Did anyone's school do anything like this after GCSE?

I herd about one school that told their students/pupils "Once you have done your GCSE's you must come in on (date about 2 weeks after the Main exams are finished) and start your A-levels). On paper I get that it kind of makes sense.

The kids at or going to this school know they will be starting their A-level and won't get that nice long break (they still get those six weeks) most kids get but as I say they know so for them that's fine but...it's not that simple.

Not everybody is going on to do A-level they could be doing Btec or T-levels or an apprenticeship or any number of other things and even if they are doing A-levels they could be on a different board. this wasn't just applied to those starting the school's 6th form this was applied to all students even those going else where. A few of the kids who were doing subjects the school didn't offer or a different qualification went and questioned this the school just said "start your A-levels" eventually the got out of the school they expected them to just sit in the sixth form centre all day doing nothing (I would have boycotted). I know some parents complained and the kids got let of but still a bit stupid.

TLDR: School makes all kids come in to start their A-levels even those who aren't continuing at the school Did your school do something like this how did you react? If not how would you have reacted?

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 1

MindMax2000

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by jonathanemptage

I got rest after I did my A Levels (the standard 2-3 month break). Having said that, I know that some private schools and colleges start their A Levels early.

Depending on the subject, it's probably a good idea to start A Levels early, even though I think students should get a few weeks' rest before starting A Levels.
Some A Level subjects are quite a jump from GCSEs, and often schools are blamed for not giving enough support to help with the transition. I didn't get such help when I tranisitioned to my A Levels, which I wished I did.
Also for some subjects, 2 years might actually be too short of a timeframe to learn and full absorb all the material they need to learn. I would have liked for there to be more time for exam preparation when it came to the final exams. You can often underestimate the amount of time you need, how much preparation you need. Some would even recommend finishing A Levels early in January as opposed to April so you can have a few more months to prepare for your exams. It's a large undertaking.

I didn't have any reference from people who have done A Levels before, so when I first did it, it was more of a shock to the system. If people had informed me what I should be expecting, I would have wanted more time and do more work on my A Levels.

I agree with you though for other qualifications and other pathways; if they're not doing A Levels or doing qualifications that involve a very big transition from GCSEs, then they shouldn't be required to come back to school to work on A Levels. This is more or less down to the individual schools' organisation/management and what their policies are. Since we are in the 21st Century, I think schools shouldn't have such management issues if they know how to organise themselves properly.