Finding a private sixth form that isn't selective

[emzzz123]

My son is in year 11 at a bad state school - most students there fail to pass both maths and english GCSE. I have invested in private tutoring, but he is not particularly self motivated, and really does close to the bare minimum. He is intelligent, but his teachers spend more time childminding poorly behaved students than teaching content. His mock results came out as mostly 5s and 6s, with one 7 in maths.

I want to go private for sixth form, hopefully somewhere that will encourage and nurture him. He wants to pursue STEM a-levels, which are difficult as it is, and I truly believe in a different environment he could do well in them.

How do I find sixth forms that would take a student with poor GCSEs and no sporting or musical talents? I am wary that there are often problems with private schools with low entry requirements (very privileged attitudes, drugs?). Any recommendations would be very much appreciated, as well as suggestions as to how I go about finding these schools (googling 'low entry requirement private sixth forms' doesn't seem to be cutting it...)

Where are you based?
could he board?

You may have left it quite late, all the application cut offs were pre Xmas

Are you considering boarding, or moving? Because if not, there just aren’t that many private options in the radius of any given person’s home. You can rule out a number just from their websites. Then, start phoning.

What county are you in, OP?

The problem you have is that private schools’ USP is their results, so inevitably they’re going to be picky.

Maybe look at sixth form colleges rather than school sixth forms.

Hi op, agree with @Testina if you don't want to move then there are limited options anyway.

Local to me, a lot of students move for sixth form; my DCs' (state) school took a lot of external students, and both my DC that did A levels looked at other schools. So is a different state school an option?

You may find (my dc did) that sixth form is self selecting anyway and a lot of the most challenging students go elsewhere.

Get him in some intensive revision courses for GCSEs over Easter holidays - try MPW depending on where you are. This way he can get best possible GCSEs.

For sixth form it’s very different at A-level as class sizes are smaller so a different state school might work. If not, maybe MPW - https://www.mpw.ac.uk/. Can you say where you are then others can advise?

I'm confused....isn't 5s and 6s in old money Bs and Cs? And a 7 is an A?

I don't find those results poor. My husband and I got similar results and both in good jobs, in degrees we wanted to do and working directly using our degrees.
Some people aren't the best at exams (I know I'm not but that doesn't affect my intelligence).
My husband sounds that same as your son, he's very intelligent but put the bare minimum in at school. Until he was in the working environment, he didn't find it interesting.

If you've invested in private tutoring and he has no self motivation/does bare minimum 6th form does treat you like 'an adult' and it requires self motivation as the workload from GCSE's to ALEVEL is a big jump.

He might benefit going for some kind of post 16 apprenticeship where if something that he is interested in will motivate him and he will get qualifications along side that.

Looking back, that's what I should have done.

Kids choosing to do A levels are broadly speaking choosing to be there, so behaviour should be better regardless of setting.

He needs to be getting at least 6s for chosen subjects, and preferably 7s.

Our local gigantic 6th form college e.g. asks for Physics:

5 GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including English and one of the following combinations:

• If you are studying separate sciences you are required to achieve GCSE grades 7, 6 and 6 (any order) in Physics, Mathematics and one other Science
• If you are studying Combined Science you are required to achieve GCSE grades 7, 6 and 6 (any order) in Combined Science and Mathematics

None of the private schools near me are academically selective, but I live in rural SW - where are you looking for a school exactly?

I think he will find sixth form really different as kids have to want to do those subjects and have the grades for them. The kids who are causing the huge issue won't be in his a classes.
I think you'd struggle to find a good private non selective and those kids will have known each other for years so could be a difficult environment to break into. In my opinion and people may disagree (ex teacher) the kids in the non selective May want to be there less than the kids studying a levels at your local sixth form or college as there's more parental pressure .

Well by its very nature a sixth form is selective. Kids should have a half decent gcse in order to progress to study a-level of they’re not going to manage. Private school sixth forms are even more likely to be choosing the best that they can get. They want their results to look good.
Your son’s results are not that bad. But if he has no personal motivation to improve them then it’s not going to happen is it? He has to want it, at least a little bit.

That’s interesting, all the private schools where we are, are selective. Some less so than others in reality but they all have entrance assessments and take the best of who apply.

the thing is I think a-levels will be a different situation in current school. I doubt that disruptive kids would be doing a-levels (perhaps I’m naive). Our local high school is actually highly selective for a-levels.

but if staying put is out of the question, there must be other state options around to consider. It sounds like he may do reasonably well which should give him some options, if not private

Yes, it’s quite different to my experience of private schools in the NW which were academically selective, ambitious and rigorous.

I just checked the requirements of the ‘best’ one near me, and for 6th form they require 5 GCSES at Grade 5 or above.

I don't think anyone can help you unless you say where you are or whether your son will board. I have a very nice independent school near me that would definitely take 5s and 6s (I know children that have gone there with less). But it's rural so unless you are planning boarding I doubt it will fit.

A completely non selective 6th form sounds dubious. If GCSE grades in a subject are poor then they’re unlikely to succeed at A-Level not just because it’s a big jump but because they clearly don’t have a good base of knowledge in the subject. He’d probably be fine with any subject he got a 6 in though. That’s a good result! Sixth form colleges are really good- everyone wants to be there, they’re focused on going to uni and where I grew up it was and still is the case that a lot leave the private schools at 16 to go to the state sixth form instead because they get better results, students get more independence and they can offer a wider range of subjects. A bigger issue though is that you describe him as bare minimum and not motivated even with tutors. That’s not a great attitude for success at A-Levels wherever he goes.

Why private rather than just moving to a different school sixth firm, a sixth form college or a FE college? Post 16 education is very different to earlier key stages as the pupils have a lot more choice and by default have made a conscious choice to be there and study those subjects.

Applications for our local FE college have been open since September so it’s really important that you and your ds make some decisions soon to avoid limiting his options.

Based near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, ideally want him maximum a couple of hours away. Good transport links to London (and an older sister in the city), so that would be nice, but not necessary.

Buckinghamshire (specifically Aylesbury)

Based in Aylesbury, Bucks, but open to boarding.

Most sixth forms, private or otherwise, will want at least a 6 at GCSE to study a STEM subject. The jump in workload/content/expectation is huge. That said, have a look at Ealing Independent College.

This. My son was a mid B in A level maths in March 2023. He needed an A to do his medical degree. We paid 1k for an intensive Maths revision course over Easter and he got his A in Maths in the 2023 A level exams. Started his medical degree. He’s happy.

He was state school but good state schools and 6th form college. The intensive revision course boosted his confidence and showed him different exam techniques which got him from a mid B to a top A in his Maths A level.

Is his motivation and work ethic likely to improve? STEM a levels are hard. Going in with a grade 6/7 at GCSE and a bit of a lax attitude is not going to get great A level grades.

Kings Rochester in Rochester,

However he will need 7s min for the subjects he wants to take through to A level
However he could take subjects at A level not taught at gcse
example….economics, stats, business etc
With a predicted 7 in maths he could therefore pick up those subjects.

There is a small % boarding.

Id check out the latest real results though.
They haven’t been doing great in science subjects recently,