After you have completed your GCSEs, it is time to think about the next step in your education. Some students choose to go to college, and some apply for apprenticeships. Many students decide to go to sixth form, especially if their high school has one, as it allows them to stay in a familiar environment where they already know the teachers. However, is it true that a student’s place in sixth form is guaranteed, especially if they have attended the high school since Year 7? Or can a sixth form actually reject you?
The simple answer is yes. A sixth from can reject you. This is the case if you don’t meet the criteria required in order to get a place in sixth form. For example, you may not have the correct grades, or some students may even be refused a place if teachers believe that they are too disruptive.
If you want to find out more about whether a sixth form can reject you and more information in general surrounding this topic, check out the rest of this article.
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Why would you be rejected by a sixth form?
As already stated, you can definitely be rejected from sixth form. This is regardless of whether you have attended the same high school since Year 7 and want to move into their sixth form.
Different schools will most likely have different reasons for why they may reject students from attending their sixth forms. However, one of the main reasons that you may be rejected from sixth form is if you don’t get the correct grades required for your course.
Most sixth forms will require you to have at least 5 GCSEs, as shown in this article from Go Student. If you don’t have this many GCSEs, you may not be accepted into sixth form. Different A-Level subjects also may have different GCSE requirements.
You can discover more about the entry requirements you need for sixth form if you check out this article from Think Student. There are also cases where students are not allowed to go into sixth form because their behaviour across high school has been too poor!
Therefore, it is best to reign in the naughtiness and mischief in the upper years of high school!
What can you do if you get rejected from sixth form?
If you do get rejected from sixth form, the best thing to do is not panic! There are plenty of other options you can take in order to stay in education until you are 18 years old.
If you are dead set on going to sixth form, you could always ring up other sixth forms and see if they have lower entry requirements. Alternatively, you could have a look at other educational routes.
Apprenticeships are always a good option, as they can educate you, whilst preparing you for the workplace! You could also consider taking alternative qualifications, such as T-Levels which will also allow you to prepare for the world of work.
T-Levels may actually be a better option for some students than taking A-Levels in a sixth form because T-Levels are more practical based which could be easier for students who may not be as academic as others.
You can discover whether you would suit A-Levels or T-Levels more if you check out this article from Think Student. There are many different paths to take in education, so don’t be saddened if you do get rejected from sixth form.
You can check out all of the other routes you could take instead of sixth form if you check out this article from Think Student.
After all, sixth form is not compulsory in the UK, as shown in this article from Think Student.
How can you prevent being rejected from sixth form?
After reading this article, you now know why you may be rejected from sixth form. Therefore, to stop yourself being rejected from sixth form, you just have to not do the things already mentioned!
This means that you need to try and not be too naughty during high school, as if teachers don’t trust you and think that you may be disruptive in sixth form, they are less likely to allow you to join sixth form.
Further to this, you need to make sure that you get the correct GCSE grades! All you need is at least 5 GCSEs and then you will probably be allowed in!
If you find that the subjects you want to do require higher GCSE grades, then make sure that you revise and strive to get those grades. Some sixth forms require more than good GCSE grades though.
This is because some sixth forms actually interview their applicants! Find out whether the sixth form you want to go to interviews their candidates and if it does, make sure that you prepare as much as possible.
First impressions count! If you want to discover what a sixth form interview will actually be like and how to prepare, check out this article from Youth Employment UK.
Can you be kicked out of sixth form?
As well as having the possibility of being rejected from sixth form when applying, it is true that you can also be rejected from sixth form during your studies. However, this is quite rare.
You need to have done some quite extreme stuff to get kicked out of sixth form! You can easily get kicked out of sixth form if you break school rules repeatedly or are seen as dangerous.
However, you could also be kicked out of sixth form for other reasons, such as having very bad attendance. You can discover more about this if you check out this article from Think Student.
You may also be kicked out of sixth form if you don’t put enough work and effort into your studies, meaning that passing your A-Levels may be an unknown. Therefore, you better start working if you are not already!