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Secondary education

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Original poster

6th form open eve - what do you want to know?

24 replies

BringOnTheScience · 22/03/2018 22:28

Head of DC1's 6th form has asked me to speak at an open evening for prospective parents & students, about why we chose that 6th and the course (IB rather than A levels). If you were in the audience as a prospective parent, what would you want to hear about?

OP posts:
TeenTimesTwo · 23/03/2018 10:49

To answer your question:

  • why you chose the 6th form (quite straight forward I guess for you to know your reasons)
  • why you thought IB is 'better' / 'more suitable' than A levels
  • and now 5 terms in how your expectations have been met

Though what I really wanted to know from 6th forms was

  • how do you communicate from parents (how can parents see that child is attending, submitting on time, grades, whatever, or how will you flag if there is an issue)
  • what do you really do for pastoral care (no point telling me about your tutor system if it doesn't operate, or how good your counselling is if there is a 10 week waiting list)
Tingalingle · 23/03/2018 10:51

All of that plus:

How your child is finding the workload of so many subjects
Whether the teaching is good and engaging
How your child is finding their 'compulsory core subjects' if they reluctantly had to keep maths/English/whatever

(And, out of pure nosiness, whether this is next Monday?)

Seeline · 23/03/2018 10:53

MOre about what 'the other stuff' is - I can read about course content and results

  • what extras are there eg volunteering, extra-curricular, sports, support for the next step etc
  • how that really materialises for the child rather than what the school tells you (is there really a choice for PE, how much individual time does each get re UCAS submissions etc).
Tingalingle · 23/03/2018 12:22

Whether the school mostly has kids who have been there all along, with a few extras joining for sixth form, and how your child found it if so.

I still haven't got my head round the Standard Level/Higher Level bits of the IB, and whether the SL really gives a child much of an acquaintance with the subject, so if you've any views on that...

Original poster
BringOnTheScience · 23/03/2018 13:30

It is indeed next Monday! 6th form beginning with P... ;-) Feel free to PM me Tinga for IB chat.

Thank you all for the suggestions. I'd got workload in my list but hadn't thought about the pastoral side (which is excellent).

OP posts:
PissMinge · 23/03/2018 14:26

How I can persuade my child to do IB instead of Alevels at the incredibly well known slightly snooty sixth form down the road from P Grin He's had an invitation for Monday and its his second (only other) choice but he thinks it's not for him. I think doing six subjects is bloody genius and will equip him better for uni but what do I know

Tingalingle · 23/03/2018 14:26

Thanks! I can't make it next Monday, darn it (concert), but I hope it goes well.

Tingalingle · 23/03/2018 14:28

Looks like there's a few of us pondering that question, PM!

Tingalingle · 23/03/2018 14:30

Ooh, ooh, another one: how is the extracurricular drama and music? Is there much? Is it 6th-form only or whole-school?

(DD is curious combination of drama-obsessed and rather shy.)

PissMinge · 23/03/2018 14:37

We also wondered whether the extracurricular sport is integrated with the lower years or not? The staff we asked on the open evening didn't seem to know and waffled a bit about "demand".

I was hugely impressed by what current pupils had to say about pastoral issues. I would ensure there are some there on Monday and get parents to talk to them

BubblesBuddy · 23/03/2018 14:47

IB isn’t best prep for all degrees. Language ones for example. Be careful about that! Parents should have all the facts, not just opinions!

TalkinPeece · 23/03/2018 15:04

IB not recommended for pure science degrees either

PissMinge · 23/03/2018 15:35

Agreed, but child wants to do some form of economics degree and work internationally and possibly study in Europe. Unfortunately DH is also stuck in the mindset that IB wont get child into Uni just because hes never heard of it until now and MIL has been banging on about nearby A level sixth form since child was born...

TalkinPeece · 23/03/2018 15:41

Tell your DH to inform himself and stop being so prejudiced Wink
ditto MiL

PissMinge · 23/03/2018 15:44

Haha! I told MIL exactly that on mothers day. It didnt go down terribly well. She later told my mum that i obviously am bi-polar and need medication or burning

catslife · 23/03/2018 16:00

You need to check the levels needed for each IB subject for possible degree courses. If you have studied 2 Sciences at Higher Level plus Maths (at standard or higher) NOT maths studies that's fine for most Science degree courses. For engineeing/physics Higher Maths is needed.
I know an IB student who went to an Australian university which would have been more difficult with A levels.
If my dc was considering study abroad, I would want the sixth form to have experience preparing their students for this. Please bear in mind for Europe that the IB is not the same qualification as the Bacc taken by students in other 'European countries e.g. France.

Original poster
BringOnTheScience · 23/03/2018 18:15

Agree with all of the above!

There are medics and dentists with the IB having chosen wisely. I love how they do so much independent work on the various essays - great prep for uni.

Def avoid Maths Studies if they want to do a science degree!

I knew nothing of the IB until 6th form open evenings. Always thought DC1 would go to the local A Level factory that churns out 1000+ sets of high grades every year... but the IB suits her goals so much better and she's thriving on the variety and challenge.

"Does it count for CAS?" Grin

OP posts:
toffee1000 · 23/03/2018 18:22

A Levels and IB suit different people. I would’ve hated the IB and having to do Maths and English for another two years. I picked Biology AS Level and found it incredibly difficult despite an A at GCSE, thankfully when I got an E at AS I was allowed to drop it, my brain is just not scientific enough. French, German and RS were the only subjects I was any good at so A Levels were perfect for me. Other people suit the IB very well.

DailyWailEatsSnails · 23/03/2018 19:34

How good the school was at communicating with you when you needed to know something, what their actual methods were for communicating. I want to hear that teachers replied to emails, tbh!! And were understanding not just imposing pressure, and that your kids established good rapport with their teachers & enjoyed being in lectures. Bonus if you can say the atmosphere was fun & diverse & tolerant of differences and your kids always were cheerful when they talked about school or came home from lessons.

And how they gave the kids autonomy and ways to become more independent, too.

How they encouraged love of learning.

Support in choosing uni course & preparing for it.

Help in getting work experience if appropriate course. Or extra exam practice (eg, kids doing UKCAT).

Confidence, I'd want to hear that the school gave them great confidence.

My relevant DC are 1) hyper-confident overachiever ultra-ambitious & 2) moody anti-social but likes math&science. I want to hear the school would be good fit for them... not sure OP could say that, tbh! IB wouldn't suit either very well.

TalkinPeece · 23/03/2018 20:05

Bringon
Round here, Brock used to do the IB but stopped as demand dropped.
The mega A level factories prevail
but
its so important to realise that not all colleges are the same

we have two MASSIVE ones here
one is arts based, the other sciences
but both look after all local students

TBH at an open evening I'd ask
"what support is there for kids who crash and burn as AS"
as the college that DCs attend has a tendency to kick out .....

Original poster
BringOnTheScience · 23/03/2018 23:21

It's a definite truth that the IB is not for everyone. You have to be a highly organised polymath who likes writing essays. But then, choosing just 3 subjects for A level isn't for everyone either.

OP posts:
toffee1000 · 23/03/2018 23:48

I acknowledge that too.
This may be more for the actual teachers rather than you as a parent, but there may well be many people there (students and parents) who are unsure about the IB or worried about perceived negatives (the workload, juggling six subjects plus the CAS and EE etc). So I would anticipate the potential negatives, and talk about how you feel the school supports the pupils in that way, if I’m making myself clear. Even if your DD is managing fine, not everyone will, and knowing how their DC would be supported would be reassuring.

DailyWailEatsSnails · 24/03/2018 05:05

You have to be a highly organised polymath who likes writing essays

My ultra-ambitious kid is that. But also wants to do medicine, so needs most relevant prep to maximise chances of getting on course.

Original poster
BringOnTheScience · 25/03/2018 16:48

DailyWail Look up the entry reqs of the unis he's most interested in and see how IB & A compare.
This Telegraph piece compiles a few medic admissions comments on how they view IB... www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2016/10/13/ib-or-a-levels-which-should-i-take-if-i-want-to-study-medicine-a/amp/

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