La Swap sixth form - results?

[eucalyptusdream]

Finding it pretty hard to get clear A-level results online. Anecdotally I've heard that the teaching isn't great and results can be very mixed - can anyone clarify? Thanks.

https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/compare-schools?for=16to18

You'll need to put each school in individually and compare rather than looking for the consortium.

Thank you. Aware pupils at sixth form are taught across different schools, though 'based' in one individual school. Looks like the average A level grade for Parliament Hill is C+, LSU C+, William Ellis C, and Burghley B-.

Am a bit confused by the plus/minus thing, and also how low this is. I thought La Swap was meant to be pretty good?

@eucalyptusdream I think there's a few things going on here. It's a huge school with a big catchment that isn't very selective. I think they ask for 6s for A levels but know kids who have been admitted with 5s, which is low for an A level subject. So they're not particularly selective at entrance.

They do a mix of vocational and technical courses which I'm not sure if they're included separately from the above results. And they do a vast array of subjects.

Anecdotally again, I know a lot of kids that go there - it's one of the most popular schools from my area - and a lot seem to end up at RG universities. But I realise this may be skewed towards the people I know. I have heard of some uneven teaching though. I know twins at LaSwap and LAET who have said the teaching at LAET is far stronger.

@Stowickthevast - thanks, really interesting. These results are just A-levels which won't be skewing it, but the point you are making about it being a big, non-selective catchment is worth considering.

It's a sixth form that my dd (currently year 10) is considering and I find it a bit weird tbh - the averages seem WAY lower than other local sixth forms, but I guess they are more selective.

If SWAP results seem low compared to others, it could be because other schools are recruiting their star students from year 11, and SWAP might be teaching the ones who didn't go up to, say, Woodhouse College in Barnet. Meanwhile, most students from Tottenham have to travel, and some of DS1's friends went over to La Swap if their grades were a bit more uneven/spiky. While our kids might seem spoilt for choice, that choice is really complicated, and navigating it successfully is harder than getting GCSE for some kids.

DS2 is probably about to leave his current college - Btec type course - at the end of year 12 and apply elsewhere.

Is he leaving La SWAP? Why is that?
OP, what are your DC’s other options?

No, he's never looked at La Swap, but he's probably leaving a music performance course to study for A levels elsewhere. Neither in Haringey where we live. I'm just nosy!

sorry to divert, is that Elam @elkiedee ?

Friends' kids have had mixed experiences. Or sounds great but the reality doesn't live up to expectations. Part of it also being that most of their mates were at LaSwap or LAET so a bit of Fomo.

I don't know ELAM - East London Academy of Music?

No, he's been at Big Creative Academy.

He's fairly clear he doesn't want to continue with a music course at this time, and his GCSE grade 6 would get him into some places and not others, I think - because a lot has to come together to get 7+ on creative courses.

One historic art college failure was the author of so many illustrated picture books, Judith Kerr. She was actually signed up to do illustration rather than what she wanted to do, I think, and didn't really prepare for the right exams.