Navigating Sixth Form

Sarah Oshun-Williams — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 14:36:26 +0000

Embarking on the journey of Sixth Form marks a significant milestone in every student’s academic life. At Gabbitas, we understand the importance of making the right decision and are here to help you navigate the application process seamlessly. In this guide, we’ll break down:

what Sixth Form entails,
when to apply for the 2025 intake,
how to choose the right institution,
and provide expert tips from our Placements team to consider when going through the application process.

What is Sixth Form?

Sixth Form represents the last two years of secondary/high school in the UK, catering to students aged 16-18. During Sixth Form, students prepare for advanced school-level qualifications such as A-Levels or the International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB). This crucial academic milestone bridges the gap between secondary education and university, offering students an intensive period of intellectual growth and skill development.

For those at boarding schools, it also provides a unique opportunity for independent living, fostering maturity and self-reliance. This phase is pivotal in shaping their future academic and career paths, making it a significant period for both students and parents.

Credit: Rugby School

Why should students consider applying to a new school at Sixth Form?

Independent Sixth Forms provide a diverse selection of subjects tailored to individual interests, along with a strong emphasis on thorough preparation for university.

This provides a young person with the opportunity to gain independence and experience living on their own during the final two years before university, effectively preparing them for the future. With smaller class sizes, students benefit from more personalised attention and guidance in a secure environment where academic specialism and development are top priority. Independent Sixth Forms focus on nurturing interests with extra curriculum activities such as debate clubs, sports teams, and arts programs.

Explore the benefits of Sixth Form Colleges in our previous blog post.

When to Apply?

Looking and shortlisting boarding schools – May, June or September prior to Entry, at Year 10/age 15

Registration: June – October . Please note that every school has a different deadline.
Exams and interviews: Scheduled for October/November.
Results: Released at the end of November or December

How Gabbitas can help?

Connecting with and understanding the needs of families and students is the cornerstone of our approach. We take the time to establish strong relationships, identifying and highlighting each student’s academic strengths, goals, interests, and motivations. This allows us to provide the best possible service, tailored to each individual’s unique journey.

Our strong relationships and deep understanding of top schools enable us to recommend the best Sixth Form options to match each candidate’s academic ambitions. By leveraging our extensive network and insights, we ensure that students are placed in environments where they can thrive and achieve their full potential.

“I would like to thank you on behalf of our family, for being professional, warm, persistent, and most important devoted to help us pave the way for our child and their further education”.

Placements Clients, 2024

Top Tips:

Be Prepared: It is recommended to undergo informed research about your preferred Sixth Form Colleges. List and compare your options considering factors such as academic offerings, facilities, support services, and extracurricular opportunities.

Stay Organised: Keep track of deadlines, requirements. Use a calendar and set reminders for specific application milestones such as interview preparation or results release day.

Refine Your Interests: Approach with an idea of your interests, consider your academic ambition. Our team welcomes and encourages you to contact us with questions related to your application. We are here to help if you are still unsure where to start.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Get in touch with our Placements Team for an informal and complimentary discussion.

Front Image Credit: Wellington College

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Benefits of Sixth Form Colleges

Gabbitas Dubai Rep — Thu, 16 Aug 2018 10:11:34 +0000

In recent years, independent sixth form colleges have become a popular and viable alternative to senior schools. Not only are their academic results impressive, but they offer students exam-focused teaching in an environment that gets them ready for university. In this blog, we take a look at the benefits of attending a sixth form college and why it might be a good route for your child.

Greater choice

The first benefit of attending a sixth form college is of course the wide variety of choice available for students. Many colleges will offer up to 40 different subjects at A Levels and greater flexibility in subject combinations than traditional schools. For students wanting to study non-traditional subjects this could be a great route.

More relaxed atmosphere

The ethos in sixth form colleges is very much that students should be treated as adults rather than children. The atmosphere is more relaxed with less supervision and students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own academic lives. This can often be a good fit with young people who feel they have outgrown the traditional school environment and are looking for a less controlled environment similar to university.

Specialist teaching

Sixth form colleges have some of the best A Level teachers in the profession. Not only are teachers subject experts, they become experts in that particular syllabus since Key Stage 5 is the only thing they teach. This leads to impressive academic outcomes and a rich and challenging learning environment for students.

New experiences

Moving to a new environment after GCSEs can be a natural break for students. It is a chance to take on a new challenge, make new friends and gain confidence in a new school. This can be extremely positive for the personal development of young adults and is a helpful stepping stone to university.

University preparation

Colleges often run targeted programmes for students applying to competitive university courses such as medicine or Oxbridge. The support you can get here leading up to your application is unrivalled.

Small class sizes

Sixth form colleges have small class sizes, usually about 6-8 students. This leads to really personalised and attentive teaching which means almost 1-1 tuition in many cases.

Opportunities for everyone

Each sixth form college is unique with very different admission criteria. Some are extremely selective, where as others offer a range of opportunities from A Levels to Foundation Courses to GCSE re-sits. It’s important to make sure you understand which college might be best for your child and to thoroughly research the best options.

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