It is said that the days of a career for life are long gone, and now young people should think in terms of a ‘portfolio career’, where they may find themselves moving around in a number of different roles as well as industries and as Steve Jobs once famously said, ‘life has a way of throwing bricks at us’ and we need to have the resilience to respond. Whilst every stage of a child’s development is important, and this is especially true educationally and arguably the last two years of school are perhaps the most important.
In the UK the last two years of ‘school’ life are generally referred to as Yrs 12 and 13 but also traditionally known as the Sixth Form, in a throwback to the days when secondary schools started in the First Form. Most secondary schools, both Independent and State, have Sixth Forms attached to them but some are stand alone and tend to call themselves ‘Colleges’ to differentiate themselves from schools, but essentially, they are the same thing.
In 2015 the law in the UK changed to ensure that young people remain in education until they are 18 years of age in order to ensure that they are given the best possible opportunity to be well prepared for adult life. Of course, for some that will mean achieving the grades necessary to go to the best universities or medical schools and continued academic success, whereas for others it could mean switching to more vocational/technical courses that will allow them to access courses that equip them for success in our rapidly changing world of work. Whatever their aptitude, it is vital that they are in an environment will provide the best possible outcome for them and, more importantly perhaps, especially if they are unsure of the field that they want to go into beyond school or university, give them a broad and balanced set of qualifications that will allow them to springboard into the next stage.
For many, the very best place for them is the school that they are already in; they are doing well there, they are happy, they have teachers who they trust and respect and who are already bringing out the best in them but for others, it could be time for a change; the school may not offer the courses that they need going forward, or simply they have outgrown the school and need greater independence and more challenge. Whatever situation, it is always worth thinking through what the options might be and doing some research in terms of what the best possible next step could be.
Our consultants have many years of experience in helping students and their families understand what those options might look like, not only for 6TH form but also University choices, and would be very happy to have a free no obligation chat with you in the first instance.
