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Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Secondary education

Going private for Sixth Form - WWYD?

19 replies

SugarSkyHigh · 30/12/2009 20:00

DD currently in Yr 8 at good state secondary. I may have the wherewithall to send her to a local (very good indeed)independent school after GCSE's. Would this be a good plan? She obviously will object because she'll want to stay with her friends, but I want to give her the absolute best I can manage.

Could I have your thoughts pls? TIA

OP posts:

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catinthehat2 · 30/12/2009 20:08

What's she hoping to do after 6th form?

EG be a dentist. Look at both schools and see how many children get to go to dental school.

It's results that count at this stage.

Lilymaid · 30/12/2009 20:27

You've got plenty of time to think about this and research options. She has a year before she even has to make GCSE choices and another two after that before she makes AS/A2 choices, and by then you should be able to gauge whether the current school's 6th Form will give her all the opportunities she should have.
Monitor the results for the sixth forms of both schools over the next 2-3 years and remember that although you can tell an 11 year old which school he/she should attend, a 16 year old is not so biddable!

brimfull · 30/12/2009 20:30

yes look at results and A level options
you won't really need to decide for yrs though so things ma change

choosyfloosy · 30/12/2009 20:38

TBH I think my first thoughts would be about her peer group. Do you feel a bit about her friends, are they nasty? are they OK but you feel there is a culture you don't like/approve of among them? Or are they a great bunch with a bit of a spark and drive about them?

If the latter then I wouldn't shift her. If her peer group is dodgy, then I would definitely consider trying to persuade her, given of course that the peer group she would be joining is better - do you know any parents from the other school who could give you the lowdown about the class? Ultimately though, being in a strop over losing all your friends isn't a brilliant way to start a new school.

My sister and I both went to a good school with excellent results. My class was lovely, hardworking, friendly, creative (all much more so than me) and brought out the best in me. My sister's peer group had about twice the number of vicious/tormented girls (it only takes a few of them to hit critical mass) and she had a horrible time in the sixth form. So I think it really matters.

coldtits · 30/12/2009 20:38

Yeah .... if my mother had tried to tell me I was going to a private school away from my friends aged 16, I'd have simply refused. Make sure she actually wants to go, as you will be utterly powerless in the face of outright refusal.

gramercy · 31/12/2009 15:03

Mmmm, I'm interested in this, because ds's school does not have a Sixth Form, and the Sixth Form college is a long way away.

Does going private in Sixth Form act against someone in university applications, or is this just a myth? Quite a lot of pupils go state for A Levels for this reason, or so people say.

Sheet · 31/12/2009 15:08

If she wants to be a doctor (for example) or study history at Durham or apply to Oxbridge, she will need a very good set of GCSE results (6A* grades and the remainder A grades to be realistically in with a chance).

Can she get those grades at her current school? As the school doesn't sound sufficiently poor to qualify for any special access arrangements.

For some things transferring at sixth form is simply too late.

mvemjsunp · 31/12/2009 15:13

What would be the advantages of the independent school?

A lot of state schools will not run courses with fewer than, say, 10 students. An independent school will often run a course with just one or two students. They may also be more flexible on option blocks and do their best with timetabling to avoid subject clashes.

Extra-curricularly, it would be good to evaluate the opportunities for responsibility and leadership within the school.

hocuspontas · 31/12/2009 15:16

In year 11 you will have the opportunity to attend all 6th form open evenings in your area. Look out for the independent one and include it in your rounds. Then make the decision along with your dd. It could be that one of the state 6th forms does the exact subjects she wants to do.

I toyed with the idea of independent 6th form for dd1 but she was adamant she wanted to stay where she was. That £25,000 I saved will come in really useful for university!

mvemjsunp · 31/12/2009 15:20

Gramercy, widening-participation schemes generally enhance prospects for students from both schools and families that have little tradition of going to university. Presumably, this would not apply to a sixth-form college.

Year 8 is very early to be thinking about sixth form. Usually students only start to think about this at the start of Year 11, and even then they need to do taster lessons in prospective subjects, especially any 'new' subjects.

What the OP can offer your daughter that many other parents cannot is choice. She still has to evaluate the subjects and schools on their own merits.

bellissima · 01/01/2010 10:08

Apparently some of the girls at my goddaughter's prestigious girls' school at a certain Spa town have left after AS levels to go to state schools and get the 'state school brownie point' on uni applications (slightly ridiculous if they only look at the very last place you were at). But then I suppose they had good enough ASs to feel confident of good overall grades (old bellissima never sure how these things work except that they all end up with many more As than we ever did and are obviously far more intelligent!).

mvemjsunp · 01/01/2010 10:13

The only reasons for leaving in the middle of sixth form that I can think of tend not to be voluntary.

violethill · 02/01/2010 13:08

You're seriously thinking of trying to dictate that a 16 year old changes schools against her will?

In two short years she'll be able to do as she pleases - live where she likes, go to Uni/work/not work etc etc It seems rather odd to be so controlling about where she does A levels.

If her current school is fine, what's the problem anyway? A state school is likely to be an advantage when it comes to University anyway.

TinselianAstra · 02/01/2010 13:13

In a few years time you should look at all the available options - staying at the same school, a standalone 6th form, or a private school, and decide with your DD. Year 8 is way too early to be concerned, so much could change before then. If you're not happy with her school you should consider moving now.

mvemjsunp · 03/01/2010 13:54

I agree that it has to be a joint decision, but usually teens will listen to reason. They are quite capable of looking beyond 'where their friends are going' and take seriously the long-term pros and cons.

They also know that they will make new friends and still be able to keep in touch with their old friends (even easier now with Facebook).

Teens should absolutely not choose a subject because their friends are choosing it. They should choose subjects that they enjoy and will contribute to their career aspirations.

SugarSkyHigh · 03/01/2010 20:01

Thank you EVERYONE for all your thoughtful posts. There is plenty of food for thought in every post. As a result I feel reassured because I have realised Yr 8 is way too early to start worrying. Thank you all again

OP posts:

mumeeee · 03/01/2010 22:17

At that ace I would let her choose where she wants to go and what she wants to do. Yes I'd give her advice but then leave it up to her. All 3 of mine have made thier own choices as to where they wanted to go for 6th form.

mvemjsunp · 05/01/2010 07:59

They have to make their choices for the right reasons, though - hopefully academic ones.

piscesmoon · 05/01/2010 08:22

I would have thought that at the 6th form stage your DC is the one to make the decision.
Two years later she will be on her own and you will have no contact with the university and no idea how she is doing-if you ask they won't tell you! She will be treated as an adult and have to manage her time herself. The end of year 11 is the time to explain all the options and leave it to her.
The school in 3 yrs may be an entirely different to the school that it is now.
Many privately educated pupils swap to state for the 6th form because universities are encouraged to take state pupils and the disruptive pupils have left.
If my mother had wanted me to change schools at 16yrs, against my will, I would simply have refused!
Give her the information and if she is intelligent enough for university she is intelligent enough to choose.

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