Getting a sixth form place - how does it work?

[KikitheKitKat]

Can anyone help me out here? My ds does his gcses next year and wants to move schools for 6th form. I know we have to apply to the schools he wants and then achieve whatever grades they require at gcse.
What I don't know is the buts and bolts of what he has to do when the results come out - is there a sort of race to get you results sent to the schools you want or is there a deadline by which the schools need the results or what?
I am concerned as we are scheduled to be abroad for a family wedding when the gcse results come out next year and am now wondering if us not being around on results day would mean he would miss out on sixth form places?

He needs to look at the individual sixth forms and find out what their application deadlines are - ours are the end of this month! Most seem to be very soon so he needs to look quickly - see if they have open evenings etc.

Then he just applies and they make him an offer based on his gcse grades. If he misses by a mile he could well be scrabbling around fe colleges for lower level courses, but if you're confident he'll achieve then you don't need to do anything except confirm (email or phone) he got the grades.

Thanks titchy. But will us being away, i.e. unable to go to the school and pick up the gcse results, mean ds could miss out on a place because everyone else got their results in first?
I am not worried about the application deadlines, we are on top of that - most local schools haven't even announced their open evening dates yet.

Do you know already that you'll be away that week in August 15? It depends on your DS, really - if you're confident that he'll easily get enough for the 6th Form entry requirements, then you could do as a friend did and nominate someone else to collect the results (so my DS had a letter giving him the authority to pick up her DS's results, I scanned them and emailed them to the family who were on holiday), and then just confirm the 6th Form place by email.

But if he's the sort where it all might be a bit iffy, you really need to be around - you are then scrapping around for places at FE colleges.

Well we did plan to be (because of the family wedding) but if it was vital to be here we just wouldn't go. Maybe I could have someone else pick them up like you suggest - wil have to give it some serious thought! Thanks for posting.

He won't miss out on a place if he got the grades - they'll probably require confirmation he got them but a scanned copy if you can get someone else to pick them up is fine.

Unless of course he may not get the offered grades.....

Just ask the school to email them to you and to post the paperwork as well.

Ours is happy to do so once the 'collection in person' time has passed. You can then forward this to the new school and forward the paper copy before term starts.