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?

I do wonder what happens to all these students who supposedly need molly-coddling and supervision in counties like mine where school sixth forms simply aren't a thing. You go to college and are expected to be self-disciplined and self-starting from day 1.

When it’s sink or swim, some kids just sink.

Some schools treat it as a transition so they loosen the reigns gradually. They also have more freedom for Year 13s than Year 12s, for example. The kids who work hard right from the start of Year 12 do end up doing better I think. It is a very long break since end of GCSEs so the danger of giving too much freedom and lulling them into a false sense of comfort as to how much harder A levels really are, is there. You can cram for GCSEs somewhat, for A levels I do not think you can, you must master every single topic to achieve reasonable grades so there is no slacking off.

This sounds awful to me. Different people require different approaches to studying, so maybe this method might suit some kids who have absolutely no self discipline, but I would have found this atmosphere oppressive and counterproductive to learning. When I was at sixth form I absolutely loved the freedom of being able to go and get a cup of tea from the cafe whenever I fancied, have a chat with friends before heading off to the study section of the library to get our heads down. (And we all left with good grades).

I’d sit down and have a serious talk about whether he would be able to get gods head down and work sometimes without all that structure, and if you think he would be able to (even if he’s not perfectly disciplined) I’d just let him switch.
. What’s the point in being at the same school as his friends if they can’t talk to each other anyway?? He can see them at weekends.

It's a Condition of Funding, so a parental opinion is utterly irrelevant. Otherwise, the school stands to lose over a hundred thousand pounds per cohort per year if they are audited and found to not be provided the required supervised study hours.

@NeverDropYourMooncup supervised studying sounds fine.
It's the having to do it in complete silence that sounds awful. It's weird and unnatural. Adults at work can talk to each other.

Trying to get Y12 to study seriously is a nightmare, which is why schools do this. I’m retired now, but we brought in something similar 15+ years ago.

God, it’s a wonder any of us managed to study for A levels and get to uni back in the day.

You’ll note that back in the day far, far fewer did.

Back in the day there was no social media/online/phone distraction either.

If this were my DS, I think he would have complained too, but really what he would have been most upset about is being in different forms/different lessons to all his friends.
When they stay in their schools they expect for things to stay similar, but often Sixth Form transition/jump is still a big issue. It is possible it will get better. I would speak to the pastoral lead and let them know he is struggling, in the first instance. Do they have any focus on pastoral needs? Because whilst my DD’s Sixth Form is a bit of an exam factory, they support it strongly with pastoral stuff and they are genuine about that. Most of the leaders are genuinely implementing what they believe to be best for their cohort.

If this were my DS, I think he would have complained too, but really what he would have been most upset about is being in different forms/different lessons to all his friends.

Unless all his friends are doing exactly the same subjects as he is, of course they'll be in different forms/lessons.

Even if they're all doing exactly the same, if numbers mean there has to be more than one set, there's no guarantee they'll be in the same one.

@HonoriaBulstrode - that much is obvious to an adult, but often kids complain about school because they are worried about other things, like changes and friendship groups being different/separated. But the school itself is just one facet of what is bothering them. That is all I meant! Often happy kids are resistant to change and it takes them a bit of time to come round. And sometimes we adults have to wait and get to the bottom of it first.

And that’s a whole different conversation as to whether that was better!

If you are based in the South west and your son is willing to suck up a commute there are lots of colleges that offer a levels - they will be totally the opposite of your current school which may be a good or a bad thing. However if he wants to start this year you will need to apply ASAP as most of them will be closing to applicants soon if they aren't already.

I know students in Cornwall who choose to commute 90 minutes by bus to get to a college that offers the qualifications they want - obviously that has its downsides too! But it's an option that is there if that's definitely what you both want.

I will say that some students who go to colleges have amazing outcomes and some do underperform or drop out but I do genuinely think there are lots of great colleges in the south west which would at least be worth considering - but as I say you will have to apply basically today for most of them if they haven't shut applications already.

SE too - in fact Hampshire and a big chunk of Surrey and W. Sussex is college-only with no school sixth forms. I must admit I find it quite jarring when I see effectively adults in a school uniform - it looks like some sort of creepy fetish.

@Pharazon ones of the reasons I hate the current style of most school uniforms is because of the "sexy schoolgirl" (🤢) stereotype.
If we are going to have uniforms it should be basic trousers or plain skirt (not a "kilt") ,polo top/plain shirt and a sweatshirt or cardigan.
Putting teenage girls into a porn fantasy (🤢) is just hideous.

Sounds like my son’s school!!

I read an interesting article recently about how loads of "sexy outfits" started off as being quite frumpy and practical. Traditional nurse's uniforms, for example, were designed to be smart and practical. The stereotypical maid's outfit originated as just standard plain Victorian women's clothing of a long, wide-skirted dress in dark, sober colours, with an apron and cap to keep dirt off their dress and hair. And girls' school uniforms were designed to be a bit frumpy and nothing like what an adult woman would wear (especially the tie, blazer/V-necked jumper and men's-style shirt). The fact that all of them have been turned into "sexy" outfits just shows that men will slaver over women (and unfortunately teenaged girls) no matter what we are wearing. So if all secondary schools changed their uniform to polo shirt and trousers, in 20 years' time you can guarantee there will be "sexy schoolgirl" outfits on sale featuring polo shirts and polyester trousers.

@PorridgeAndSyrup that's a grim thought 🙁

That isn’t parent opinion - it is how it works! My daughters sixth form do not mandate supervised study for all - only those who need it.