Grammar School 6th Form Vs Comprehensive School 6th Form

Poll

Which type of 6th Form is better?

So, in terms of Uni prospects , Student life, Teaching, and anything else you would like to add? As i'm currently balancing out the factors to help choose which type of 6th Form to go to in 2016.
Thanks in advance for replies!

Reply 1

squeakysquirrel

Original post by Asian Persuasion

Grammar school every time

Reply 2

Asian Persuasion

Original post by squeakysquirrel

Grammar school every time

Could you please elaborate why Grammar school 6th forms are better in your opinion than normal comprehensives

Reply 3

RedNebula

Depends on the ones tbh...
But on the whole I'd say comprehensive as I think how you do is more down to the individual and how hard they work, and if its not a great school you could be offered lower grades from a university anyway. Quite a lot of people say if you go to uni from a comprehensive you are more used to working more independently anyway so find it easier :smile:

Reply 4

TheOtherSide.

Okay, so most people would say that with grammar school sixth forms, students have to be a lot more independent, as teachers don't help as much, for example with stuff like applying to universities (at least in my school, as far as I know). But I think it also means you get further ahead with studies, as they waste less time covering each subject, and the level of teaching is generally higher. If you prefer more support from your teachers, I suggest you go to a comprehensive sixth form. In general, sticking to the school you already go to may help, but I guess it also depends on how good the school is. Have you gone to any open days yet? I really think finding more about each sixth form from the sixth forms themselves will help, and you could talk to year 12 or 13 students how they find their type of sixth form.

Just some ideas - I'm in year 11, and don't plan on changing sixth form, so there's no first hand experience.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 5

Asian Persuasion

Original post by RedNebula

Thanks for your reply! I currently go to a comprehensive, however I feel the current teachers aren't actually good at teaching and heavily rely on the students to do the revision and this is for Yr 11. From this i'm dreading how it's going to be in 6th form when the workload is much larger and the actual concepts are much harder to grasp than at GCSE. I would still put a lot of time into revising at home but i still feel it isn't enough for success considering the support I would get. For that reason i'm swayed towards a Grammar school 6th form

Reply 6

Asian Persuasion

Original post by BlueBlueBells

Thanks for the Advice :smile:

From what you've said, I would personally go to a grammar school and i'm guessing you currently go to one

Reply 7

TheOtherSide.

Original post by Asian Persuasion

Thanks for the Advice :smile:

From what you've said, I would personally go to a grammar school and i'm guessing you currently go to one

No problem, and glad to have helped. Yeah I do go to a grammar school, though I have yet to judge exactly how good my school's sixth form is. You do have to be careful when changing schools though - even if in general the level of teaching is higher, I think it also sort of depends on the school. Like I mentioned before, I think it would really help you if you talked to students in the sixth form you're applying to before making any final decisions, perhaps even more if you could find honest ones. You could try students who transferred from your school. This is a pretty big decision if you think about it, so instead of maybe going to a sixth form for the sake of it being a grammar school sixth form, choose one that you think will actually help you.

Reply 8

Klix88

Depends on the school. We had an odd mix of grammar and comprehensive schools when I was school age. I did my O Levels (now GCSEs) at a grammar school, then went to the comprehensive for my A Levels. The comprehensive offered far more opportunities.

If I'd stayed at my grammar I would have taken 3 A Levels in standard subjects, then gone to a decent uni. The comprehensive was willing to allow more able students to reach higher. There, I did 4 A Levels (two of them pretty odd subjects for a state school), plus 2 extra O Levels. I was also permitted to try for Oxford and I got in.

A school's culture can sometimes be more important than their perceived status. Don't settle for less than you're able to achieve. And don't assume that a school which is accepted as better, actually is better for your individual situation and aspirations.

Reply 9

iwishicouldfly14

Sometimes Comps, sometimes Grammar Schools - It depends on the school itself.
I currently go to a comprehensive which does much better than many grammar schools (both in the area I live and the country in general). Although my schools does well, usually only between 2-4 students go onto Oxbridge but most of the rest go to RG unis or drama/art schools.
I find that my school's teachers are usually good and they actually care about us - (If not a bit too much...)
I don't know what teaching is like at grammar schools as I've never attended one - but I have friends at other comprehensives and at grammar schools and the impression I have, is that the teaching at Grammar schools is better.
Also, try asking about specific schools - then replies will be more specific and probably more helpful.