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!

@Wbeezer just noticed how out of date that article is so cannot be that one!

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/snp-offers-highers-for-all-at-digital-academy-zjdhxvkr6
I have checked out my assertion from my earlier post and it seems the scheme I was thinking about was an SNP manifesto pledge so not sure how long it will take to appear (if at all) so probably not very helpful atm. Scottish Highers Online seem to be a reasonably priced commercial outfit but they are new so not sure of reputation.

@Wbeezer

That's not strictly true 4 good Highers in one sitting is what is listed as one of the standard minimum offers, the grades required vary depending on if its 4 or 5 in one sitting or 6 in two sittings (4+2)

@Wbeezer that's what they say, yes. But in practice if there are too many applicants for a course they will begin to select from the top down. For eg, if you want to do law and you get 4 As you'll probably get a place. If you want to do law at Edinburgh with 4 As then you won't. There aren't enough funded places at the top unis for the Scottish children who want them. But I don't want to derail and indeed that may not be on OP's DD's plan at all.

Oh and DS1 had done various courses at Perth College, Dundee and Angus College, SRUC Oatridge and Forth Valley (Falkirk) in his long search for what to do with himself (hooray he's going on to a second year for the first time!). From what he reports, middle class, alternative young people would be in a rather small minority in most subjects (possible exception for creative subjects), he tends towards the anti-social though. Meanwhile, as other posters have also said, my other two, both alternative in that one is an arty boy and the other a swotty boy who loves anime and D&D have both found High School much better in 5th and 6th year than earlier. Teachers nicer and friendships easier etc.

@latissimusdorsi

I'm not sure a lot of children leave school after S4 anymore, not nearly as many as in my day. The schools near me all still have big S5 year groups, then S6 is bit smaller. The way the school is now split into senior phase means there's less able kids staying on to do Nat 5s in S5 maybe with a higher as well

Indeed. I'm old, I left school after S6 in 1990. Back then, leaving after S4 to get a job in an office or something was really common. All the big banks and insurance companies in Edinburgh would take kids straight after S4 or S5 and taking that route was seen as every bit as valuable as going to Uni.

In my kids' years, very very few leave after S4. DD is in S4 now, only 1 is leaving to go and train at hairdressing college.

I do also agree that schools have got much better at catering for all needs. One of DD's friends is autistic and struggles hugely with focus and exams in general. The aim for her is to get to Nat 5 Maths and English by the end of S6, and she's also doing a Nat 4 in food technology, some other qualification in music, and volunteering as one of her "subject choices". In my day, if you stayed on for S5 you did 5 Highers. Or 4 Highers and another Standard Grade. There really was no provision for students who were less able, for whatever reason.

I know that but I also have recent experience of someone getting a place at Edinburgh for a high tariff course with 4 As in Fifth year, i agree that 5 at one go is a much safer option though, especially for the ancients.

[quote Bluepeach]@HoldontoOneMoreDay I have seen that statistic but I would be more interested in knowing what percentage of those who take them actually pass them as I would imagine it is so low because the majority choose a different path. To get onto the Higher courses they need a B or above at Nat 5 as far as I am aware, so imagine a much higher percentage must actually pass them. The 28% includes those who aren't even doing Highers - right?

@Wbeezer interesting - is this what you are referring to? www.tes.com/news/virtual-college-spreads-its-net-every-school-scotland

@FeistySheep I am sure her anxieties wouldn't last long[/quote]
It's kinda complicated (to try and answer both your posts in one)

It's not 28% pass rate out of 100% of people sitting 5 Highers, it's the % of the whole school roll. So 28% is really good given the mixed catchment. But it's not the 28% who aren't doing Highers. What it's saying is that just over a quarter of the people who attend that school in total get 5 Highers.

The thing about places based on courses - one of the things schools can struggle with is the number of courses they offer at Higher. There needs to be a critical mass of young people who are able to sit and pass it, a teacher able to teach it, etc. So my own DS's school is really quite poor at teaching languages. So they only offer one modern language at Higher. So if your son was actually really into languages and you came to my school saying 'he wants to sit three languages' it's not necessarily that there isn't a place for him, it's that there isn't the courses available that he wants to sit.

I do actually take the point that fewer DCs are leaving after 4th year - my own DS is one of them, but then he's not actually taking any highers, he has SN so if he picks up a couple of N5s I'll be delighted.