faith.
is your trading up or down ? which school has the highest requirements for sixth form ? also remember that if his results were disastrous his current school might not keep him anyway

Ofc quality of teaching makes a difference, but I wasn't even saying send him to one as ropey as the one mine went to, merely to include an average 6th form as a safety net along with the 'several good options' OP already has. If her DC is bright enough to have got a bursary plus private school for years, they should be capable of doing well in an average 6th form along with the majority of kids.

Not the point of the thread, but this just isn't true I'm afraid. It's great that your DS did brilliantly, but quality of teaching makes a huge difference, however bright the student is.

OP, in your case I would just talk to the current school and explain your situation. If you are on a partial bursary but still cannot afford it, they might be willing to extend it to keep him.

But might not get the bursery.

You say there are several good options where you live. The chances of him not getting into any of them surely must be quite remote? Students can hold as many state offers as they like so he could have the preferred one plus three backups if needed. Include at least one that is not heavily oversubscribed. If he misses the grades for his preferred subjects at multiple state sixth forms perhaps a change of course is a better idea anyway.

It's kind of easy if you decide his current school is unaffordable. If you actually can stretch to it, that is where it gets complicated.

Do talk to school though if you haven't already. It's worth a try to negotiate an adaptation on notice fees especially as they are unable to tell you about the bursary. By definition you only qualify for a bursary if you cannot afford to pay full fees. The jeopardy can be part and parcel of taking the free money so you may not get anywhere, but it's worth a try.

State sixth form admissions are a curious beast. Big colleges seem very elastic. In theory it was nerve racking for friends whose private school children were applying because they were lower down the pecking order than local state educated children, but in practice everyone just signed up to whichever college they wanted and unless you were coming from very far away it was all fine. If you have some options that are fairly big and fairly local, and take "reasonable" grades for A levels, ie 6 or 7 rather than insisting on 8s, I think I'd give notice on the private school and trust you can find something suitable elsewhere.

Colleges are 16-19. Even if it all went pear shaped in a new college, which I'm sure it won't, you can regroup, save up and find him a tiny private sixth form to restart Y12 the following year. There's also scope to switch colleges in the first few weeks of Sept. My son's at a tiny state sixth form and every year they have some latecomers join who started at bigger colleges and didn't get on with it. His current sixth form might well have him back in this situation too - again it would be worth asking.

Talk to the school! Surely they’re the only ones who can give the exact answer for that setting?

If you really can’t afford 2 more years of private fees and all of associated costs then you have your answer regardless of what they say

Apply for more than one sixth form setting. Ime, none can be 100% sure whether a certain mix of A levels will be available until
they know their numbers. What are your dc’s predicted grades? Are they likely to get offers from their top choices and are they willing to be slightly flexible in their A level courses?

Are you concerned that he won’t get the required grades for the state 6th forms? Is this requirement lower at the school he’s at? If not, then you can be confident he’ll get a state place.
Your DC can apply for as many 6th forms as they like so can cover all bases from a clutch of 9s to needing to resit.

Most sixth forms have entry requirements including, presumably, the one at his current school. So I am not sure he is in a different position to most other 16 year olds in that he will need to get certain grades in order to get into sixth form. You can apply to multiple sixth forms or post 16 colleges so you can make sure you have quite a bit of flexibility around entry requirements (and some might be more flexible than his current school). However, if there is only one state school you are interested in and otherwise you would prefer he goes private then you may need to accept you will need to pay the notice to keep an insurance place.

I have looked into this this weekend and yes, I completely agree with this. DD has mocks in the first two weeks of November specifically so the cohort can apply elsewhere and get responses back in time for March, which is the cut-off to give a term's notice. We also had end of year exams which were GCSE papers, so we have a good idea of the grades we can expect which enables us to choose reasonable options.

Surely you have an idea of how well your son will do? Usually sixth forms expect at least a 7 in the A level subject you wish to take. If your child is bright, it’s an easy decision.

My DD moved from one independent sixth form to another. A lot of kids move at this point (and a lot move to the state sector at the moment because of the VAT impact). At the school she moved from, they seemed very willing to agree (in advance) to waive the notice period for people who were still undecided and my DD’s friend, who was in your position and did give notice, was told that her family could rescind that at any point. Similarly, at the school my DD moved to, one student left and came back after the first, having had a change of heart. So I would just discuss the issue openly with your current school.

You apply for 6th form in November and get the place in march. Places being subject to grades is the same at a private school too surely

Demand for private has plummeted with VAT and unless it's westminster or st pauls they'll probably have you back if you change your mind.

@samsubI guess it would hinge on the % bursary you have and the saving versus spend.

you have 3 paths:

1. you give notice in time and get the state place >> ideal
2. you don’t give notice, but you get the state place and liable for 1 term fee - what’s the £ value of this? Let’s assume ‘x’ x1
3. you give notice and need to return. You now pay full fees for 6 terms. What’s the value of this? ‘Y’ x 6

on balance unless ‘x ‘ is a crippling figure it might be worth it to avoid ‘6y’?

I have friends in your situation (no bursary) and they have decided to go with option 2. Rationale being - having paid fees for so long, 1 more term seems like a small price to pay as insurance.

Similar position here but we literally cant afford the extra 2 years now with VAT, so if she doesnt get in we would apply to her old school belatedly for a bursary (aware v unlikely but she is a good student so maybe not completely a no but risky). I think private schools will let kids back easier as long as they get the money. You may forfeit any minor reductions you would have got if you hadnt "left" (I think we get 1k off the first year or something as an old girl).

Is the school he is aiming for a grammar? Ours is and massively oversubscribed for this exact reason. If dd did the GCSEs now she would get over the poibts required to get in, but as places are so limited we are unsure if they only take the very top scoring outsiders. Whole system is a mess as I can only assume private schl kids are out performing local state kids on points, so another barrier for decent education has just been added.

It is more complicated for her because if she gives notice then they won’t be guaranteed a bursary if they do change their minds? So for a normal fee payer, you give notice, wait for your best state option, then reassess and usually the private school will give you back your place anyway, unless it is some massive oversubscribed London private school or a boarding school with limited dorm room. And just about affording it and wanting to save for uni ahead is perfectly reasonable on her part. Most people are hoping for the best state option to do the A levels a kid really wants as depending on uni choice, it is really important to do the subjects you are best at/meet the requirements of the targeted uni course.

I think OP has confused people by saying that they might not be able to afford private school ... but then suggesting that they only want to move to state for the "preferred" school. OP's DC will get a state sixth form place somewhere but it might not be in the ideal location or offer the combination of subjects that they want to study. But this is also the case for students in the state sector who don't meet the criteria to stay in their current school/school doesn't have a sixth form. It's slightly unusual in OP's case because her current school has lower entrance criteria than the preferred state school. I would think OP has a reasonable idea as to whether the current school sixth form is likely to be oversubscribed. If it is, and she's not a risk taker than no way round paying the deposit.

I had this for my daughter. I asked them to pay £500 a month for the terms notice and they were happy with that

I think some people have misunderstood what you mean, OP. This was also the case with DN. She had provisional places at 2 state 6th forms plus her own independent school. My sister had to pay for the Autumn term before she knew where DN would end up. And it was a good thing she did, as when it got to results day neither of the state schools could offer the exact combo of A levels she wanted to do (despite beforehand saying that she could). I guess what I'm saying is - you might just have to suck it up and pay.

You can apply to as many state Sixth Forms as you want!
If it is in the contract that you have to give written notice by X date, they can definitely charge you and even take you to court. As to whether they can charge full fees in lieu of notice or bursary level fees in lieu of notice, read the contract and bursary forms you signed. If in doubt, ask the bursar.
It is highly unlikely you won’t get any state sixth form place. Sometimes they cannot afford exact A levels your DS may want to do, but again, make sure you pick a school that offers the combo he wants. Generally speaking at sixth form most motivated kids will do well in all sorts of schools.
DD is in year 13 in a state selective, there are quite a few kids from private schools who joined and some much prefer the state school. She switched from another state selective along with a fair few of her pre-existing friends. They all adapted well. Around where I live there is a big shuffle around at Sixth Form anyway so new kids coming in aren’t an issue at all as half the year is “new”.

I imagine the school will think if you are dithering then you are likely to be able to afford it somehow, perhaps with a bit of a squeeze and / or a more generous bursary. If you couldn’t afford it at all you would have to give notice and choose a suitable state setting.

Some state settings are also wise to a certain amount of deceit about notice, parents stating they have given notice when they haven’t. Genuine parents sometimes forward the email exchange. They obviously don’t have to do this, but it shows they have served notice, more likely to occur lower down the school for in-year admissions.

Given the falling rolls the independent school are more likely than not to take him back if you were to approach them for a place post results day in the unlikely scenario that he does not get a good state option.
Also depends on his A level subjects. If humanities / MFL his chances at state are greater than if STEM.

I wouldn’t worry - he’s likely to get into a sixth form without any trouble!

For state sixth form you can accept and hold more than one offer
On results day you enrol at your preferred state choice (grades dependent)

Talk to the private school and give notice in good time

Include a back up option in your state applications. If he doesn’t get good results would you want to keep paying for him to attend the same school for a levels?