6th Form lack of options need advice

[FailedVegan]

Hi,
i've got twin girls in Year 10 currently having a very difficult time of it socially, both finding it very hard to fit in and no way they will be doing 6th form at current school.
Main issue is that where we live there doesn't seem to be any 6th form options - all of the secondary schools catchment areas (which i guess are based mainly on Y7 admission) don't cover our area.
i'm really concerned because i need to get them into somewhere they can learn and thrive a bit. The culture at current school is a bit 'law of the jungle' and its challenging to say the least. One of them is at breaking point and there are days i worry that she won't see out her regular education.

Is there some way the existing school can intervene and make a referral or is there an education body we can speak to?

Not sure which way to turn, any advice very appreciated.
thanks

Is there a 6th form college in a nearby town? They often don’t have traditional catchments with many youngsters takings trains

Have you not got an FE college near you? Most offer subsidised travel if they're a bit far away.

Ge colleges or 6th forms they can reach by bus/train?

FE ffs fat fingers

Can you mention which county you are in? It shouldn't be outing. That way, people can give better suggestions.

Where I live, there are no Year 12 and 13 in secondaries. Everyone goes to 6th form colleges and they have very large catchments. That won't help you a bit!

thanks for the replies here
sorry, i should have said i am in north london, so yes schools within travel distance though the borough i live in doesn't seem to have much provision. I would have better options closer by in different boroughs.
am about a mile away from one very good sixth form and a mile and a half away from another well-rated school - both are in a different council borough though.
The options in my borough are much further away and the catchment maps are not showing anything remotely near me.

current situ is so bad i'm desperate to improve things any way i can really

Your girls aren’t limited to schools in your borough . If there’s space in a school in a neighbouring borough then they can offer it to your children.

Sixth forms often don’t have catchment areas like in year 7 so if you’re close to the boundary then it’s worth a shot in applying it might be worth contacting these sixth forms to see how far people travel so you can gauge the likelihood of a place. Unlike year 7 entry, there isn’t a limit on how many you can apply for.

London has loads of very good colleges- some specialist provision too if they're passionate about a certain area.

I was about to say the same as @Snorlaxo

Sixth forms often don’t have catchment areas ( unlike other years) so if there’s a local school that looks a better fit for your girls, I would ask them about entry requirements for sixth form.

Just to add @Snorlaxo my daughter was very unhappy at school years 10-11 & it was such a relief when she moved to another school for sixth form, so I do understand.

A fresh start is a great thing.

The "catchment" for 6th form is unrelated to the year 7 catchment.

We were in catchment for one secondary (plus a catholic option 2 towns over) for secondary.

When it gets to 6th form, all sorts of options open up. And transport provided to many of them if not well served by public routes.

I'd cast the net wider - or look at when you can reasonably get to, and see what they can offer.

Have you looked at the admissions policies for sixth forms near you as they are not the same as year 7 and the schools run it themselves not through a central process

A college might be a more adult environment that would suit them better.

There are lots of options in North London, although some will select based on grades.

If your girls are likely to do well at A-level, you may find schools are happy to accommodate them, providing they can get to the school or college. A couple of good university candidates are often welcome...

Thanks everyone for your replies here.
Am just at the outset of looking at options and getting a bit stressed because of the situation we're in.
i don't expect there isn't going to be ups & downs at school but there's a prevalent 'ghetto' mentality at most of the schools around here. All the boys want to be a 'bad man' wearing balaclavas on non-school uniform day etc.
Yesterday on bus home from school some girl threatened to 'bang that girl out" after my daughter caught her eye accidentally.

Can you move home?

Sorry if this is not an idea you can consider but could a private school sixth form be a possibility?

Depending on how north North London you are, it might be worth looking at 6th form provision (school/college) in neighbouring Counties. I'm in South South London and many kids go to 6th forms and colleges in Surrey.

Sixth form applications work differently from Y7 so don't discount schools you wouldn't have got into previously.

Schools such as St Marylebone, Camden School for Girls, Greycoats, St Mary Magdalene Academy and Fortismere may be within reach if your girls are looking at doing A-levels. Some of them have virtual tours and/or online open evening presentations available to look at.

Another option is a standalone sixth form such as LAE or Harris Westminster. Both are academically selective and have students travelling in from all over. There are also plenty of colleges that offer a mixture of A-levels and BTECs, or others such as ELAM that specialise in a particular industry.

You can apply to as many sixth forms as you like so it's a good idea to have your girls think about what they're interested in doing next by looking at sixth form/college websites but also at school leaver apprenticeships if that's something that may appeal to them.

Not really, we moved house a couple of years ago - stamp duty , solicitors and agents fees too much to go again in such a short space of time. We really like where we live , its just the provision of decent schools is a lacking.
Seems to be a really good 6th form college about 3/4 of a mile away but it's catholic so unlikely to get in to that as we aren't religious.

Thanks for the reply .
Yes Fortismere about 2 miles away, Alexander Park about a mile - i will definitely look into these (though i am out of borough and i sense they will be over-subscribed)

i need to find out more about apprenticeships and 'next steps' in general, am at the outset of what i sense will be a steep learning curve ! :-)

Not sure what the fees would look like , we don't have an awful lot of spare cash and i'd have to find the fees for two all at the same time so i think it wil be out of our reach.

Our local faith school in Essex/London borders don’t need you to be religious for sixth form. But are very strict in it for Y7. So you might find that the same case where you are.

6th forms rarely have catchments, even if the secondary school they are attached to do. There is no limit to the number of 6th forms they can apply to. They should apply to every 6th form they can reasonably reach o public transport. They will have dozens of options. Do not make any plans for the week before or after the august bank holiday in the summer of gcse results. It is normal for each sixth form to over-offer in the expectation that not all applicants will come, so there will be registration days that they must attend to confirm the place.