Parkside 6th Form?

[grendel]

Does anyone have any experience of Parkside 6th Form? It looks good in the prospectus but I think it's only been open for four years so I don't know anyone who has actually been there. DD is quite keen to do the IBACC there next year but I'd like some feedback about how hard it is to get in, and how good the teaching is once you're there.
(Her other choice is Hills Road which she should be able to get into as she's pretty academic, but from the outside it does seem a bit like a gigantic, soul-less exam factory.)

You're not going to get impartial advice from me (I work there!) but I'd have no hesitation encouraging a child of mine to take the IB at Parkside 6th. It is pretty rigorous and the admissions criteria is a little stricter every year, but we certainly offer a very personalised experience. We only have 200 in the whole 6th form (that's over Y12&Y13, IB and Btec) and so the staff really get to know the students very well. We actually get students coming to us (we have 4 in our current Y12) after completing a year at Hills as they just felt 'lost' in such a huge institution. Although, obviously Hills does very well by many students. Open evening are about now, so head out and see both.

DS dickered about for ages trying to decide between the two, and eventually plumped for Hills Road (shh, don't tell them he was so dbious about them) because Parkside couldn't timetable all his preferred subjects and Hills could.

Actually, he's loving HIlls, but the workload is very heavy for an enthusiastic but middling kind of a chap, so he might well be one of those heading for Parkside next year.

Thanks for the feedback.

We've now been to see both Parkside and Hills Road. We all loved the buzz and atmosphere at Parkside and were left thoroughly unimpressed by Hills Road. Yeah, they get great results, but it just felt very bland and 'corporate', and surprisingly not very different from secondary school, just bigger and with swankier buildings. Whereas Parkside 6th felt exciting and quirky and a really good fit for DD.

bagofsnakes could you tell me whether there is a preference for students coming up from Parkside, or whether all applicants are considered equally when applying for Parkside 6th?

Just wondering whether anyone else is waiting to hear back about interviews at Parkside 6th? DD really wants to go there but was advised by her school to put them second with Hills Road as her first choice, with the reasoning that if you didn't put Hills Road first you might as well not bother putting them at all, whereas Parkside 6th wouldn't mind being listed as second choice.

We're worrying now that we were badly advised as DD already has an interview date with Hills Road (where she doesn't particularly want to go) but has heard nothing back from Parkside. Meanwhile, various friends of hers who did put Parkside first have already had their interviews (and DD is as strong academically, if not stronger, than some of those who have had interviews).

Has anyone else experienced this? Are we worrying unnecessarily?

Grendel, if Parkside is oversubscribed with 1st choice places then why would they look at someone who has put them second? And if it was your dd's first choice then why did she put it second? I'm not sure I understand the reasoning about "put Hills first or they won't look at you" if you don't want to go there.

One of my friends dc's put Hills first, didn't get in, but also didn't get in to his second choice (Comberton) as he had put them second and they were oversubscribed.

Hopefully Parkside will still have spaces and your dd will get a place.

Last year there was an option for 'equal first choice' for Parkside as they were offering a different course rather than A-levels -- didn't they do that this year?

All sorted now. DD has finally got through interview dates for all three of her choices.

Didn't see any options to put Parkside as 'equal first' on the application form this year. DD was just following the advice from the school.

Her actual preferences are 1. Parkside, 2. Hills and 3. Long Road. She would be fairly happy going to Hills but really wants to do the IB at Parkside. But if she had put Hills Rd as her second choice on the form then she wouldn't have had the option of going there if Parkside turned her down as they wouldn't even have considered her.

Excellent -- I hope she gets what she wants.