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Drop out of 6form and self study

So i've been doing my As, and we've been doing A2 in 6form now since As exams are over, and I dont think i'll be coming back to the 6form in september because I dont think I did so well, and for very poor attendance (personal conditions) so I want to go in self study which would allow me to be able to take control of my own learning. How do I tell my 6form head and what do I tell him?

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Reply 1

emilyboris

If you didn't do that well at AS, then it's unwise to self-study for A2 (assuming that's what you meant). The gap between AS and A2 is vastly greater than GCSE to AS. Your best option would be to either transfer sixth form to continue A2s or repeat the year at the same/another sixth form. Either way, just ask to have a chat with your head of sixth form and discuss with them what they think the best option would be. They'll have heard it before and so know what to do

Reply 2

carl_senior

I wouldn't advise doing this unless you are a highly disciplined person. Studying on your own without the help of teachers, and without the learning 'atmosphere' that 6th form provides is incredibly difficult.

If I were you I would try and work out some deal about your attendance with your head of 6th, explain what is going on at home. you might be surprised at the support that they can offer.

Reply 3

superglow12

I want to self study AS as most of the year we had after school lessons till 5 which didnt let me complete my revision through out the day. My teachers arent so good either, and whenever I went to lessons I felt that I didnt understand what they were saying. And whenever I went over that certain topic I learned so much on my own. And I really dont think 6form is for me.

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Reply 4

superglow12

My attendance went down, and my 6form head shouted at me. However my mentor gave me this chart where at the end of lesson I had to get it signed from the teacher, they didnt do much to help :/

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Reply 5

J.Nalbandian14

just resit modules, contact your sicth form/college examinations officer.Also buy the revison guide for the certain subjects you intend to study.

Reply 6

rach2012x

I think it gets easier after AS and your results will improve. You can re-sit the exams you did poorly in, in January?

Reply 7

InketyDink

I think it might be a better idea to find a new sixth form rather than studying yourself.

Firstly, it will mean you don't have to pay to sit your exams as you would when entering as an external candidate.
Secondly, as people have said above me, it is much harder to be self disciplined and cover all the material that you need with the added factor of having no teacher to go to for support when you don't understand something.
You also have to remember that if you are planning on studying at university after this, although passing your subjects through personal motivation and learning is a great achievement, it leaves the universities with no proof that you can work and achieve well in a teacher-student situation.
I can understand you wanting to leave your sixth form because of teaching standards, hours, lack of pastoral care etc. as you seem to be describing, I had the same problem in my first year of sixth form, but it is definitely much easier to have the school environment and pastoral care when you need it than studying yourself. Perhaps the reason that you say "And I really dont think 6form is for me." is because you're just not at the right sixth form rather than sixth form in general not being the way to go.

However, I've been down both roads so I also understand the desire to self-study.

If you really have your heart set on self studying, then you need to get started as soon as you can in terms of organisation. Draw up as precise a plan as you can as to what you are going to learn when over the next year in order to pass your AS. The more precise the better, that way it's easier to remain focused. Having strict targets for yourself will also help. Start looking in to resources as soon as possible - the examining boards websites usually have lists of resources for teachers, so that may be a place to start. Be warned that it might get expensive to buy all of your books though, so make sure to shop around a bit before you decide what to get and where. Get recommendations from teachers if you can as to what are the best books to use, perhaps from your GCSE teachers if you had a better relationship with them than your current AS teachers. Get in touch with various local exam centres to find out which has the best policy regarding external candidates - if you take subjects that require coursework and the such, you need to make sure that their teachers are willing to mark it.

However, a good middle ground would be to apply to sixth forms to start AS again in September, draw up a strict study plan for over the summer holidays and then judge from that how well you were able to cope with your personal studies as to whether you go to sixth form or study yourself, at least then you've applied for a sixth form and have a choice rather than changing your mind too late and not being able to get in anywhere.

Reply 8

superglow12

Ive just turned 18, so if I go to a college there will be a year where I dont pay anything then the next year they'd as for money. I also have a part time job, so hopefully if I work extra hours over the summer I can afford to pay for the cost of the books and exams.

Ive spoken to people that do self study, and are going to some really good unis this year. And I was thinking to join a sport to show unis that I am doing something other than self studying too.

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