How small is too small for a 6th form?

[Darshika]

DS’s school keeps cutting subjects - and he’s had some issues with school. I’m getting cold feet about him staying on where he is & looking at a local private school which I’ve heard is good pastorally.

Only thing is - the current school has about 200 kids in Y12. The private school has 20.

Is this a positive? Or far too small - and possibly even a sign that they are struggling to recruit & may become unviable in the future?

I think 20 seems way too small.
No choice of 'tribe' and no chance to learn of other's questions and opinions.

Round here there are large 6th form colleges that people standardly travel 45-60minutes or more to.

I'd dump both options and just find a better state one.
I definitely wouldn't have moving part way in to y12 as an option - far too disruptive.

My last job in the UK was in a small independent school with sixth form numbers similar to this. I teach a minority subject and put 1 student through the A level. Other subjects entered 2 or 3 kids.
Actually, it was lovely. The kids were all close and had a lovely social life and the pastoral care was excellent. We has a few vulnerable kids who benefitted massively from the environment. I would send your DS if you feel it would suit him he would probably thrive.

Dd's school sixth form went through a stage of cutting subjects but then unfortunately this resulted in them haemorrhaging students to a huge sixth form college an hour away that can offer any subject. They lost some very good students that they didn't want to lose and now have nearly 100 less students than they used to (used to have over 300 in the whole sixth form) so they've gone back to offering subjects with small numbers now.