Why is 6th form thought of more highly than attending FE college ?

[Summersunshinee]

I can never understand why if you say that you attend 6th form at school you are thought of more so than if you attended FE college.

I would feel that if anything it would be more impressive to attend FE college as you made the decision to go somewhere else and try something different /

@Summersunshinee yes but we are on page 8 of comments with lots of people saying neither is better or worse than the other - they are just what they are.
For what it's worth - 30 years ago I did one year of 6th Form, one year of College.
Neither were "better" or actually of any use to me because I had no career/course guidance and as an adult all these years later realise I probably have ADHD in one form or another so didn't (couldn't) do the work and I didn't really know what I was doing.

I don't think one is thought of as better than the other at all. Depends on the person, the courses offered, how close they are to home etc. But for variety of learning experience and a more independent experience, colleges offer some great options.

They do offer more options.

Staying at school lacks ambition for me.

OK Sucked in again.

@Summersunshinee Based on all the information you have read so far over 3 separate threads, can you imagine any scenario where staying at a school 6th form might be preferable for an individual student than going to a college?

I mean, suppose the school 6th form is opposite the house.
The college is an hours bus away.
The student is a straight grade 9 who wants to be a doctor.
The 6th form is outstanding, and offers the right A levels.
The college offers BTECs only which wouldn't be accepted by unis to do medicine. The nearest college offering A levels is 3.5 hours away by 5 bus changes.

Is your (somewhat blinkered) brain able to accept that in this case 6th form would be preferable?

They do offer more options.
Staying at school lacks ambition for me.

So students who stay at school because they want to do more academic subjects in order to go to university to do an academic subject, or because theur school sixth form gets better results than the local college, 'lack ambition'?

My dd is going to university to study Spanish and Linguistics. She was fed up with the environment of school and would have liked to go to college because it's more relaxed and people seem to have a nicer time there. None of the local colleges offered languages at A Level.

At college you are more in charge of managing your workload and own progress as opposed to 6th form/school environment when teachers will chase things up more so.

That is certainly not the case across the board. Many 6th forms demand independence, do not chase you up and allow you to sink or swim depending on whether you do the work. Ours was like that.

You still seem massively biased against students who go to their own 6th forms without understanding that for many, it's the better choice. Many young people do have clear plans for what they want to do at University and will base their choices on that. It's really very simple - we need both school 6th forms and colleges, and in many areas we need standalone 6th form colleges with strong academic provision too.

I accept the scenarios you have presented probably staying at 6th form would be a better option. I`m not blind to that.

But I do feel it`s just a positive thing to do to move on and have a change of scene, meet new people, hear a different voice after 5 years of the same school.

I don`t think you can understand that point if I'm honest and have a blinkered view towards school.

You probably have a dim view of vocational qualifications.

@TeenDivided do you feel you just want to bang your head against a wall with this thread. Cos I do 🤣

@Summersunshinee how on earth did you get that @TeenDivided "probably has a dim view of vocational qualifications" from her post.
It's really simple - and you just still don't seem to get it.
Some careers (like Doctor) you need to have academic qualifications (like A-Levels) in order to go to university and study medicine so you can become a doctor. Traditionally 6th Forms are more likely to offer this path.
Other careers (like Plumber) you need to have a vocational qualification and to learn in a hands-on environment. Traditionally FE Colleges are more likely to offer this path.
Doctor and Plumber are both something that people will need in their life. Both are important for a society to function.
Neither is "better" than the other.
If a 16 year old has a particular path they want to follow in life (ie become a Doctor or Plumber) then they will go where they can obtain what is needed for the next stage in life. For many those 2 years are just something to get through to reach their goal. They don't need or want a change of scenery or meet new people - they just want to get on with gaining the relevant qualification for their chosen path.

There is a lot of negativity towards vocational subjects on this thread.

@Summersunshinee I don't think there's been any negativity about Vocational Qualifications on this thread. You seem to be the only one bringing up that idea.

Really ? not one person on this thread has said they studied a vocational subject and have just gone on about if someone wants to be a doctor that need to go to 6th form so they can study A level chemistry etc.

There has been little positivity about vocational study apart from the anecdote about the lad who was 14 and go to experience vocational/practical subjects at college.

This speaks a lot about the snobbery in the education system.

@Summersunshinee I was at school 30 years ago (which is probably similar to a lot of mumsnetters) and to be honest most people just left education at 16 and went straight to work.
Anyway....for what it's worth....
My niece (now age 22) did a vocational qualification through the apprenticeship scheme.
My nephew (age 16) is doing a vocational qualification.
Other niece (21) did a mix of A-Levels and Btec and is training to be a paramedic (it's university - but on the job training)
Cousins girl (age 24) did a medical based vocational qualification which led to university.
Cousins Boy (age 22) started doing a vocational qualification but dropped out of college and worked full time and is now training to be manager in his job (after already being assistant manager) - his job would be described as vocational if you actually needed a qualification for it.

Now I know you are trolling. That is a blatantly untrue statement.

I’ve talked at length about my child who studied a vocational subject at college.

my daughter stayed at school to do a mix of vocational diploma & academic a levels because that suited her best. She is Heidi diverse so big changes at that age are not always the best thing and her school specialised in the vocational area (students go there from all over the world.

OP is really showing a lack of critical thinking and ability to see that different methods of education suit different people.

Nonsense
I said above my dd went to local college and did Health and Social Care , went to an RG uni got a first and qualified as an OT
There are others who have said their DC have gone through the vocational route to uni and done well

@Summersunshinee
Even more....
Me - did vocational qualification
My sister - did vocational qualification
Cousin - vocational qualification
Another cousin - vocational qualification
Another cousin - learned on the job in something that would be described as vocational
We are all in our 40s/50s now.

Both my DDs have done vocational qualifications too. 🙂

I don't thin k there is a lot of negativity towards vocational education. I think many of us would like to see more and higher quality vocational education, properly valued by the government in a way that right now it is not.

What we are negative towards is the idea of changing schools just for 'a change of scene'. Because that is 1) ridiculous for someone who is well served by their existing school and 2) not a possibility for many people across the UK due to poor provision and poor transport in their area.

The change of scene happens at 18 when young people either go into the workplace or leave home to go to university.

School and college can both be just right, it depends on the DC - some want courses that are only available at one or the other so that makes the choice easier. Then some are really happy where they are and some are not, some are itching for something new and some are not, some want or need somewhere close and some don't mind travelling, some want to go where most of their cohort is going and some want to meet new people. All povs just as valid as the next. My DC both did / do A levels but had completely different preferences for the rest, so one stayed at school and one went to FE college.

Ok fine I'm wrong about everything.

@Summersunshinee oh sweetie.... you're not "wrong"because there is no right or wrong about what to do at 16.
Everyone is just different, has different wants and needs from education. Has different facilities available to them.
Academic or vocational - whichever path a person takes is for them and no one else. Neither is better than the other - and I have never met anyone in life who thinks that.
Please try to stop obsessing over it.
🙂💐

You're not wrong. You're also not right. There is no right and wrong here, only different provision for different needs. The world isn't black and white.

Thank you! Yes I really am!
also to reply to another point you asked - she travelled over an hour to a college but that really helped her develop her independence and made so many more friends which helped her transition to Uni more easy 😌 I would say to follow her gut even if there is travel or (like my DD) not knowing anyone there.

im sure your DD will do well whatever she chooses 😊

As I previously said, my DD could have done Alevels but did a Btec instead and was offered at every Uni she applied to (3 out of 5 were Russell Group) they go by UCAS points and the personal statement / students approach to the course and their career plans.
In STEM subjects Btec is just more practical lab work than Alevel which is more theory