Can 16 year olds go to college (instead of school) to do Highers?

[Bluepeach]

We are relocating to Scotland from overseas and my 16 year old daughter would rather not go to a regular school. I think if Scotland had sixth form colleges like they do in England, that may appeal more. What I wondered was could she go to a further education college full time at this age? And do a full timetable of 5 Highers? I have looked on their website but I am not finding clear answers, so thought I would check on here to see if anyone knows. Thank you!

Very unlikely to find a college where you can do a full set of highers. Might be able to do a few and in a very limited range if subjects. An alternative would be perhaps do an hnc/hnd but there may be a requirement to have one or two highers for entry.

If your daughter has ambitions for university by far the easiest way is to go to school for 5th & 6th year. Without a set of 5 highers the options available to her will be much more limited.

Another point to consider is her peer group - the reality is most 16 year olds will be at school at the same point in their educational journey. College will not (be v unlikely to anyway) offer the same opportunity to meet as many of her peers with which to form a friendship group.

You could look at NQs at SCQF level 6 (Highers are also SCQF level 6) as an alternative to S5/6 at school. These will offer progression onto their connected degrees after HNC/D. But be wary the direct entry into years 2 or 3 might not happen. For more than basic choice, like most local colleges offer, you should look at the bigger city based establishments like City of Glasgow.

But as PP said she will not likely meet many people her age as the courses are an attractive route if progression for young people who perhaps didn't achieve the required qualifications at school or adult returners.

She would be far better going to school if she wants to sit Highers. She's only 16, school is the sensible option.

Sixth form colleges are not a "thing" in Scotland. Her peers will all be in school.

Some kids do leave school at 16 and go into college, but mostly to take vocational courses rather than Highers. Agree that if she has ambitions to go on to university, you should be looking at school not college.

I know Edinburgh college offers Highers but it will be a limited choice. Tends to be the ones which are essential for some university
courses like biology, languages etc.

As pp says it will be more mature students who need one or 2 more Highers for a course they want to do. I know one boy who did this recently, as he had a lot of problems at school, but he was only taking 2 Highers and now doing an HND. I would imagine a full set of 5 highers would not be possible in one year timetable wise.

The 16 year old school leavers (but there aren't that many of them nowadays) will likely be doing more vocational courses.

@celtiethree I think it's the peer group she wants to avoid in all honesty! I know that there are all kinds of kids in all schools, and I am confident she'd find the right group for her, especially in a bigger school. Her current school has only 50ish kids in her year group and ALL the ones she knows are into vaping and drinking and boys and she is just very genuinely not into any of that, which makes it hard for her. I think she likes the idea of being away from all the teenage stuff; which I understand.

Whereabouts are you thinking of moving to?

@latissimusdorsi Edinburgh College has enough that she would want to do, but very unclear on their website when and where they are, to work out if they could all be done on one timetable. I have emailed them to ask. Also unclear how funding would work for a school age student.

@RaspberryCoulis we are moving to Leith in Edinburgh. Already have a house there.

Everyone will be older though. A good school and she will find her tribe ( maybe more so than the mostly older kids who will be at college). I would plan on school.

I agree with pp school is the best place for her if she wants to do Highers and also to meet and make appropriate friends, age 16.
Colleges are mainly if she wants to do a vocational route.

ds(17) has a wide range of friends from the 3 schools in the area and every school has a group of cool kids that vape, drink and more every Friday and Saturday night (mostly encouraged by cool parents), but they have even more kids that don't do either, or don't drink regularly or to excess as they have other interests. If she stays away from the "cool kids" when she starts she'll be fine.

@Bluepeach Edinburgh college has 3 campuses and I think they offer different courses on each campus. The boy I know went to Sighthill campus so you may discover that's where the Highers courses are, which is quite a trek but not impossible from Leith

The issue with college (aside from logistics) is that they are mostly students who failed to get highers at school and I’m sure the peer issues you mentioned are just as prevalent as at schools. Scottish colleges are very different in demographic to English 6th form. What is your catchment high school?

@Bluepeach at a larger school it will be easier for her to find some friends and avoid the ‘vaping’ crowd. Over the years I have experienced a lot of frustration with different aspects of the education system and have looked at various alternatives for even sitting one higher outside school. It’s just difficult, college is very much designed for those through various reasons want to catch up/change direction. You may be able to cobble together a number of highers at college but it’s really only designed for a couple.

Your daughter will be much more likely to be supported well and achieve in an environment that’s designed for them to maximise highers sat in S5 with extra taken in S6. If your daughter is really against school I’d be inclined to focus on maximising attainment in S5 with a view to going to college/university straight from S5, that used to be the route that a lot more students took when I was at school - rather than staying on for S6.

@WeAllHaveWings yes, it's hard for them to work out I think who their people are. My daughter is in with the 'main crowd' I would say at her school because she has been at the school since she was 2.5 years old, as have most of the main crowd. The newcomers tend to make their own groups so she doesn't really know them. So I have no doubt her people are probably there, but she seems incapable of branching out so tends to just opt out completely instead. Another factor is the way she dresses (alternative looking - she is into that kind of Anime look) I think makes her look like she's a wild child when actually she is very straight laced by nature - so sometimes the visual cues are very misleading!! Which means she might not attract her 'kin' as the image she projects does not match her personality!!

Thank you for the replies. We have a year to work it all out, and school may end up being the best option though also willing to look at what the alternatives are too, and going from there.

@Vetyveriohohoh it is Leith Academy. Her brother is going to go to Heriots but she is 100% sure she doesn't want to do that (I think largely based on knowing what her brother had to do for the entrance test) so I think she would choose Leith if we decide school is the route for her.

at a larger school it will be easier for her to find some friends and avoid the ‘vaping’ crowd

Agree. I have two kids in senior school, one just finishing S4 and the other just finishing S6. The intake is 210 in each year and with that many people they are going to be able to find kindred spirits.

What about another private school? ESMS or St. George’s maybe a better fit?

@celtiethree she definitely sees university as her future path, which you couldn't do with only National 5s, right?

If she is adamant she doesn't want to continue in school then it is still perfectly possible for her to get to university the college route. She would need to take a couple of highers at college (as doing 5 may be impossible), then an HNC or HND then university.
There are lots of kids round my way do this (although they do the 2 or 3 highers at school). It will rule out some courses/universities so very depend what she wants to study. And she'll have to be a lot more independent in her work and organisation without the structure of school.

One of my DC is a bit alternative and would never want to be in with the in crowd. As pp has said in a larger environment they find their crowd. This is maybe a perfect opportunity for her to reinvent herself!

The peer issues she is trying to avoid will be all the more prevelent at college. I'm generalising here (and I have to stereo type but...) , but college tends to attract the young adults who didn't attain at school, from more deprived areas with other issues, might be young parents or school refuser etc. Vaping and smoking also has been a huge problem on Edinburgh College campuses. She also won't have access to same pastrol and health and wellbeing support she would have in school.

At a big city second school she's far more likely to find a peer group that fits with her interests. If she can get her head down and work really hard from Aug-May, get her highers at school she can go and do whatever else it is she wants. This is what I did as I was desperate to finish high school and escape. I started my course at Edinburgh Uni at 16.

I had a response from Edinburgh college and you can only study two Highers in an academic year.

You would be doing a massive disservice to limit her options like this both educationally and socially

She needs to go to school to do her Highers.
Colleges Higher courses are for mature students (over 18) to attain the grades they need for further education. They usually have a maximum of 2 Highers per year (August-June).
I hate to say it, but you’re really doing her a massive disservice encouraging this route.
Good luck to her though.