Is it worth staying at my current school's sixth form?

Hey,
I'm currently a year 10, aimed at relatively high grades (my estimates are all a and a*), and I'm not entirely sure if I should stay at my school's current sixth form or move. (I'm also not sure when I'm supposed to have started thinking about this - is it too late to be considering this or too early? :'))

Whilst the secondary school I attend achieves outstanding from Ofsted, the sixth form attached to the school does not. It's decent, but I'm not sure if it'd be worthwhile trying to go to somewhere possibly better, academics wise. Most of my friends are staying here, and whilst I know I probably shouldn't base my decision on their choices, it's useful to know that I would know people in sixth form (and of course, teachers would know me etc.).

So, I'm not really sure. (And on that note, if anyone knows any good sixth forms in Hertfordshire... :P) Any advice? Not really sure who to really ask about this, so any help with this would be really appreciated. Thanks :smile:

Reply 1

luvcats

I don't think it's too late or too early to be thinking about it. when the time comes, i'm sure it'll all fall into place but I can see now why you're worried.

I had the same dilemma as you: sixth form with friends vs. college with no friends
after much deliberation, I knew by the end of year 11 that I wanted to move on so I decided to go to college. I made friends, had helpful tutors and got good grades. I think that going to college gave me a lot more confidence than I would have got from sixth form and I had fun whilst I was there.

Maybe visit colleges beforehand and see what they offer (subjects, enrichment etc.)

Reply 2

LilyZo

I know it may sound harsh but are these people going to be your friends for life? Probably not, therefore it isn't advisable to base your future around them although its comforting. Absolutely go for the elite places, you've got the grades, may as well put them to good use especially in more prestigious places where the quality of teaching and resources are likely to be much higher. More elitist places are more likely to have better links to cities and industries in terms of jobs so you could benefit by gaining work experience and it'll look better to employers if you attended a well known sixth form. Overall, spread your wings, you can't stay in one place all your life, you'll more than likely work in many different places so don't be wary of the distance and newness.

Reply 3

ChoccyWoccy

I moved for sixth form and don't regret it at all. It's good to be in a new environment (good practice for university anyway!) and you'll make new friends. I still see friends from my old school too :smile:

Reply 4

TheOriginalOatly

Now, I don't have a choice in whether I wish to remain at my current school for sixth form or not since they don't even have a sixth form, but if I had to choose I would probably move. A new learning ground for A levels would be refreshing and meeting new people is always a good thing. Also, it's possible that being in a new environment puts a bit more pressure on you so you don't slack, which will help with your studies.
Oh and, Dame Alice Owen's School has a good sixth form! :smile:

(maybe you already go there...ahah)

Reply 5

Emma:-)

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Original post by TheresaIsSleepy

Its not too late to think about 6th forms or anything, so dont worry.
6th form wise, id think about going elsewhere. Look around other 6th forms and colleges near you and see what you think of them. You will have really good grades at GCSE, so its not as if you will struggle to get in anywhere or anything. Staying at your current 6th form is fine, as you will know your friends and other students, you will know the teachers etc. But if you go elsewhere, you will get the chance to meet new friends (as well as stay in touch with your old ones). It will also be a fresh start and it will improve your confidence etc. I found that when i stayed on at the 6th form at my secondary school, by the end of 6th form i couldnt wait to leave. Basically because id become fed up of the place with being there for 7 years in total (5 years at secondary school plus 2 years 6th form). When i went to college afterwards to do a different course, i loved it as it was a different place with different surroundings.

Reply 6

OneDayDoctor

My school didn't have a sixth form, but I was kind of in the same situation. Most of my friends went to the local college whilst I went to a sixth form. I found that I actually enjoyed being in an environment where no one knew me. I wasn't expected to be the quiet one anymore and it was nice to be able to meet new people. I did have issues since 80% of the sixth form there was made up of people who had previously attended the school so teachers ignored me for a while, but it was still ok. The school I chose didn't have a great sixth form in terms of ofsted/ results but our head of sixth form was amazing, and there were loads of opportunities to do volunteering within the school.

I think you need to have a look at all of the options and consider what's best for you. Maybe make a list of what's important to you and then give all of the potential sixth forms/ colleges a score. It's great being able to make new friends, and you won't be the only one who doesn't know someone if you choose to move schools. Besides, when you get to uni you won't know anyone!

Reply 7

moggington

Now is the right time to start looking, I started looking at sixth forms towards the end of Year 10 too because quite a few of the ones I applied to wanted applications completed by December.

I went through exactly the same problem as you and found some of the best help was from my teachers. They acted in my best interests and knew I'd be able to achieve my full academic potential if I moved elsewhere, and helped me to write personal statements for the other sixth formers as well as providing me with a glowing reference.

It depends which part of Hertfordshire you're in, but if you're in the south of the county then Watford Grammar School for Girls is very good, and just over the border in Buckinghamshire is Dr Challoners High School for Girls. My friend went to Watford and my older brother and sister went to Dr Challoners, but other than that, I'm not sure of any others as I'm from London. Try looking at school league tables by county.