Is it true that clever people go to 6th form and people who aren't go to college

[thistimeiknowitsforreal]

Evening all,

It was always drummed into me that after GCSE`s that if you are intelligent you went to or stayed at school and went to 6th form depending on your previous circumstances.

But if you weren't good enough you went to college instead.

Whats your experience in this area ?

I went to 6th form college so that doesn't work.

How would you rate yourself ?

Dunno, I work in a college and we seem
to have quite a few clever people.
Plus not all schools have 6th forms. Some whole areas have barely any state 6th form provision except colleges.

Not round here.

We have only 1 school that does 6th form.

Lots of colleges.

My ds just finished a T level at college.

Schools in my area don't have sixth forms (a couple of private schools do but I can't think of a state school). Everyone goes to college or sixth form college because that's what exists!

Very few schools in Hampshire have sixth forms, so most go to college, there are some amazing ones with lots that go to top universities. So that definitely doesn‘t work!

Schools didn't have sixth forms in the area I grew up at that time so everyone went to college. I think it was a good system to have a mix of people in the same place and was also much more independent than a school would be, which was good for the transition on the university (for those who went) and to work, I think

I agree.

I can never understand why anyone would want to stay on at school.

None of the secondary schools in our area offered A levels. Everyone went to one of two 6th form colleges, and many went onto prestigious universities afterwards.

So no, college isn't just for the less intelligent.

You usually need better gcse results to stay on at school , it can be more selective. Colleges usually do a broader range of courses and have courses to suit all abilities. Some people would rather choose college regardless of gcse grades for a new experience. It also depends what you mean by intelligent. Some of the most successful and able people, with a lot of knowledge are not academic.

When I was at school no schools had 6th forms!

I got more GCSEs than anyone else in my school (sat extra outside of school) - but was “advised not to return after 5th year” because I kept getting caught smoking. 😂

probably true in my area

This was drummed into me at school but where I lived the 6th forms offered A levels and the local college didn't, it was all vocational stuff. All secondaries in the area had a 6th form.

Where I live now there are LAs with no 6th form provision at all. You go to college or you travel to a different area to go to 6th form.

This was the general vibe at my school, which had a sixth form, but a lot of people wanted to go to the local college to do more interesting and less academic subjects - the range of courses offered was much better.

Seems to be the case where I live yes, the better schools have sixth forms and the cleverer kids end up in those sixth forms (about 50% of schools in the borough have sixth forms). The next tier down cleverness-wise go to the giant sixth form college that has huge capacity and then the lowest level in terms of academic ability go to the massive technical college that trains for technical jobs. That’s very specific to the borough in London that I live in, though. The borough directly bordering us, for example, only has three schools out of 40-odd with sixth forms.

My brother and I went to sixth form at school. He got a third in his degree and I got a 2.1

My sisters both went to college as the school didn't offer the A level choices they wanted. They both got first class degrees.

Make of that what you will. A levels are a A levels whether they're taught at school or elsewhere. Unless you are making the presumption people only do 'other qualifications' at college.

That was the case for my school. but it was because those who stayed at 6th form at school generally went onto uni and those who went Into college then went Into work / apprenticeships.

How does that work now further education past 16 is compulsory?

At kids school you have to meet a minimum standard for entry to sixth form, possibly 5 GCSEs and I think it’s a minimum of a grade 6 to do the A level of your choice, BTECs are also offered
I wouldn’t be sniffy about an access course at a college, ie access to a nursing degree, possibly like the foundation year?

That was the general opinion when I was at school too. But I'm a teacher (and have been for a long time) so I know full well that it's not true. There are all sorts of reasons for going to college which are not based on how intelligent you are. My dd is very bright and is hoping to apply to Oxbridge. She wanted to go to college because she was sick of her school. The local colleges didn't offer her subject combination though. Lots of her (bright) friends went to college because they had specific things they wanted to do which school didn't offer. Or they just fancied a different environment. They all had good enough grades to stay at school.

I think that it really depends on your definition of clever. I’m good at academic learning, I did Alevel at 6th Form college and went to university. But plenty of very clever people have talents that aren’t academic. My dh is very clever but dyslexic, although he also did go to 6th form his talent is in forming relationships and finding solutions and he’s a very good sales person, I am more qualified than him but definitely less talented and my skills are less marketable. Richard Branson dropped out of school at 14, Jamie Oliver went to catering college, would you class David Beckham as clever?

I personally think most average intelligence people could do A levels and university, but lots of people prefer more vocational courses.

It's not about intelligence it's about the structural inequalities which impact attainment from before a child even starts school.

I think it’s more a case of those who do well at GCSEs will likely do well at A Levels/sixth form. Those who don’t get on with GCSEs would likely be better off doing some kind of vocational course at college or on the job training like an apprenticeship. It’s not really about how clever you are but your preferred style of learning.

If I'd wanted to go to 6th form after GCSEs I would have had to rapidly learn fluent Welsh because that was the only 6th form within reasonable distance of my home. All of our local schools fed into the college for A levels and everything else.

Believing 6th form makes you superior is a sign that you lack critical thinking skills so are therefore less intelligent