To send DS to less preferred sixth form

[Flowersinmypocket]

My DS is taking A-levels in September, he has a choice of two that he can go to. His first choice has the subjects he’d much prefer to take and the general sixth form seems much better all-round, as well as a good Ofsted and high pass rate, the second is local and the choices are more limited and the Ofsted has been between poor and good inconsistently. If he attends his first choice it will cost approx £120 per month in bus fares, the local sixth form he’s able to cycle to and will not cost us the additional £120 per month. With costs rising, I’m unsure if we will be able to afford the travel fees long-term, if not, he’d have to change sixth forms and one or two of his A-levels and this would cause disruption to his education. I don’t know what to do.

I mean you know how hard this decision is. The first choice is clearly better. I had a Saturday job in college. It that possible?

Is there no financial assistance towards the bus pass if you are a low income family?

£120 a month seems VERY expensive for bus fairs… our local bus pass is £30 a month for children?

It's £620 per year here

School passes have just gone up here to about 300 a term 😔. It's crazy.

Do you know much about either 6th form ? Is he already in one of the schools?

Does he want the first choice? Can he get work to pay the fares? Saturday job or online job like surveys etc.

Maybe he can meet half the cost with a part time job. I’d be in favour of doing what it takes for the next 22 months to get him to the better place tbh (assuming that’s what he wants).

We were paying a bit less when he was at secondary school which was out of our catchment area, this is a bit further, so not a huge difference but with the big rise in living costs, I’m unsure whether it’s sustainable. I also don’t know if working weekends and going to sixth-form Monday - Friday, will be too much for him with studying on top, I can suggest it though.

Can he get a Saturday job to pay the travel costs?

I know it's less than ideal but he might be willing. A levels are much much harder than GCSE so if he can make the better college work it would be worth it.

And if it turns out money is less tight than you thought, then the extra money is a bonus.

I worked through my A levels on Saturdays and occasional Fridays or Sundays. It's not unusual for kids to work.

I don't know if you are in receipt of any benefits OP, but there are bursaries available for sixth form students - the college will apply on your behalf if your family is eligible. Where I used to work some of that money went directly to the student & some of it went towards trips/enrichment etc. You could ask the college - it was called the vulnerable student bursary where I worked but they might call it something different there.

Sorry OP, got it wrong - I think the one yout DS might be eligible for is the discretionary bursary. There's no fixed criteria. But if a family is experiencing hardship it's usually accepted by the college.

www.gov.uk/1619-bursary-fund/eligibility

What's the local one like? Does it offer the courses he wants? Have you looked at their results?

Thanks @HipsterCoffeeShop , Will contact them regarding the discretionary bursary, we don’t receive any benefits but we don’t have a lot of disposable income.

I worked 20 hours a week when I was at 6th form and had a healthy social life, as did all my friends.

We all got good grades and mostly went to Uni and on to professional careers. At the welcome evening chat we were told we were expected to not have jobs, but only very few didn’t.

My dd had a paper round all through school and until she left for uni; earned her about £25/w so would have paid most of that bus fare and didn’t impact her studies (about 30-40 mins each morning).

I will see if he can get a job at weekends to help pay for his bus fare. I got the impression during A-level studies, the focus is all study.

My daughter has just finished 6th form with excellent grades she did baby sitting ( could study after kids were in bed) and a casual job with a kids party company. Often she would have finished her party work before some of her friends got out of bed. Her CV looks good too!

I also don’t know if working weekends and going to sixth-form Monday - Friday, will be too much for him with studying on top, I can suggest it though.

^ unless he has additional needs this is exactly what needs to happen though. It's good preparation for university too.

Hi, OP -

I am a former admissions tutor at a very good university. Ever since the higher fees came in we’ve been seeing a substantial number of applicants with part time jobs during sixth form on their applications. And ( excepting the disruption of COVID) results have climbed steadily. If your DS doesn’t have special needs then chances are high that like most he can learn the necessary time management. It will be a good skill for university.

You can tell that based on my experience evaluating applications I definitely think the better educational experience is worth it if you can manage it. A big part of my opinion is based in the fact that your DS himself prefers it. He sounds motivated. Of course, if he isn’t motivated enough to earn a bit, you may need to reconsider. No harm in letting an older teenager in on life’s realities.

BTW if he is a morning person the paper route may work well. And be sure to apply for every benefit you or he might be entitled to.

For fuck' sake. The first one is early better for him all round. Get a Saturday job or an extra evening job if money is tight. You should support him and help him to achieve his goals.

And I mean you and your husband get the extra jobs, not your son.