6th Form or college and why did you choose one over the other ?

[Hollywilloughbyfan1]

Evening all.

Did you choose 6th form or college and why did you choose one option over the other ?

6th form was part of secondary school and within walking distance. Most of her friends went there but they were starting to go into smaller, bitchier groups. Had to be in uniform (suits), shoes of a particular type for girls. School was too involved and there was no freedom for personnel growth or responsibility. Even free/study lessons had to be taken on school grounds, had to stay there for lunch, so either school dinners or packed. Had to be 9 to 3.30pm every day.

College was a bus ride away so involved learning about timetables, money budgeting for bus and dinner. Able to leave college during free lessons to wander around city shops. Only had to attend actual lessons so might only go in 2 hours on a thursday, nothing on a Friday for example. Could wear what they wanted. Was expected to be in charge and responsible for attendance, notifying absences, studying, discussing any problems with work and not wait for teacher to notice first. Basically had to be grown up.

Since DD wanted to go to university after I persuaded her that college would prepare her better for the real world and going to a different city/University by herself while 6th form was in a childish bubble in comparison.

After a year she had outgrown her 6th form friends. She didn't need handholding and worked out a lot of problems by herself, eg getting on a train by herself, staying overnight in a new city, budgeting for it all. Getting a parttime job etc etc. One other friend went to the same college but different course - she outgrew the school friends too.

It really was the best thing for her.

Excellent

I stayed at school for sixth form. It was a mistake. I got better grades at a levels arguably but the social/life skills side of it all was lacking. A very small school though maybe less of an issue with a large secondary/sixth form.

Do you wish you had made a different choice ? which part of the country are you from also ?

I went to sixth form because I already knew the teachers, other pupils and the building plus it was closer than the college.

Bit short sighted ?

I'm in the East Midlands - I'm also 40+ so I'm going back a while.

A different choice? Sometimes yes, sometimes no... probably mainly yes but I think my university choice was perhaps a bigger misstep. But neither really impact my life now I don't think.

Ah i grew up in the East mids to

This -exactly- for my DD too. Especially after 18 months of covid lockdown stifling her progress to independence.

I think it depends on what things are like in your LA.
In some areas, there are no, or very few school 6th forms, so the 6th form colleges are very different from other areas.
In some areas, school 6th forms are where A-level students go and 6th form colleges are for more vocational course, and GCES re-sits.
So what it is like in your area, plus, what learning you are looking for, are obviously both going to have influence on your choices.

I stayed at sixth form because I did a lot of music and didn’t want to give it up, although I would have preferred (and flourished in I think) the college environment. I ended up head girl so I didn’t have a bad time but I just think I needed to be pushed out of my comfort zone!

we did have a collaborative sixth form where six schools all offered different subjects and depending on what you picked you went to different schools, so I picked one of my subjects at a different (all boys!) school and that was a nice compromise

6th form is more based on academic subjects eg maths and psychology, whereas college tends to have stronger practical/hands-on type subjects eg art, childcare, mechanics. It's best to choose which one depending on what kind of course(s) the student wants to do.

Not always. The one DD is at offers A-levels only.

Why are you asking?

Round here in Hants there aren't school 6th forms, only a great range of colleges. So no brainer, chose a college.

DD16 is in year 11 so hasn’t started yet but she is enrolled in college from September. She’s taking A levels but her school didn’t offer Economics which was something she was keen to do.
She has led a sheltered school life so far and has struggled with her mental health. She’s academic and wants to go to university but we all thought that an interim step was needed. She’s going to be in a bigger, more informal environment which will require a lot of different social and study skills from her and I definitely feel better about the fact that she’ll be trying new things but returning home each day where we can offer some support and will be on hand if her mental health becomes challenging again. We’re all hoping it’s the stepping stone she needs.

Totally agree. DD1 is keen to go to college but DD2 hasn't made her mind up yet. Quite a few of her friends are going so I hope this will persuade her.

My general view

Pros of college:

• better stepping stone to university / independence


• less likely to chase if you don't engage properly


• bigger choice of courses


• can make wider friends

Cons of college

• requires an independence some might not yet have


• pastoral support maybe less good


• new teachers, peers & surroundings may take time to settle into


• harder to get advice on what courses might suit as school doesn't know the courses and college don't know the student - especially the case when SEN is involved

DS did not want to carry on at 6th form, with the same kids/teachers. He choose college in the next town, he wanted to a particular BTEC course alongside an academy course, at that time only two colleges could offer the academy course in the South East. No regrets, he absolutely loved his college days, and professional tuition in the sport he loves, even though, it took two buses for him to get there, before he passed his driving test at 17. When he could drive himself to college.

I went to sixth form equivalent at school as school went to 18, dropped out after a year, I was well and truly sick of school.
DS wants to go to a 14 to 19 UTC.

Be careful of UTCs Some are very very poor, so do your research.

I went to a 6th form college, one of the best in the country.

The main reason I went is because I wanted to do classics a level and they did it.

Second reason was that I wanted to have a bit of a half way between school and uni. It helped me a lot really.

Also, my mum taught at my secondary school and I wanted to go to a new school.

I have a DS just about to leave school after Y13 and a DD in Y11 at the same school who plans on going to the local college for A levels. It's horses for courses really, he wanted familiarity, somewhere close and easy to get to, and to stay with his friends. It would have been very difficult to change setting the pandemic too. She wants a new challenge, to be more independent, and to meet new people. She is hoping to get into the college's scholars programme, needs 6 x A* for that - the college treat their scholars as an elite bunch and invest a lot in them. At school she would be seen as nothing particularly special apart from hopefully not requiring much intervention, and if anything a bit of a pain for wanting to do four A levels.

I went to sixth form college in my closest city which was about an hour on the college bus. I was one of two from my school to go there, everyone else who was vaguely academic stayed at school. My college only offered A levels when I went there but now offers the IB too.

I just didn't fancy staying at the same school with the same people that I'd known since toddler group, particularly when it was in special measures and hadn't really made much effort with me during GCSEs given they knew I was guaranteed to get above a C. I also wanted to do French A level which my school didn't offer and various other "academic" things like that.

It was honestly the best decision I ever made in all aspects of my life. My best friends are still those I met in college rather than those I'd known all of my life. All of the people I know from school still live in the area and have coupled up with eachothers siblings etc and went to the local ex polytechnic even if they were "academic" whereas I applied to unis across the UK, as did all of my college friends and we now live around the world. None of us returned home after uni.

College opened my eyes academically and socially - I'd never met anyone "cleverer" than me (in terms of GCSE results) until then and as soon as we got there we started discussing where and what next as it scores some of the best results in England. It was essentially like going to uni at 16 - we called the teachers by their first name and the onus was on you to seek out support if you needed it but we also had a tutor who kept tabs on us. I loved it and have such great memories of all of the trips we did plus just going into the city in free periods etc. Moving 5+ hours away for uni was a complete walk in the park after 2 years of college life. I'd recommend it to most teenagers over staying at school, particularly if they've been with the same people since they were toddlers.

When I was at school the school had no 6th form, so the choices were another school, or college. I chose college. All were a bus ride away.

DD is about to go into 6th form (assuming she gets the required grades) in September. She wanted to stay at school as, as most of her friends are staying. I was disappointed (on her behalf) that they have to be in school 9-3.30 still and I think the "business wear" uniform is a bit silly.

I went to college instead of staying at school, socially it was a great decision but academically it was a disaster, the teaching was dreadful (lecturers never turning up in the afternoons because they were drunk by then, that sort of thing). I did really badly in my A levels and ended up at the local poly instead of a proper uni. Several of my friends did even worse then me, coming out with 1 or 2 E grades. Whereas those that stayed at school did much better but didn’t get that independence and expanded circle of friends thing (my lifelong friends are those from college not school).

I am sure colleges have improved a great deal since then, one of my DC is now weighing up the same decision and it is still a case of better academics versus better opportunities for social life, independence etc.