6th form

[Frostytiger87]

Hi , my dd is doing her GCSE next week however we’ve been advised to have other schools in mind in case she doesn’t receive the grade criteria
Tbh we haven’t applied to any other schools
(Please don’t judge ) I’m worried
We’ve been told that schools we have in mind are full but to visit them when the grades come through in Aug and they’ll advise
what does this mean ?? We can’t go on a waiting list .

When she gets her results, if she hasn't met entry criteria for her current school you'll have to ring round the other schools (and potentially keep ringing round as things change) that you are interested in to see if there are spaces available for her chosen courses. Bear in mind that lots of people will be holding multiple sixth form offers, so places are freed up once they decide which one to go with.

I'd also suggest that your DD has a think about whether Plan B is changing the courses she wants to study or going to a school/sixth form that she may not really have chosen. It depends a little where you are, but every year, there are posts on MN from parents whose children missed grades and didn't have a backup and are now forced to make tough choices. (I would suggest she thinks about this after GCSEs - don't worry her now!)

I guess you should also consider if missing grades is likely or the school is just being over cautious (thought it would have been more helpful if they'd provided this advice 6 months ago!).

What does she want to do post 16?

Are your daughter's predicted grades borderline? Eg 4/5/6s? Although the school should have told you before now to apply to other schools etc just in case if they thought she might not get the grades needed to stay on.
I'm also surprised that other schools are saying they are full, but I'd try not to worry, just have a few back up ideas in mind but discuss too much with your dd. Eg colleges always seem to be advertising all through August for students to enrol on their courses - they sometimes don't need as high grades for entry to A levels as some schools. She could also always do a BTEC at college, even if level 2. Basically just investigate all the options so you have a plan if she doesn't get the grades for her school.

Is it a selective school? Do other schools have lower entry requirements?

Is your school a high achieving one with extra tough requirements to do A levels in order to get mainly A* or A grades?
Or does it have sensible requirements?
If sensible ones then you may need back BTECs in mind. Otherwise at least find out requirements for other schools.

We’ve been told that schools we have in mind are full but to visit them when the grades come through in Aug and they’ll advisew hat does this mean ?? We can’t go on a waiting list

It sounds like you may have missed their application deadline and, as they're already oversubscribed, they aren't accepting late applications. If you had applied in time, they wouldn't have been able to refuse your application. (Check their website though - if there is no deadline specified you might be able to appeal). They can't be "full" until enrolment day, after the GCSE results come in, so most under-subscribed sixth forms do accept late applications.

Are there any colleges nearby? They usually have courses suitable for students who don't meet school sixth form entry criteria.

We applied to all three college/6th forms in our area, so they had the choice when the results were out.

Thankyou app for your replies it’s our own fault that we should have applied for a few schools
Our current school has a criteria for 6th form , my child is knuckling down now but admits she’s been lazy with her mocks she’s currently between 5 & 6’s . If she doesn’t achieve the grades do we just turn up at school & hope that they will accept her grades and have a place if someone has dropped out .

You ask your school, yes.
But if 5/6s are likely you (the parent) need to have some other ideas too just in case.
What subjects is she hoping to do? They and anywhere else probably wouldn't let her do maths/sciences on those grades for example.

Our current school has a criteria for 6th form

They will all have similar entry criteria for A Levels. But criteria are usually lower for vocational courses, so look for a school or college which offers those.

5s seem to be the lowest grade that the sixth forms here will accept for A Level, at least in the subjects they want to continue. Some courses they won’t allow pupils to continue without a 6 or above (languages, I think) as the 5 just isn’t a good enough standard.
It’s great that she’s getting her act together now- much better than admitting she was lazy after she opens her results! There will be spaces available as students make their final choices in August, but there may be fewer options than she would like. I’d suggests she has several choices of courses and schools/colleges in mind and that she is prepared to spend a week phoning and following up choices.
If she doesn’t get the grades? Have a back up plan for that too. Vocational courses or less popular courses may take lower grades, but if they aren’t sufficient to cope with the content of the course she will find sixth form very difficult.

Not necessarily. Some school 6th forms seem to have very selective requirements, whereas others are more accommodating.

That said 5/6s are a worry for A levels, they are Bs in old money.
Could do with a couple of 7s in the mix really.

I guess I'd assumed that OP's DC must go to a school with very selective criteria (probably 7s or above) as she'd said that the advice was to have other schools in mind, suggesting the school has a pretty cut and dried approach to sixth form admissions.

I'd expect a school without such selective criteria to be more accommodating to current students - either by possibly allowing grades to slip if they think the child is more able than grades suggest, or by more proactively suggesting alternative courses that might suit. I would still suggest that working with current school would be the preferred option, if at all possible.

I do think it's really poor of the school to only now be suggesting that a backup plan is a good idea, when normal sixth form admissions will be closed, and the focus should be on sitting GCSEs not worrying about sixth form places!