Peter Symonds Winchester- just heard...

[Tansie]

...that they've apparently increased their intake by 500?? Friend's DS says that you now have to be there really early in order to get a place on a computer at the Study Centre (or whatever it's called) and that the place is heaving.

Anyone else found this? It's a possibility for my DS but I am getting a bit nervous! The friend's DS (high enough achieving, I should add, ex-private school, sports teams, 'proper' A levels)- says he feels he's increasingly 'just a grade point', not an individual ...

Well, again, in my experience, DS with good but not excellent GCSEs did well enough in his facilitating A levels to gain entry to a top 20 university. He worked reasonably hard, certainly not excessively. He had a part time job in a pub - certainly wasn't county level sport or music. He is just a normal teenager, not really what Mumsnet would describe as a high achiever. And yet he coped well with PSC and has coped well with transition to a very good university.

Whether you or I describe classes of 20 - 22 as large or small the perception of my children coming from school classes of 30 is that they feel small.

Could I ask, soprano, what your DS is doing at uni now? I do think that, as with university, you pick a course, not necessarily a college! I get the impression, perhaps completely wrongly, that the sciences and maths are quite full-on at PSC if only because, if you were very good at those, you wouldn't consider any other 6th form; whereas if say the Arts were your thing, or graphics, say, you might pick a college with 'better' studio facilities. For the record, I thought BP's Art dept was a far nicer place than PSC's, for instance. I took DS2 (13!) to look at both on our last visits as he wants to do graphics in future, whilst DS1 was looking at Science, Geog, Economics, Maths and so on.

My hope for my DS is that he'll get into his stride at 6th form and go on to achieve what he might just scrape at 15-16!

Anyway, I shall ask about class sizes at the upcoming Open Evenings.

He's doing Oceanography. Southampton, of course, has the National Oceanography Centre which is why he chose to go to a university 20 miles from home!

To be honest I don't know much about art, graphics or drama/performance arts at PSC as neither ds nor dd chose those, both stuck to quite traditional subjects.

Gosh, niche! I wanted to do that many moons ago, too!

Can I ask which A levels he chose, and can I also ask- did you feel his attitude and/or performance improved at 6th form when compared to school?

I know - I am sooooo envious of him!

When he started at PSC he wasn't even sure he wanted to go to university, let alone what subject he might study. It was a chance invitation to attend a lecture one evening that completely inspired him - it was fortunate that his A level subject choices were suitable. He did Biology, History and Environmental Science (and General Studies which the college has now dropped).

I don't really think his attitude changed that much during 6th form - he learnt fairly early in his school career that the best way forward was just to get on with whatever he was told to do!

Following this discussion with interest as DD1 is in y11 and we are trying to formulate a plan.

At the summer open evening, PSC were at pains to say they didn't only take pupils with As at GCSEs, and they gave stats on the incoming profile. Page 20 of the 2015 prospectus now also seems to acknowledge more clearly different approaches for different incoming grades.

I think it is interesting to look at the AS results and the A2 results and seeing how many people 'drop' after AS. With the new linear A levels for e.g. History, I don't understand yet what will happen.

I didn't think the results for BP looked much different to those for PSC, especially considering that the average incoming profile for PSC is probably slightly higher. (Disclaimer, I haven't done a formal comparison).

Anyone with any views of Brock? It's in the running for us, though further away. (We prefer BP to PSC as smaller, more school like, with possibly better pastoral care?)

Tansie, what you are saying about PSC only wanting 10 x A* candidates just is not true. For a start, there aren't that many of them in Hants.

Come to an Open Evening and ask that question of the principal - who will be delighted to demonstrate to you how the college takes as many students from the bottom end of the A level ability range as it does the very top, and as it does the middle.

As a big college, there are a lot of high achievers- but there are a lot of other students, too. No subject has the luxury of teaching all high-ability students, and if the college was like that, its value added scores would not be as good as they are.

Don't speculate; visit and question. It's ultimately your child's decision. Believe you me; a student is given oodles of second, third and subsequent chances to get it right, and plenty of support to help them to do so. What it doesn't allow often are restarts, as these rarely, if at all, prove to be in the student's best interests.

Sixth form colleges have larger classes than school sixth forms, because they have more students and don't have the luxury of years 7-11 from which to subsidise their 6th forms. But the sector does better, on the whole, in terms of results.

PSC classes are 20 ish at AS; usually a little smaller at A2.

Brock seems to be falling from grace a bit. I wonder if they are complacent because of their outstanding rating. This time last year, we found the open evenings disorganised and it was really noticeable that in general, the teaching staff lacked the buzz and enthusiasm of their BP and PS counterparts. I know of several students for whom Brock would be the nearest, most obvious choice but they have chosen BP or PS instead.

They can definitely hold more than one offer - DS held 3, at BP, PS and Brock. They then just decide which one to enrol at after their GCSE results.

DD is at PSC and is loving it.
She's shattered - but that is in part because she is out of the house for 11 hours a day.

You generally have to have an A/A* GCSE in the subjects you will be taking at AS/A2
You do not have to have solid A/A* GCSE across the board (but it helps)

DD has commented on the fact that on a rainy lunchtime in December she's not sure where everybody will go.

The classes are indeed around the 20-25 mark : which is bigger than many other places,
but not many other places have over 100 kids doing Physics A level for example.

THe feeling I get is that PSC is like the comps : you are rarely aware of the full extent of the number of people there because of the campus.

While I was picking up tonight we saw the boarders going for their supper and there are quite a few of them after all!

Talkin -forgive me for asking but isn't your DD a classic high GCSE performer, county orchestra etc etc? Sorry if I got that wrong! But it might be relevant to your DD's experience.

Tansie She is a hard worker - not county orchestra, just local - and did do well
BUT
she's doing 5 AS so is under a lot of pressure
and still loves it
she has commented that some kids are struggling in Maths, but they are the ex private school kids who did the IGCSE as it does not have a non calculator paper
otherwise it all seems very supportive
there have already been changes in and out of a couple of sets as people flex their options

it may well be that PSC are expecting more 'natural wastage' than normal this year.
No harm in asking them outright

We will be starting the round of sixth form college open evenings next week commencing with St Anne's in Southampton. Although a girls' school the sixth form is mixed and only has a few hundred students. My 2 dds currently attend the school (in Y11 and Y10) and are, so far, quite keen to continue there..........

The following week we'll be looking at Brockenhurst and Richard Taunton's.

It all seems rather daunting!

I do know that loads more people from further away got in this year whereas in previous years they wouldnt have.

Living where we do, BP and PSC are not viable to travel to so our options are more limited. Our dd is predicted mostly B/A/A* - and is in the County Orchestra!! - but is not, in my view, a real highflier. Certainly, she has to work really hard for her marks and is diligent rather than truly academic.

doglover
St Annes is good : a friend of DDs was their star pupil this summer.
Getting to PSC / BP : check out the bus routes - its not too bad so far
Tauntons is indeed easy to get to and I hear people there really enjoying it.

Good to hear, TP!

We live near the on the coast in the New Forest and our public transport is pretty dire! To get to Eastleigh or Winchester would involve hours of daily bus travel which I wouldn't want the dds to endure ......... rubbish for their social life, too! Travelling to Southampton is possible but the other places aren't really practical.

It's fascinating reading about the other colleges, though!

lots of kids go to BP and PSC by train .... worth checking and asking

Ok, thanks, TP.

Oh, believe me, I'm not speculating, I have visited and I have asked lots of questions! I'm not guessing any more than anyone else is! But my investigations have raised the idea that PSC has expanded by 500 pupils, recently, which has had the effect of making getting study space harder, all of which makes me nervous! (I think the 'wet December morning/ where will everyone go?-' thing is relevant!)

And once again, many who tell me their DD is loving it tell of, if not exceptional academic ability, certainly of five AS levels and diligent performances- again, something akin to my perceived PS 'model' as detailed: female, clever, compliant, self-motivated. All of which DS, at 15, isn't, really!

I do 'get' that PSC obviously isn't full of high fliers, but, frankly, if DS is destined for the "2 A level" trajectory, it would make far more sense to go local to BP as the PSC 'advantage' only kicks in for uni entrance level, iyswim. It's 'prestige value' only 'matters' when impressing university admissions people.

Anyway, we will visit both again over the next fortnight. DS has a personal mentor in place now to try and keep him on the straight and narrow and I suspect both PS and BP will be applied for!

Not every student even does the full four-AS package; let alone five. Some start with three, or drop to three very quickly, while others mix with BTEC. PSC do fewer BTEC options than other places, but if it's what he wants to go, it's there. That a lot of students get one or more As at A2 hides the fact that they were often A/B candidates at GCSE. It's all discussed fully in their interview and then again at enrolment.

The rainy December day is a concern at the moment, as College is about 250 students bigger than it was this time last year (not 500) There will be a new building coming on stream next spring, with lots more social space on the ground floor and four classrooms upstairs.

Tbh, nobody is going to pass A levels without the "diligence" side of things. It's kind of the point of them... Lots of PSC students get better A2 grades than their GCSE grades suggested they would. It's called added value.

The image of oodles of top-flight girls and a few hangers-on just isn't one I recognise from where I go to work each day.

Tansie
THe DD of a friend who has just started at PSC cos her mum works there but thats another whole issue is doing 4 ( as most do )
She struggled really hard to get her A and B grades at GCSE and is loving it.

DS who is still at school is about as non diligent and motivated as its possible to get, but his eyes popped open when he saw the Physics department and he knows he has to have eyes on the prize if he's going there.

BP is NOT PSC lite : it is more languages and arts based (PSC is more sciences) ~ but it still gets excellent outcomes for candidates of all levels (from Oxbridge to Esso)

DDs tutor was surprised that she is doing 5 - we are willing to have her drop one of them if the load gets too much.

Lemonsole I guess also the colleges had so many awaiting English re-marks that they were in a bit of a bind.

We are going to Eastleigh tonight, DS 1 was thinking engineering / architecture/ quantity surveying at Uni and so going to see the Level 3 construction and the built environment as that may suit him better than A levels.

ds started at PS in September.

On the pastoral side his first experience was very positive. He has never been a "pastoral" sort of person - he has always slunk below any radar - but he had an early meltdown about one of his subjects and his tutor and next rung up tutor (can't remember official title) saw him straightaway, were friendly and helpful and got him sorted out.

By and large most of the more academically-inclined pupils chose to go to PS from ds's school. However, BP did a storming sales pitch saying how cosy and cuddly they were compared with PS which enticed a fair few kids to go there who had been previously set on PS.

Agree with TalkinPeace - ds is only just emerging from the initial shock of the early mornings and late evenings. He enjoys the bus ride, however! He also loves the step up in the subject content. He says some people are already floundering with maths.

Btw he says that the whole of the county youth orchestra was in his class