Sixth Form applications

[OddBoots]

My ds is in Y10 so will soon be thinking about options after school, his school only going to 16 so he has to move one but we're not sure where.

The majority of the town go to the sixth form college so I guess that is the most likely option but we don't want to just do that without thinking about other options too.

There doesn't seem to be a central application like applying for a school through the LA or applying to university through UCAS - do people just apply to several then decide if/when they have offers?

There are sixth forms linked to schools in nearby towns that seem to offer the A Levels ds wants, if we sort out his transport is there any reason we can't apply to them? Are there catchments for sixth forms?

A cheeky bump in case anyone online now is able to offer advice or experience.

There is no reason he couldn't apply to school sixth forms, though they will probably prioritise their own students so there may not be that many spaces for external applicants. Admissions must conform to admissions code though. As with schools there is no 'one size fits all' admission criteria so you'll have to trawl through websites to see if you stand a chance! Applications are usually direct to school or college not LEA, and applicants can hold several offers at once, leaving the decision until they have their GCSE results.

There is no centralised admissions process so you will need to look at each one individually and follow their admissions process. You can also hold multiple offers at different institutions.

DS2 was unsure what he wanted to do, and we were unsure what his results would be like. He applied to his schools sixth form and two local colleges, one place for A levels, and the others for two different BTECs depending on his results.

Round here, none of the school sixth forms are over subscribed, so it doesn't matter where you live. Transport costs are paid for my parents regardless of distance.