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Sixth Forms/ Colleges in Hackney/Camden

What are the best colleges/sixth forms in east/north London? I am currently at Clapton Girls' Academy but don't really want to stay on for sixth form. I am thinking about applying to Camden Girls and Latymer in September but I don't really know where else. I am predicted all A's and 1 B for GCSE. Thanks :smile:

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Reply 1
Original post by krruler
What are the best colleges/sixth forms in east/north London? I am currently at Clapton Girls' Academy but don't really want to stay on for sixth form. I am thinking about applying to Camden Girls and Latymer in September but I don't really know where else. I am predicted all A's and 1 B for GCSE. Thanks :smile:


Bsix
But it is a **** sixth form
Woodhouse would be your best bet:yep:
It is slightly far though

Posted from TSR Mobile
Reply 2
Original post by ProNoob
Bsix
But it is a **** sixth form
Woodhouse would be your best bet:yep:
It is slightly far though

Posted from TSR Mobile

I definitely don't want to go to Bsix lol but i'll research Woodhouse :smile:
*sigh*... this is my third time trying to post this.

So I just wanted to say that Mossbourne is really good, teachers are great, the courses are challenging and the facilities are amazing. I would argue best sixth form in Hackney.

Stokey/Stoke Newington is really good.

I also just wanted to say that Bsix has a really bad reputation but most people have never stepped inside. It is far from the 'best' sixth form in hackney but the teachers are passionate and they have very good links with universities including Oxbridge and have their own summer schools there. They even have a Oxford 'Red room' which is a replica of an Oxford interview room which I think is quite cool lol. Alot of the students go on to good unis.
Reply 4
Original post by krruler
What are the best colleges/sixth forms in east/north London? I am currently at Clapton Girls' Academy but don't really want to stay on for sixth form. I am thinking about applying to Camden Girls and Latymer in September but I don't really know where else. I am predicted all A's and 1 B for GCSE. Thanks :smile:


Hi I'm ex student of BSix and I have been studying BTEC level 3 applied science. From my experience the college has been exceptionally great, the staff members are all passionate about their subject and really do care for the students and during my time in BSix I have never encountered any bad experience; in every college you will meet some bad people and you will hear a lot of rumours but please don't judge and do ask people that actually 'GO' to the college
I wouldn't recommend Bsix if you're entering the science department.
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3545545
Trying to get this review out there on the school. Please feel free to share your own experiences on that page also, it would be great to get and hear other people's journeys and experiences.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by jabokar1
Hi I'm ex student of BSix and I have been studying BTEC level 3 applied science. From my experience the college has been exceptionally great, the staff members are all passionate about their subject and really do care for the students and during my time in BSix I have never encountered any bad experience; in every college you will meet some bad people and you will hear a lot of rumours but please don't judge and do ask people that actually 'GO' to the college


No offence but that was YOUR own experience from the school.
You had different teachers to some of us and you did not take A levels there either. Not saying there's anything wrong with taking BTEC courses but at least be opened to the idea that the truth is your experience would be very different to someone who took A levels or a different course to you in general. No, the staff we had were many and maybe they were passionate about their subject but they were not passionate about teaching. Those are two different things. Stop calling these rumours, they are not rumours if statistics clearly back them up. Judging from the grades A level students received this year, it's clear that almost close to all did not do exceptionally well. The board shows none got straight As in AS and only a few got A* grades in A2.

It's why on the school's website, they would use emotive language to describe their results such as 'achieved'. Rather than using stats on the school's website to explain how well students did they said things like '64 students took A Levels at BSix this year and 92% achieved'. What does achieved mean precisely? It's subjective. The reality is maybe if they posted the exact numbers, students applying would take this into account and be put off from applying. I know I would. They did say though that '12 A2 subjects achieved 100% pass rateswould chase away students.' But remember a pass is an E grade.
BTEC students did well this year but A level students did not. No offence but can you see what I am talking about with this school, though they may be trying they are not trying hard enough.
Reply 7
Original post by Cherry82
No offence but that was YOUR own experience from the school.
You had different teachers to some of us and you did not take A levels there either. Not saying there's anything wrong with taking BTEC courses but at least be opened to the idea that the truth is your experience would be very different to someone who took A levels or a different course to you in general. No, the staff we had were many and maybe they were passionate about their subject but they were not passionate about teaching. Those are two different things. Stop calling these rumours, they are not rumours if statistics clearly back them up. Judging from the grades A level students received this year, it's clear that almost close to all did not do exceptionally well. The board shows none got straight As in AS and only a few got A* grades in A2.

It's why on the school's website, they would use emotive language to describe their results such as 'achieved'. Rather than using stats on the school's website to explain how well students did they said things like '64 students took A Levels at BSix this year and 92% achieved'. What does achieved mean precisely? It's subjective. The reality is maybe if they posted the exact numbers, students applying would take this into account and be put off from applying. I know I would. They did say though that '12 A2 subjects achieved 100% pass rateswould chase away students.' But remember a pass is an E grade.
BTEC students did well this year but A level students did not. No offence but can you see what I am talking about with this school, though they may be trying they are not trying hard enough.


Yh but A-level students and BTEC student actually get the same teachers in the science department and I know a lot A levels student who did well.
Original post by jabokar1
Yh but A-level students and BTEC student actually get the same teachers in the science department and I know a lot A levels student who did well.


Yes, that's true. I know that the science teachers for example had both A level and BTEC classes. But I remember my Physics teacher explaining that he was more inclined to directing the BTEC students because it was coursework based and there was more room for eased sessions and creativity. This is a good thing and it's why I wished I had taken applied level 3 science than A level science courses. He explained that some teachers find the BTEC syllabus much easier to follow along with their teaching styles, that they can guide students closely with these assignments and course works. With A levels, the examiners are the ones who mainly decide your grades and state what they are looking which normally is a certain answer, written a certain way with exam techniques.
I like how with BTEC courses there isn't one answer or 'this is the right or wrong way to write things.' As long as the information written is on the valid and on the right lines, you could write it how you like, be creative as you like as long as you also reference for example where you have received pieces of information.

Teachers seemed to struggle in bsix in knowing what the exam boards were looking for in A level science department. Our grades are mainly dependent on our exams not coursework and that's where the issue is because they don't know exactly how to direct us with answering questions in the exams or what the examiners really want.
Would you mind saying their grades? You don't have to but not to be rude, with all due respect if they did well as in achieved A-B grades for AS they would have been up on the Facebook page with the courses they had taken at AS level, their current grades and names. I only saw two AS level students appear and they had grades like ABB. This is still good but it's backs up my statement that no one received AAAA or AAA at as level or very few did well. Two out of 100+ students isn't good enough, I'm sorry.
Reply 9
Original post by Cherry82
Yes, that's true. I know that the science teachers for example had both A level and BTEC classes. But I remember my Physics teacher explaining that he was more inclined to directing the BTEC students because it was coursework based and there was more room for eased sessions and creativity. This is a good thing and it's why I wished I had taken applied level 3 science than A level science courses. He explained that some teachers find the BTEC syllabus much easier to follow along with their teaching styles, that they can guide students closely with these assignments and course works. With A levels, the examiners are the ones who mainly decide your grades and state what they are looking which normally is a certain answer, written a certain way with exam techniques.
I like how with BTEC courses there isn't one answer or 'this is the right or wrong way to write things.' As long as the information written is on the valid and on the right lines, you could write it how you like, be creative as you like as long as you also reference for example where you have received pieces of information.

Teachers seemed to struggle in bsix in knowing what the exam boards were looking for in A level science department. Our grades are mainly dependent on our exams not coursework and that's where the issue is because they don't know exactly how to direct us with answering questions in the exams or what the examiners really want.
Would you mind saying their grades? You don't have to but not to be rude, with all due respect if they did well as in achieved A-B grades for AS they would have been up on the Facebook page with the courses they had taken at AS level, their current grades and names. I only saw two AS level students appear and they had grades like ABB. This is still good but it's backs up my statement that no one received AAAA or AAA at as level or very few did well. Two out of 100+ students isn't good enough, I'm sorry.


What ON EARTH IS UR VENDETTA against Bsix?! You just said that one of the posts on this thread is not indicative of students views so what makes yours Indicative?!? would you care to post your own grades up? It seems like you are trying to blame bsix for your , perhaps, poor results. At the end of the day A levels are about being INDEPENDENT, the jump from A.S from gcse is extremely hard hence why not a lot of students get AAA in a.s but when they retake modules (like me, I achieved AAAA in a.s then A*A,A) so at the end of the day it's not a.s that count the most it's your overall A Levels! Understandably only a few of us achieved straight A's but Beer in mind that there had been a national drop in success from A Level. I'm sure that your aware of the policy that may encourage the Government to get rid of exams board because this year there has been NUMEROUS amount of times that OCR,AQA have proven to be quite unsystematic, examiners are estimating grades, so u need to take this into consideration aswell. Nation wide it is accepted that an A-E is a pass, so when bsix claims they have 100% pass rate in a subject THEY HAVE 100% PASS RATE! You need to do your homework before you make big posts about why YOU and your friends didn't get AAAA in a.s but you need to suck it up and just smack A2! I'm happy that your voicing your opinion and so you should, but the way in which you are doing it seems to be quite vengeful as oppose to helpful. Every individual is different so your experience at Bsix will be different, you shouldn't assume just because you do a levels your opinion is more important then the other post from the student who did Btech. Your argument is invalid
Original post by ibzmo
What ON EARTH IS UR VENDETTA against Bsix?! You just said that one of the posts on this thread is not indicative of students views so what makes yours Indicative?!? would you care to post your own grades up? It seems like you are trying to blame bsix for your , perhaps, poor results. At the end of the day A levels are about being INDEPENDENT, the jump from A.S from gcse is extremely hard hence why not a lot of students get AAA in a.s but when they retake modules (like me, I achieved AAAA in a.s then A*A,A) so at the end of the day it's not a.s that count the most it's your overall A Levels! Understandably only a few of us achieved straight A's but Beer in mind that there had been a national drop in success from A Level. I'm sure that your aware of the policy that may encourage the Government to get rid of exams board because this year there has been NUMEROUS amount of times that OCR,AQA have proven to be quite unsystematic,


I need to ask these questions to make a point, sorry this is going to be a long reply lol. But please answer them and you'll see what I am saying. Are you currently attending or when did you attend Bsix brooke house and what courses did you do? How was your experience in that school? Yea please quote me correctly, I said that people's experiences would vary in the sixth form college not that certain posts were not indicative of student's experiences. Some of these were, an example, the review I had written about the school was based on not just my opinion and experience but also on my friends, acquaintances experience that they shared etc. Though these students are not the whole school, they were individual people who were not me. So I stated overall that people's experiences with the school would be different and that's that. I'm talking about this year's results, not last year or the year before, or many years ago but this year 2015. Congratulations with your results :smile:

Ok, this is where I disagree with things. You stated that A levels is about independent study but there is a reason why teachers are still paid by the government to teach A levels. I agree that it is more independent studying in terms of taking initiative, managing your own time and putting in the study hours outside of school but it does not mean complete self teaching which a lot of students I knew were doing. It was not by choice, some were forced to self teach because they had no teacher for a while and many other reasons. If I wanted to completely self teach my self A levels back then, I would have not even signed up for school but I did sign up because I wanted guidance from teachers. It's their job to teach students, students deserve to be taught, which did not happen in some of our classes i.e Physics. Instead we were given past papers to do without actually thoroughly going through the content. That's the problem I had with Bsix and there's many more which I had stated. Like I had said, I'm not making a hate speech about the school. This is something I would even say to the head teacher so they could improve to avoid this from happening again. If I had a great experience, I would have said so and given the school credit, telling others to go there. I'm not this troll that just wants to ruin people's/institutions repetition, I have morals. It's not in my nature to begin making up fibs and tales.

Yes my results were poor but if you read my post, what upset me the most was even those who WORKED THEIR BUTTS OFF still either failed or did not receive the grades they wanted. No, I'm not blaming the government when certain teachers were not fulfilling their roles. I cried on results day, not even for myself but for my best friend who I knew personally gave it her all but wasn't successful. You know that many of these students are repeat students trying AS level again and it hurts when you worked hard yet you're repeating a second time round. I felt her pain because she sacrificed so much, waking up at 6 am to make a 1hr 40 min journey to school while spending her after school hours in the school's library. I know if she attended a different school where teachers gave guidance in her course, marked her coursework and homework, she would have improved. With these essay based subjects, you need teachers as you need someone to mark your essays, guiding you where to improve. Her teacher left 3 weeks and the whole class had no teacher all the way to exam period. Maybe I did not 'work hard' enough according to you, (working hard is subjective by the way, people have their own definitions/ hours etc to what working hard is) but I did try. This is the only problem I have here with what you're saying, the judging. You don't know me or what I went through so don't state what I am saying is 'invalid'. I did not say that about you or anyone else whose experience did not match mine. So please with all due respect, do not tell me what I did and did not do. I would never tell someone they did not work hard or they did work hard unless I knew them personally and what they went through.

100% pass rate?? From this year 2015 and with all A level subjects? Would you mind incorporating a link or a piece of information to where it states this? No offence but that seems to be untrue to some extent, this is not me judging you but because I know people who got EUUU, UUUU it can't be a 100% pass rate, the stats wouldn't add up. You know the funniest thing is we're now receiving apologies from some teachers when it's too late. It's super frustrating because these are people's lives being played with, their careers, their future. Yes C and D grades may not be the worst but it's stressful when you worked hard and you're now being advised to resit many papers while taking A2. If this was a small matter I would have let it slide but it clearly is not. And again, you're misquoting me. Never did I ever say that because I did A levels that my 'opinion is more important then the other post from the student who did Btech', arh seriously. Please read what I had said carefully. Yes, I did say that someone studying A level would have a different experience to someone studying BTEC but that's with every single school! A levels are mainly exam based with fewer percentages in amount for coursework based and BTEC is coursework based- these are clearly two different experiences and spectrums. This isn't me degrading or labelling those who took as inferior or any thing. I was stating the obvious and from what my teacher had told me, teachers at Bsix are apparently more inclined to teaching BTEC courses. And since my argument is 'invalid', please provide a link to this year's results 2015 where it shows 100% pass rate and everything you have said. Show that what I am saying is false and if you can I will take back everything I have said.
I really want to join this debate but your posts are waaaaaaaaaay too long man.
Original post by studdybuddy101
I really want to join this debate but your posts are waaaaaaaaaay too long man.


Haha same :biggrin:
I'll just say my two pence worth anyways.I personally think that if you want to go to bsix, you have to be incredibly hard working. I agree that half of the teachers are not great but some are really good. I always had one good and one bad for each subject. So I would always just bring whatever problem I had to the good one. However I also had to do a lot independent learning. But I always came to class for the most part. The problem with the students at bsix is that maybe 75 percent are HELLA LAZY and do not even come into class. Attendance is ridiculously low, and bsix are trying their best to bring that up. I did my as year at a strict sixth form and left because it was too dependent on the teachers pushing everyone and I didn't need to be pushed. Whereas I think most people at bsix would probably be better off at a stricter sixthform if they want to do well. I personally don't think u can blame bsix because I came with low grades at AS from one of the best schools in London to bsix and ended up getting AAA without retaking the year. So my advice to anyone would be to pick your sixthform wisely. It depends on your needs and the way you learn. If you are lazy DON'T COME TO BSIX. Or if you want to be pussshed or if you don't mind that some people will not do the work. Not directing at anyone in particular :smile:.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by Cherry82
I wouldn't recommend Bsix if you're entering the science department.
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3545545
Trying to get this review out there on the school. Please feel free to share your own experiences on that page also, it would be great to get and hear other people's journeys and experiences.

LOOOOOOL omg, why are you trying to promote bad press for the school? Do u really hate it that much?
Original post by studdybuddy101
LOOOOOOL omg, why are you trying to promote bad press for the school? Do u really hate it that much?


LOL I know this may surprise people but I actually do not hate Bsix. The review is not an all negative, hate-speech but rather my honest views and experience. I am however disappointed because I trusted so many teachers and even initially recommended the school to my friends around early October that went to a different sixth form. I just do not like that people think I'm lying about my Bsix experience or that what happened to me and others was 'exaggerated'. It was either TSR or an email to Ofsted. I'm not even kidding, at one point things were making no sense that I told my parents and wanted to get the authorities involved. But thank God I did not because it's is not every single teacher that fitted what I was talking about so I thought it wouldn't have been fair. Rather I chose TSR to just say the positives and negatives. I'm even hoping that one day the principal would read this so improvements can be made. If people decide to go to Bsix, that's perfectly fine but I'm praying things will change because it's heartbreaking viewing students who really want to learn but can't because of certain circumstances the are dependent on the school.

You know, around the year 2012-2013, they were actually very good. Because I knew people who went to this school before me and heard ok things about the place I went. They used to have teachers with many years of experience, organised programmes and departments. So when I had saw otherwise, it threw me completely off and wondered what happened. I know many great teachers left last year from what the people who did IGCSE with the school told me.But like I had said, for BTEC courses and humanities the school is quite good at. I mean Gill is literally the best psychology teacher in the country. It's evident that she loves teaching, her charisma, everything about her lessons is quality teaching...most importantly her students perform well and do achieve great grades. So I'd recommend her but not everyone can have her as a teacher, this is why I say be careful and just pray for a great teacher. New teachers have come again this September, the same thing happened last year so once I saw it happen again, I knew it was time to leave.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by studdybuddy101
I'll just say my two pence worth anyways.I personally think that if you want to go to bsix, you have to be incredibly hard working...r :smile:.


By the way did you take humanities subjects? If so this is what I mean. You'll always hear the humanities students getting the A*AA or AAA grades but hardly ever the science/maths students. It's because the humanities teachers are WAY better and more organised which was what I was saying. I was mainly a science/maths student and had one humanity course which was the only one I really passed.
Original post by Cherry82
By the way did you take humanities subjects? If so this is what I mean. You'll always hear the humanities students getting the A*AA or AAA grades but hardly ever the science/maths students. It's because the humanities teachers are WAY better and more organised which was what I was saying. I was mainly a science/maths student and had one humanity course which was the only one I really passed.


Hey, yeah I was a humanities student, and yh half of my teachers were good. But yh I agree with most of what u are saying. I think you should defo email or write a letter to the principle, he's so chilled, and I think he would appreciate what you have to say. There was one point during the year I got fustrated and I emailed my teacger, to sort it out and things got better. The teacher really appreciated the feedback and tried to move things forwards. Also, not all the humanities teachers are good but I don't think I'll go into it on here :smile:
If you can't find a local College near to you that you like, you can always complete your A levels online :smile:

LearnOnline - Study your A levels at home

Matt
hey, just letting you know that although a sixth form may have a really good reputation it doesn't reflect how well you will do there it really does vary from person to person. Like mosbourne has a great reputation but its not as great as everyone thinks it is. The most important thing isn't just the teachers but is also the support they will give you. Quite a few of my friends go to the bridge academy and they think the support they get is great. Just go to a few open days an get a feel of the schools and the make your decision just remember the only let you see what they want you to see x

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