While your child may be happily settled in her current secondary school (or not!), it is always good to be aware of the options that exist for children to switch to another Sixth Form. The main consideration here could be subject choice. Many comprehensive schools, particularly smaller ones, only offer a limited number of subjects. Some schools do not offer Computer Science or Physics A-Level, for example, either because there are not enough pupils interested, or because the specialist teachers are not available. Modern foreign languages on offer may also be severely limited, often to French and Spanish.
- Harris Westminster Sixth Form
- King’s College Maths School, Lambeth
- Holland Park School, Kensington
- UCL Academy, Swiss Cottage
- Camden School for Girls, Camden
- West London Free School, Hammersmith
- Greycoat Hospital, Westminster
- Woodhouse College, Barnet: maximum class size of 20, outstanding rating,
These state sixth form colleges require the applicant to reside in London already, and as many admit based on distance (once you have passed the academic entry criteria), these are often not options for those currently located abroad. You can only apply once you are a London resident. For those located abroad, or those who do not meet the minimum entry criteria for the above - academic Sixth Form colleges like Harris Westminster might require you to have straight A’s at GCSE in any subject you choose to study for A-Level - private Sixth Form colleges might be an option. The dedicated Sixth Form colleges tend to charge relatively high fees (up to £28,000 per annum), but will generally offer experienced specialist teachers, very small class sizes (5 to 10 pupils), and close supervision and tracking of progress for those students who may need help or a gentle nudge. These can sometimes be the only option for those who did badly in their GCSE’s to excel at A-Level.
The most reputed private Sixth Form colleges are:
- MPW, South Kensington
- DLD College, Westminster