Sixth form unnecessarily restrictive and strict

[Libre2]

DS has stayed at his comp where he got really good GCSE results (all 8s and 1 9) and had a very good friendship group.

The school was great and provided fantastic support and he got on well with staff. He has moved into the sixth form there and it seems to have gone a bit crazy. They have brought in serious rules and regulations - they have to sit in silence in free periods, with no headphones, they are not allowed to communicate with friends, they must be studying. One of DS's friends has four frees in a row and has to sit in silence for 4 hours. His parents questioned this and was told "he'll be fine".

They are giving out behaviour points for minor infringements and basically still treating them like children. DS is completely fed up with this - he has engaged brilliantly and done a lot of reading around his subjects and completed all tasks, but wants more freedom.

He is thinking of swapping schools in the city - sadly we don't have a sixth form college - he is worried about being lonely and missing friends, but doesn't really engage with them anyway as they are all maths/science and he is arts. Has anyone else encountered this or moved in the first half term?

That sounds like hell and really oppressive, my dd would have hated that.

At her college there was a common room and a lot more freedom.

Can they leave the building if they want to?

They haven't given them a chance to find their own way. We are 2 weeks in.

I regard 6th form as the transition between the highly regulated and rule-driven lower years and the complete independence of University (if they are choosing that path).
Some are mature, motivated and driven, others see the freedom and piss about, most lie in the middle - enjoy being given some autonomy and trust and then ideally (with guidance and support) learn good independent study habits.

My new year 12 was able to go in at midday today. This is the first time in his whole school career that he has been able to manage his own school time. He's loving that he can lie in a bit on these days. Other free periods are during the school day. He's been down to Tescos a few times, but has already said that 1) he doesn't want to fritter his money away and 2) it's a great opportunity to get some homework done, freeing up a bit of the evening. That he's reached this decision himself is surely far better than being forced to sit in silence for hours on end.

They are not free periods they are private individual study periods. The common room is for lunch break where students socialise. For each A level taken, each student should put in 6 hours private study per week on top of lesson times. If students use study periods wisely it means they don't have to work for too long maybe just 1-2 hours in the evenings at home. If they sit chattering and wasting study periods they will have to spend longer every evening studying.

I find this bonkers, but I went to a college for a levels, and was very much not spoonfed for GCSE's (to the extent I researched and taught myself the syllabus for all subjects as my school was so awful).

I was free to come and go between lessons, manage my own time. I assumed that was the norm.

@caringcarer but surely there's a big difference between gossiping about celebs or sitting and discussing the finer details about Jane Eyre or whatever.
I can't imagine complete silence.

Seems over the top to me. Sixth form is the bridge between school and uni and they have to learn to manage their own time, not have it micromanaged for them.
Students are allowed to come and go as they please at my DCs sixth form college (unless they've forgotten their pass when they have to stay on site until they've finished lessons or pay for a replacement - my DS has opted to pay for multiple replacements out of his lunch money).

I think he needs to move next week or two because you could have different exam boards etc. It seems to be the unwritten rule that they can swap subjects first few weeks, so now is the time.

Yes, I think you're right. If you wait too long they will not let him as they could say he's missed too much.

You need to stop coddling your nearly grown son to this degree. Boundaries and discipline will do him good with a mum like that.

Par for the course for English state schools, OP! Be glad you’ve avoided it til now!

Pedagogy, psychology, humanity, fun all out the window, replaced by vacuous management speak and hyper punitive regimes.

It’s heartbreaking and all the “educators” have bought into it. They will destroy the souls of a generation of children. Just ghastly.

It's a condition of funding that they have supervised study rather than chatting with mates and listening to music periods. The funding rules increased the hours required last year.

surely there's a big difference between gossiping about celebs or sitting and discussing the finer details about Jane Eyre or whatever.
I can't imagine complete silence.

What about students who prefer to work in silence and don't want to have to listen to people discussing the finer points of Jane Eyre while they're working on maths or chemistry?

To answer some questions:

The friend sitting for fours hours has, yes you're right, a half hour between. So two hours' silence, break for half an hour, then another two hours' silence, then a break for half an hour, then his only taught lesson of the day. I'm not sure that makes it a whole lot better.

The long term plan is that they are slightly more lenient in year 13 but the plan for the whole of year 12 is silent study and not allowed off site unless their free is the last one in the afternoon.

The common room currently is only for use at break times. (Two half an hour slots during the day).

DS says it is even stricter than they were during GCSE private study time, when they did 20-20-20 at least (20 minutes collab, 20 minutes silent, 20 minutes review with friends).

From what I can gather this is not going to improve. I have tried to engage with the head of sixth form but have had no response to my emails. Other parents have had a conversation and the answer is "this is the way it is". From another friend who works in another linked sixth form, this is the academy way and they are getting more and more strict.

I have emailed another sixth form tonight to see whether they are still taking students and to request a trial day. Thank you for all your comments, it's been a useful sounding board.

They can then work in the library whilst the collaborative workers can go to the common room. It's not that complicated.

Phenomenal. I really need the laugh emoji back for this.

Is this an OAT academy school by any chance?

No, it's not - we're down in the West country, but it's a growing accademy in the area we live, but by all accounts ours is currently the strictest of the lot.

Huh? University work is mostly collaborative, in the sciences and engineering at least.

What nonsense. Kids learn from each other, debate, talk things through. College is also about socialising. Preparing them for relationships at university or work All of these rules wouldn't happen in a half decent sixth form college. Students who need to work/study silently might be put on private study occasionally but not for all their free time - utter madness.

At my school there were 3 areas.
The main study area where you could talk while you studied - and eat/drink at the same time (because it doubled up as the place for lunch so the food counter would sell food from about 10 am and there were vending machines).
There was the library for those that wanted silence.
There was also the 3rd area that had a really weird name that no one knew why it was called that (The Paccoda or something?). Hardly anyone used that because it was so silent there it was creepy.

There's still a laugh emoji. 😃

It's fine for your ds to move elsewhere if he is unhappy with this sixth form. I don't think you can expect to change what the current sixth form thinks works best so best to move.

It's quite common for sixth forms of non selective schools to still have behaviour points/detentions/silent working free periods. It was like that in my dcs' school sixth form. They enjoyed it anyway. They didn't get detentions

Speaking as a secondary teacher (no sixth form), why are they treating sixth form students like children. I understand they need results, but what has changed? I did A levels that were all exam based, and was able to allocate my social and study time as I liked. I did the same at Uni and coped just fine. I don’t think I would have liked my day being regimented. I hope you find somewhere better suited for your son.

It sounds a bit joyless & if his friends are doing different subjects I can’t see when he would have any opportunity to speak to them in the common room. They probably get good A level results (I know of a school like this & they also get rid of them end of Year 12 if they get anything lower than a C in mocks).