3 Year Sixth Form - Need advice please

[GoMilou]

My niece is in Year 11 and is 14 years old. She turns 15 late August 2016.

Some schools will let her enrol in Sixth Form next year, however it appears she might not be allowed to join university in 2018 as she will only be 17yrs old then.

We understand that in the past she could have taken 4 AS subjects, completed those, then started Year 12 again with 4 AS subjects (completely different subjects of course) continuing with 3 of these to A2.

As things stand now, none of the schools that will let her join Sixth Form next year are offering any AS except in Further Maths.

She will be applying to uni for Maths/Engineering/Economics so taking a gap year is probably not helpful.

The reason she came to be in this situation i.e the wrong year group is long and complicated but she is stuck with it. She is cared for by an elderly relative and has no academic support or family know-how at home.

She was made to take GCSE in 3 subjects in Year 10 incl. History and Physics, which we weren’t happy with but could do nothing about as it was school blanket policy.

Her school recommend 1 AS (Further Maths) and 3 A2 subjects followed by a gap year. But her Maths is going to get rusty in a gap year?

What else could she do without ruining her chances of a good university?

Is there anybody familiar with this kind of scenario that can advise us please?

Any advice gratefully received.

Milou.

The parents are asked to guarantee the loan until the student turns 18, when they can sign.

GoMilou, are you within communting distance of London, or is there a family member she could stay with? Honestly then I don't think it is a big deal. A girl DD knew was 16 (autumn birthday in the French system where years start 1 January, plus she had been put up a year) when she started at an internationally recognised London University. A bit strange for DD who was starting sixth form at the same time. But if you think about it, lots of London kids go to places like South Thames College for sixth form where they will mix with students of different ages and backgrounds. The main difference is the quality of the teaching. Then you have a choice whether to keep up with existing out of school Extra Curricular or join University societies.

The student experience in London is atypical. For many this is a bad thing, but it suits others fine. DS does not drink, is deeply into his subject, and happy to mix with international students. Its not all work but a lot of socialising is around cooking in each other's flats or heading off to China Town, or going to see odd and arty Japanese film plus a fair amount of computer gaming. His friends are not particularly sophisticated and there would be no problem if you were already used to mixing with older students in sixth form. (I think DS has ended up as diversity officer for one society partly as a joke as, whether British or international, everyone else was from an ethnic background.)

Good mathematicians, whether taking pure maths or mathematical based subjects like economics or engineering, expect to take a Masters. So you get your first degree over early and leave London then.

If you are seriously thinking about London and don't live nearby, it might be worth speaking to the very helpful accommodation offices at UCL, Imperial and LSE and ask about what they offer for younger students. (If you do live within the M25 be careful about Kings as unlike the others they don't guarantee accommodation to all first years.)

Oddly also I don't think London will prove much more expensive overall. Yes accommodation is more. However because they cook together, he and his friends don't spend much. Overseas parents make huge sacrifices to send their DC to the UK to study. So students work hard and are quite frugal.

Needmoresleep Thank you so much for all the info, really useful.

"I think DS has ended up as diversity officer for one society partly as a joke as, whether British or international, everyone else was from an ethnic background."

That was the right thing to do then? Sounds like your son has a great sense of humour in any case.

The one lucky thing DN has is free accommodation in central London courtesy of elderly relative where she can stay for as long as she likes. Going outside London would be expensive for her. And she is not the least bit sophisticated.

"She is not the least bit sophisticated"

I mean she is young even for her age and things girls in her year group have discovered e.g. makeup and boyfriends she doesn't seem to be aware of. She doesn't get invited to group parties and the like.

Universities and departments within universities have different policies about recruiting under 18s and it isn't always straightforward to find. UCL has some very explicit and detailed advice on its website, for example. Other universities don't really reveal this stuff unless you go to an Open Day. I regularly help French applicants who will be under 18 at the beginning of their first year and my experience is that you need to find out on a case-by-case basis how the university/department will react. Halls of residence are another thorny issue but this usually works in favour of under 18s, who get the allocated nicer, safer accommodation. Safeguarding laws for minors prohibit universities from sticking under 18s in all sorts of accommodation deemed suitable for over 18s.

Thank you, BoboChic

Just to update anyone still reading this, my DN has now found and applied to 2 schools, both CoE schools and both offer FM at AS and A2 (decoupled). One school has both French and German on offer and the other French only.

We are delighted. For my DN the main thing is to have FM timetabled to A2 regardless of the quality of teaching.

I would not recommend acceleration within the state system (unless you are in a grammar area) or have people who can support your education at home.

Milou.

I wouldn't recommend acceleration for anyone. Quite apart from the issues of getting through the staging posts of education (difficult enough) with additional hurdles of being young for year, there is no advantage to looking for your first graduate job when you are 19 or 20.