choosing sixth form

this is so last minute but i still haven’t decided which sixth form to go to

option 1 - current school, single sex grammar school (i’m trans so its a bit weird for me), i dont like the environment but i do like the teachers that i would have, none of my friends are staying but i dont really mind, the pastoral isnt that great, 40 minutes ish on the bus - i would be taking biology, music and either history or maths

option 2 - sixth form college, they have a really good reputation, the environment seems really nice as well, i haven’t really met any teachers that i would have, i know a few people there but i would still be anxious, the pastoral there is so good, the only negatives would be the amount of change and the hour and a half journey - i would be taking biology, music and geology (maybe maths)

i really dont know what to do and i need to decide soon!!
any help or advice would be appreciated!

Reply 1

CatiCollector

Original post by bblackth0rn

this is so last minute but i still haven’t decided which sixth form to go to
option 1 - current school, single sex grammar school (i’m trans so its a bit weird for me), i dont like the environment but i do like the teachers that i would have, none of my friends are staying but i dont really mind, the pastoral isnt that great, 40 minutes ish on the bus - i would be taking biology, music and either history or maths
option 2 - sixth form college, they have a really good reputation, the environment seems really nice as well, i haven’t really met any teachers that i would have, i know a few people there but i would still be anxious, the pastoral there is so good, the only negatives would be the amount of change and the hour and a half journey - i would be taking biology, music and geology (maybe maths)
i really dont know what to do and i need to decide soon!!
any help or advice would be appreciated!

Hey there!

There’s a sticky situation as there’s pros and cons for both - maybe you could write a pros and cons list to help you decide?

At least staying at your school you know the teachers, but I feel like you prefer the sixth form college but the only downside is that it’s a long commute.

I went to a sixth form college and whilst I was in college 5 days a week, most of the time I’d only be in for a morning or an afternoon each day (I was never timetabled to be in a full day). I believe at A Level there is roughly 15 hours of teaching (5 hours for each subject) so you won’t be there as long as school, so it won’t be that bad with your commute time.

Plus, I’m not sure if it’s the same with your school but school sixth forms tend to keep you in school all day as an A Level student, whereas sixth form colleges don’t. If you choose the school sixth form then you’ll likely have ‘free periods’ which are when you don’t have lessons but you have to still be in school, so they often recommend you do homework etc. during this time, or some people just chill.

Sixth form colleges also tend to give more freedom on how you dress as well which is worth noting.

Hope this helps! I feel like it depends on if you think you’re gonna like the school-like structure of a school sixth form or if you’re gonna prefer the independence of a sixth form college. I chose sf college because I wanted freedom, but I ended up not caring about my studies (I did do my A levels during the lockdowns tho which was hard) and therefore I didn’t do as well as I’d hoped but always wondered if I’d have done better going to a school sixth form instead.

Btw don’t worry about being late! I didn’t choose my sixth form college until near results day - and that was only because the school sixth form cancelled music and I was adamant I wanted to study it!

Don’t worry about feeling anxious about potentially starting somewhere new, everyone has to do it at some point in their lives and can’t be avoided, but if you think your A Levels would be more plain sailing at your school sixth form then go there. You’re really lucky to have a school sixth form as mine didn’t and I probably would’ve stayed at mine.

(edited 10 months ago)

Reply 2

DerDracologe

Study Forum Helper

Original post by bblackth0rn

this is so last minute but i still haven’t decided which sixth form to go to
option 1 - current school, single sex grammar school (i’m trans so its a bit weird for me), i dont like the environment but i do like the teachers that i would have, none of my friends are staying but i dont really mind, the pastoral isnt that great, 40 minutes ish on the bus - i would be taking biology, music and either history or maths
option 2 - sixth form college, they have a really good reputation, the environment seems really nice as well, i haven’t really met any teachers that i would have, i know a few people there but i would still be anxious, the pastoral there is so good, the only negatives would be the amount of change and the hour and a half journey - i would be taking biology, music and geology (maybe maths)
i really dont know what to do and i need to decide soon!!
any help or advice would be appreciated!

You need to consider how important each of these factors are for your decision.
Familiarity or a new environment- familiarity allows you to get straight into your studies whereas at a new school you would have to familiarise yourself with everything. However a new environment gives you more chance to change yourself if you would like and could allow you to grow more as a person.
How much does being in a single sex school affect you: would you be more comfortable with a mixed peer group? You may not have a preference for this but you could research the pros and cons of this and use that to sway your decision for this.
How important is strong pastoral care to you?
Are you willing to take the chance that your teachers could be more or less good at a new school? If the school is good then the teachers may be better than what you have now, or they may not be. Maybe reach out to current students to ask about this.
Which school has better results? If your current school is a grammar do they have a strong academic record, how does this compare and how important is that to you?
How important is the difference in subjects to you? In terms of courses you would be taken what is your preference? Consider your interests, aspirations etc as this should be a defining factor.
How much difference does the travel time make? This is an important factor to consider as it’s around twice the time out of your day spend travelling. Could you use this time productively? How will the distance affect your ability to meet up with peers outside of school? Will this allow you more opportunity for independence?
These ideas might be helpful for you to consider in your decision, making a weighted pros and cons table also could help you in your decision. Best of luck for results day :smile: