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Secondary education

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Since when did we say Year 12 and Year 13 rather than lower sixth and upper sixth?

22 replies

PuppyMonkey · 06/11/2009 12:40

Have only just noticed people saying this (inc recent thread, which is probably just below mine in the education section sorry!!!!)... what happened to the sixth form?

I don't like it, I tell you.

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duckyfuzz · 06/11/2009 12:42

since Y7 became Y7 and not first year!

SoWhat · 06/11/2009 12:44

I think it was the year before I started Secondary school, so I would guess 1993.

GrimmaTheNome · 06/11/2009 12:45

Presumably about the time we started saying Year 7 instead of first-formers.

Takes a bit of getting used to but I guess the current system is more logical, as it covers all combos of infant, junior, middle and seniors.

Certainly better than the anachronistic labels DHs school had - I can't remember what they all were but one was 'Shell' - it took him a long time to realise what he called the third form (I think) was not the same as what I was calling the 3rd form (ie Yr 9).

Lilymaid · 06/11/2009 12:45

Yes, it is definitely Y12 and Y13 but schools still have Sixth Forms and students still go to Sixth Form colleges.
(I preferred it when the 1st year at secondary was Upper 3!)

PuppyMonkey · 06/11/2009 12:48

Oh no, I get the Yr 7 thing - just. I even have a dd in Year 8, so I know she is really in the second year.

But until this year, I've only heard the sixth form being called the sixth form. I liked that. Now it's all Year 12 this and Year 13 that. It's not right I tell you.

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CMOTdibbler · 06/11/2009 12:50

Upper 6th became y13 the year I went into it - so 1990. We refused to be known as y13 though

wicked · 06/11/2009 12:55

My DS is in U6. I don't think they say 12/13 at all at his school. It's still fairly logical to have L6 and U6, given that a sixth form is quite discrete from the rest of the school.

PuppyMonkey · 06/11/2009 12:58

They never said it round here at all either wicked. I'm sure. Until this year. Or then again, maybe I am 20 years behind the times as usual.

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GrungeBlobPrimpants · 06/11/2009 13:05

It's part of a campaign to sort out the old gimmers like us from the young set

I still talk about O Levels, University (NOT 'College' or worse still 'Uni') and Playgroup not preschool. I belong to another, antediluvian era really

PuppyMonkey · 06/11/2009 13:08

I'm with you, Grunge.

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GrungeBlobPrimpants · 06/11/2009 13:13

I've got a dd at secondary too puppy, and I find myself doing this sort of equation in my head "Y9 = 3rd year" al the time - tis annoying

cranberrie · 06/11/2009 14:08

I'm totally with you- I'm always trying to work out mentally which year it is based on the good old days.
And, in the interests of simplicity, shouldn't they do away with Reception year and start with Year 1?
Do private schools use this system or the old one?

lazymumofteenagesons · 06/11/2009 18:21

y13 would be good. My son is in 'remove'. God knows where that comes from. I suppose at the end of the year they are 'removed' from school. His school also has lower and upper shell. There are others using this. Does anyone know the origins of it.

badgermonkey · 06/11/2009 18:38

This is from a page about Westminster School: "The original shell-shaped apse at the North end of School gave its name to the Shell forms taught there and the corresponding classes at many other public schools."

Who knew?

lazymumofteenagesons · 06/11/2009 19:00

woops! I obviously paid no attention at all when being shown around school

GrimmaTheNome · 06/11/2009 23:31

All the private schools we've come across oop north use 7-11 and then L/U 6th.

I believe its the public schools (or wannabes) that use the archaic shell/remove gobbledegook.
I found a partial translation:
Year 9 = Shell
Year 10 = Remove
Year 11 = Fifth
Year 12 = Lower Sixth
Year 13 = Upper Sixth

I think DHs had a 3rd form somewhere below this, no fourth form bonkers!

PuppyMonkey · 07/11/2009 08:04

Remove? Shell? OMG, it's all so complicated!!!!

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roisin · 07/11/2009 08:49

Here we have 11-16 secondaries and then a "sixth form college". I've never heard yr12 or yr13 used in this town.

MaureenMLove · 07/11/2009 09:06

Ours are Yr12 and Yr13 on their own, but collectively known as 6th Form or Post 16.

eandh · 07/11/2009 09:11

I left '6th form' 12 years ago and it was year 12 and 13 then

PuppyMonkey · 07/11/2009 10:13

I wonder if it's an issue of where you live in the country... I'm in East Midlands and I swear before this year, no-one had ever mentioned Year 12 and 13. Always upper and lower sixth form. I had to explain to dd why it was actually called the sixth form too.

Education is so complicated.

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Morosky · 07/11/2009 12:28

We have year 12 and 13 but refer to them as the sixth form, I think th students call it the sixth form as well.

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