Can a child asked to leave 6th form in private school for poor academic performance

[Oxfordplus]

Hi. Just what the title said. I've researched this online and is seems that once a child has been offered a place in 6th form they can't be asked to leave if it is due to poor academic performance - it is against the law. They can be asked to leave for poor behaviour but not academic results. Does this apply to private schools though> I've spoken to someone who says that private schools are a law unto themselves and can do what they like. Am very interested to know the legalities of this as my DS has been threatened with being asked to leave if he doesn't do very well in his first set of exams (October/November). I've also found out that boys that did less well than him in their GCSEs have not been given this threat (they have siblings at the school though so the school is probably trying to stay on the right side of those families).

DD's 6th form was the same. They don't ask them to leave, but advise that other options might be better suited to them.

And this is why private schools get such good results. They select for the most academic children and kick out those not meeting expectations.

Talk about gaming the system!

@Neverseenbefore My DS has some friends who, according to him, will be asked to leave if they don't get a certain grade in their year 12 resits - you're saying that is not legal? It's a very (ie high grades required for entry) selective state 6 form college.

I was surprised to hear this as, among other things, they'd be trying to find another school mid academic year - which seems harsh.

My kids are at a selective private school. There's no entry criteria for sixth form in terms of grades (which is unusual amongst our peers).

But they manage kids out who they feel are disruptive or putting in little to no effort. They're told at the beginning of year 11. It's not necessarily the less academic kids, it's often the more able ones who aren't doing the necessary work. No exceptions, even for the uber sporty or musical kids.

If I were paying £15K a term, as some of the top private schools do, I would have an expectation that they're getting 97% 9s/8s as the school a friend works at just got. But I would also expect to have more care and involvement from the school if my child were in the 3%, but some schools are better than others at learning support.

Yes, it’s unlawful. There are stories about schools trying to do it, though.
https://schoolsweek.co.uk/students-unlawfully-kicked-out-after-missing-minimum-grades/

For those saying that their local state secondary school still actually permanently excludes those not achieving certain grades in their year 12 exams, here is the relevant guidance:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1101498/Suspension_and_Permanent_Exclusion_from_maintained_schools__academies_and_pupil_referral_units_in_England__including_pupil_movement.pdf

19. Any exclusion of a pupil, even for short periods, must be formally recorded. It would also be unlawful to exclude a pupil simply because they have SEN or a disability that the school feels it is unable to meet, or for a reason such as: academic attainment/ability; or the failure of a pupil to meet specific conditions before they are reinstated, such as to attend a reintegration meeting.18 If any of these unlawful exclusions are carried out and lead to the deletion of a pupil’s name from the register, this is known as ‘off-rolling’. An informal or unofficial exclusion, such as sending a pupil home ‘to cool off’, is unlawful when it does not follow the formal school exclusion process and regardless of whether it occurs with the agreement of parents.

(not allowing a pupil, who has been on roll in year 11 and taken their GCSEs at the school, to enter year 12, because they have not met the conditions of the admissions policy - which must comply with by yhe Admissipns Code - is not an exclusion, as year 12 maks a separate formal point of entry, even where the sixth form is run entirely as part of the school and not .g. in separate buildings).

The exception to the rule, which I should have noted earlier, is 16-19 only colleges. It applies to all state schools with 6th forms, maintained or academies.

If the institution is a stand alone 16-19 sixth form college, it does not come under the schools legislation, and then I believe they can have different rules on requiring students to meet certain criteria to progress from Year 12-13.

A sixth form in a 11-19 maintained school or academy cannot.

So @WobblyLondoner 's son may be correct, if his friends attend a sixth form only institution.

Ah, yes, I think you’re right. A separate sixth form college is different.

Whilst it may be technically "illegal", if you find yourself having these types of conversations with a sixth form, ponder why they are saying it. Because in many cases, a re start elsewhere or a more appropriate course is better than 3 U grades at A level. We have conversations with parents at the end of Y12 giving realistic expectations for Y13 attainment. Some choose to take another path at that point whilst they can still access state funding.

Ah thanks, helpful to know.

That's interesting. My daughter's school finishes at 16 and they have been reassured that they have places secured at sixth form college even if they don't get the grades. Something about the school and particular colleges being linked. How that would work in practice I'm not sure, but it would seem very unfair if these students lose the protection on offer to others, just because their school does not offer A Levels and they are "forced" to go to college.

Whether it's just hot air, I don't know.

This is what tutorial colleges are for.

What is a tutorial college?

The thing is, OP, underperforming students just aren't good for a private school's marketing. They want to be able to boast about their stellar results to prospective parents, so it's entirely logical that they may choose to remove kids who are not going to make them look good.

its a choice to go to sixth form surely?
my ds was advised to leave state sixth form around ? easter, can't remember, he struggled

but pulled his life around with a apprenticeship or at least training on the job

Our state grammar used to chuck anyone out st the end of y12 whi was achieving lower than DDD, but a court ruled thus was unlawful.However, since kids only get 3 years of funding, it is usually better for them to transfer to an easier qualification at the end of y12 than end y13 without decent grades and too late to start again

I totally agree. Although, I agree that schools don't want poor results as it makes them look bad, achieving Es and Us at the end of year 12 doesn't bode well for year 13. Unless there were exceptional extenuating circumstances it is going to be in the best interests of the young person to reconsider their post 16 education and to restart year 12 with other options instead.

I agree with this. And would add that, as someone who's been involved in university admissions this year, we've seen (in my department) some really poor A-level results from offer-holders who have drastically underperformed compared with their predicted grades, and nearly all of these were from private schools. You can probably expect to see these schools employ more strategies such as the one the OP is worried about to make sure that their future results don't parents off.

It’s not just private 6th forms, grammars and state 6th form colleges also refuse to put children forward for exams (parents need to pay privately) vs expelling them. Our local schools certainly do this.

Have you had a meeting with the school? I’d suggest you all meet (school, you and DS) to discuss this- sounds as if both you and the school have a question mark over whether it’s the right place for him but he’s adamant it is- he needs to understand what the concerns are and how serious it is.

And people send their children there in the first place as often as not because of their good grades.

Are you new to private education? I'm confused by your lack of awareness of how the school your child attends works.

Yes they can and will invite students to leave if they are underachieving or not meeting the expectations of the school.

I hate to break it to you, but students can lose their place in state institutions also if their performance is not up to scratch. Obviously the first option is to transfer to a more suitable course but if a person just isn't capable they may ultimately have to leave.