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Further education

You'll find discussions about A Levels and universities on our Further Education forum.

Original poster

School sixth form vs Sixth form college

33 replies

Lotustiger · 25/08/2023 14:09

Anyone out there with the benefit of hindsight?

No sixth form at current school. Still undecided re a school sixth form and a sixth form college (for start in September!). Both rated outstanding.

School sixth form much closer, but established friendship groups and quite strict. Suspect they would get better results out of child here. Can't accommodate first choice A level combination.

Sixth form college huge, can do preferred A levels, far away, everyone starts at once. Still gets good results and child is self motivated.

Interested if anyone made a similar choice and whether you had any pearls of wisdom to share?

OP posts:
florenceandthemac · 25/08/2023 14:10

Where does your DC want to go?

Original poster
Lotustiger · 25/08/2023 14:11

They are flip-flopping!

OP posts:
florenceandthemac · 25/08/2023 14:20

I feel at this age you just need to let them make the decision.
If you make it, or heavily influence it, if they aren't enjoying it or are struggling there for some reason, it will always be "you made me go there".
If they choose where they think they'll be happy, hopefully they will. And if not, they have to decide what to do and can't throw it at you either!

Original poster
Lotustiger · 25/08/2023 14:22

A good perspective - thank you!

OP posts:
Kryten1958 · 25/08/2023 14:38

Beware of the hidden cost of 6 form colleges.
I have 2 DCs who were born only 1Y apart. All the schools in our town had no post 16 provision so both the kids had to decide which college to attend.
They could walk to school, but in the year that they were both at (different) 6th form colleges I spent £1000 on train fairs for them.
So much for free education.

MrsScrubbingbrush · 25/08/2023 14:40

DDs went for 6th Form College because

  1. Teachers were experienced in teaching 16+ year olds
  2. The teachers didn't have to swap between teaching Yr7 and then Yr 12
  3. Were treated as 'Young adults' there was no uniform or particular style of dress code, addressed teachers by their first name etc
  4. They could come and go as they pleased as long as they attended timetabled lessons
  5. Encouraged to work independently
  6. It felt like a stepping stone to university life

It's not for everyone because of points 4 & 5 - some students found it hard but mine thrived and have become more mature as a result of the freedom it offered.

mumonthehill · 25/08/2023 14:50

Yes i can give you the benefit of hindsight!! Elder ds had no school 6th form and only option was college for A levels. He went from getting 12 A* at GCSE to failing year 12. He just did not have the structure at college that he needed, it was too easy to not do the work and the college expected a lot of self study which he did not do. He had lots of free time and he chose not to use it wisely.he enjoyed the freedom far too much and we realised too late. He had a huge shock and resat the year and did well and onto university. Younger ds who has just done GCSEs is now going to another local school that has a 6th form and i hope that having this structure will stop us from going through the same situation. I think college can work really well for some but they have to be motivated and the college have to be on the ball to spot dc that are falling behind. It was very parents hands off and we should have been more involved than we were. Ds should have also stepped up better. For us the mix of all these things just did not work but i know that for many the extra freedom and responsibility is a very positive thing.

Shadowboy · 25/08/2023 14:50

6th form college every time.

  1. teachers teach A levels. In a school they teach through the KSs and sixth form is a small % of their teaching.
  2. a broader range of students which makes it easier for them to find their tribe- I find the kids are more likely to be “themselves”
  3. no odd rules on dress/office style wear or uniform
  4. more like uni- less of a shock. Students tend to adjust better (there were studies that evidence this)
redskytwonight · 25/08/2023 17:54

I think some of these vary between individual settings.
For example, most of the points made about sixth form college here would also apply to my DD's school sixth form.

Needmorelego · 25/08/2023 17:58

I would think the subjects that are wanted being available should be the important thing? If the college offers them but school doesn't then go to college. It seems the most logical thing to me. Why study something you don't really want to be studying (if they go to the school).

TeenDivided · 25/08/2023 18:03

In amongst some very very banging head against the walls moments, this thread has some interesting points: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/education/4781305-why-is-6th-form-thought-of-more-highly-than-attending-fe-college?page=1
it's quite circular so you don't need to read all 1000 posts.

Needmorelego · 25/08/2023 18:10

@TeenDivided NOOOOO.....you'll activate the ruddy thread again 😂😂

TeenDivided · 25/08/2023 18:17

Needmorelego · 25/08/2023 18:10

@TeenDivided NOOOOO.....you'll activate the ruddy thread again 😂😂

It's OK, it's full! Grin

Needmorelego · 25/08/2023 18:19

@TeenDivided phew 😂

pintery · 25/08/2023 18:21

DS wanted: familiarity and structure, to be with friends, to stay close to home = school sixth form

DD wanted: to meet new people, more diversity, a change from the same old faces (some of whom she had known since reception), more independence, to dress how she liked / wear make up and jewellery, to learn with specialist A level teachers, to practise a more uni-ish way of independent learning = A levels at the local FE college.

Also they were really keen, encouraging and made her feel special, whereas she felt ignored at school. School did celebrate her good GCSEs in an article on their website but spelled her name wrongly 🤦‍♀️

Once they get to sixth form college though, they have to learn quickly to manage their time and organise themselves. DS would not have coped half as well as DD has. So horses for courses.

LennyBalls · 25/08/2023 18:24

The Head at our school sixth form evening always says if you are self motivated go to college because the sixth form at school is run with the school rules.
They have to still wear uniform, they have to be in school on time, they have to adhere to the rules of the school. This suited mine better because left to their own devices they would do nothing !

Seeline · 25/08/2023 18:26

Both mine liked the structure of school 6th form.
They also liked the responsibilities they were given - perfects, mentoring younger pupils, running extra curricular clubs etc.
My DD changed schools, but DS stayed at the same one and it was good that the staff knew him well when it came to writing his UCAS reference etc.

ShadowPuppets · 25/08/2023 18:27

I had both options, I went for 6th form college. I think it did me a lot of favours - I’d been in a quite spoon fed environment at school and it prepared me more for uni. I spread my wings a bit more and it prepped me for the ramifications of slacking off - I was naturally quite clever and it made me realise what happens if you bunk off in an environment where they kept a closer eye on me than at uni.

If my school had had a 6th form I might have been tempted to stay on but I’m actually really glad I didn’t have the option. Plus I didn’t fancy trying to break into established groups in a school where girls had known each other for 5+ years!

ShadowPuppets · 25/08/2023 18:28

There’s also the cynical angle if your child is at an independent school that a state one might open more doors for them at uni admissions time - no idea if there’s any truth to that but could be a factor…

RedHelenB · 25/08/2023 18:30

College. It's more of a bridge to uni imo.

ErrolTheDragon · 25/08/2023 18:30

redskytwonight · 25/08/2023 17:54

I think some of these vary between individual settings.
For example, most of the points made about sixth form college here would also apply to my DD's school sixth form.

Yes, DDs was normal clothes, they could go out of school. Running clubs and other 'leadership' positions was good.

It sounds like the OPs DD has two good options. If she can't weigh up the pros and cons any other way then maybe the tiebreak should be travel - apart from the cost, it'll give her more time for both work and relaxation.

ErrolTheDragon · 25/08/2023 18:32

I'd forgotten about the A level choices ... is not being able to do her preferred choices likely to impact her future options at all?

DaisyWaldron · 25/08/2023 18:32

DD has chosen college, because the school sixth forms either don't teach the A-levels she wants to study, or else don't teach to a particularly high standard and don't prioritise them in terms of resources. Pupils with similar ambitions to hers tend to go to the college to get the best outcomes.

She also dyed her hair pink because she could.

She has been organised and self-motivated during her GCSEs and I think that college will suit her better.

She hasn't started yet, though, so my opinion might change.

I suspect her brother will stay on at the school sixth form when his time comes.

twelly · 25/08/2023 18:33

I think it depends upon the individual school sixth form and individual sixth form. For example I know of very poor school sixth forms and very poor sixth form colleges - I think the idea that all sixth form colleges are the same and preferable it not true.

Mumof3girlsandaboy · 25/08/2023 18:38

The sixth form school is a bit smaller than the college one. My dd has chosen to stay at her sixth form instead of sixth form college like someone said that they have to adhere to the school rules same as when she was in second but no uniform and it’s also very small with a lot of support. My oldest went to sixth form college and she loved but was a bit lonely even though she went with a lot of friends from the same school but all went different times and all her new classmates lived far away as all came from different schools. And off course someone mentioned the cost on transport and yes it was very costly in transport x2 buses every day.

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