Choosing the right path for sixth form can feel like a significant decision for both parents and students. As GCSEs draw to a close, it’s a natural moment to pause, reflect and consider whether staying put or making a move will create the best opportunities for the years ahead.

The Good Schools Guide explores what to consider when navigating this important transition.

Sixth Form Dilemmas

If your child is sitting their GCSEs next summer, you might be considering whether the timing might be right to start considering a school move for sixth form. The end of year 11 marks a natural turning point in a child’s educational journey. They can drop subjects they don’t like or excel at, choosing instead to specialise in a smaller number of those that they do. Uniforms are often cast aside in favour of their own choice of clothes and even long-term friendship groups can start to mix and change as young people mature. Girls and boys who have been perfectly happy in single sex settings up to this point may want to study and socialise daily alongside the opposite sex.

At The Good Schools Guide, Surrey is referred to as an ‘education hotspot’ as the county and those surrounding it are endowed with the very best independent, state and boarding schools for families to choose from. If you’re wondering whether the grass might be greener for your child for their sixth form years in a new school, what pros and pitfalls should you consider, where do you start and how can you find help and advice?

First things first

If you don’t know where to start or are dazzled by the choices, you could benefit from the advice and guidance of an education consultant. Am objective, experienced third party with expert knowledge, can often see things more clearly than a parent and may suggest options you haven’t considered. At The Good Schools Guide, all consultants also write the school reviews, which means they have excellent contacts among admissions directors, heads and other senior leaders in schools. They have been working alongside families for four decades and can advise you not only on which schools to target to suit your child’s ability and aptitudes, but also hold your hand throughout the whole process to ensure it is as stress free as possible and that your child is fully prepared for assessments and interviews. Services range from a 90-minute phone call to a full bespoke education plan.

The Good Schools Guide Education Consultants recently worked with a family looking to move their daughter from her school in Dubai to a boarding school in the UK for sixth form. ‘The family asked us to recommend a list of schools that suited their daughter’s interests, character and aptitudes, particularly her love of the performing arts,’ said Grace Moody-Stuart, consultancy director at The Guide. ‘They had been disappointed with the recommendations made by their friends which led to them seeking our help. with our insight and expertise, we found their daughter the perfect school for her – and she even secured a dance scholarship.

They were delighted not only to have saved the time and energy doing all the legwork themselves but also avoided making what might have been an expensive mistake at an important point in their daughter’s education.’

What are the options?

If you’re considering moving schools for sixth form, your child is most likely to be in either a state-maintained school (selective or not), an independent day school or a boarding school. Each of these has its own merits, and although a move at the end of year 11 always carries an element of risk, sometimes the grass can be greener elsewhere.

Moving to state school or college

Pupils moving from independent to state schools often do so for a multitude of reasons. Not everyone is cut out for prefectship, compulsory sports, uniforms or – sometimes – Saturday school and the relative freedoms afforded by a move to a state school or sixth form college can sometimes be just the breath of fresh air a young person needs to spread their social wings and reinvigorate their love of learning. Days are often less structured, peppered with ‘frees’ between timetabled lessons that mean they don’t have to be in school all day unless they wish to. Pupils moving from academic hothouses may relish the opportunity to flex their academic muscles and be top of the heap in a mixed ability cohort and in many ways, the culture of state sixth forms can be a good preparation for an independent approach to study at university.

The question of whether universities look more favourably on applications from pupils in state schools or colleges is a common consideration for parents. ‘Parents often ask us whether a move to state school for sixth form will help their child get into a top university, including Oxbridge,’ said Grace Moody-Stuart. ‘We are highly experienced in advising clients on this issue and whether a move will benefit their child. We can use our expertise to help them explore the advantages and pitfalls of a fresh start in the sixth form and find the right school to maximise their child’s chance of success.’

Moving to independent school

Many pupils move from state schools to the independent sector for sixth form and vice versa, often attracted by the wealth of extra-curricular activities, societies and sports on offer as well, in some cases, as the opportunity to board. Independent schools can offer subjects and timetable combinations that aren’t available in the state sector plus, of course, the class sizes can be much smaller. Some offer alternative curricula such as the International Baccalaureate Diploma or a broader range of BTEC qualifications.

‘A Good Schools Guide education consultant can advise on all aspects of moving to the independent sector,’ says Grace Moody-Stuart. ‘As well as carrying out the school search, we can advise on how to prepare for entrance exams and interviews, walk alongside you throughout the process to help secure a place, and guide you through how to decide between multiple offers. We have a deep and broad knowledge of different curricula, which would be the best subjects to choose if you have a particular university course in mind and can advise families on the right questions to ask when they visit a school.’

To board or not to board?

A move to boarding school for sixth form is often said to be a good preparation for university and many boarding schools have separate provision for sixth formers where they can live more independently and with fewer restrictions than younger pupils. ‘But students might need to manage their expectations –  in our experience, a lot of sixth form boarding accommodation is fast becoming way more luxurious than the average university hall of residence,’ says Grace Moody-Stuart.

Boarding schools are not one size fits all and vary hugely in their cultures, strengths and approaches to discipline. Pupils used to living at home can find the necessary rules of a boarding school challenging; The Good Schools Guide recommends that you discuss school rules and regulations frankly with your child – if they (or you) are horrified, then perhaps boarding isn’t the right choice.

The Good Schools Guide’s team of consultants includes specialists in independent, state and boarding schools, all of whom have written reviews of some of the 1,200+ Good Schools Guide schools across the UK. If you are contemplating a change of school for your child, The Good Schools Guide Education Consultants can help. You can call the team on 0800 368 7694 or email consultants@goodschoolsguide.co.uk.