 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Sixth form" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(March 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
In the education systems ofBarbados,England,Jamaica,Northern Ireland,Trinidad and Tobago,Wales, and some otherCommonwealth countries,sixth form represents the final two years ofsecondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare forA-level or equivalent examinations like theInternational Baccalaureate orCambridge Pre-U. In England, Northern Ireland, and Wales, the termKey Stage 5 has the same meaning. It only refers to academic education and not tovocational education.
In somesecondary schools inBarbados andTrinidad and Tobago, the sixth and seventh years, are called Lower and Upper Sixth respectively.
Sixth Form describes the two school years that are called by many schools theLower Sixth (L6) andUpper Sixth (U6). The term survives from earlier naming conventions used in both thestate-maintained andprivate school systems. Another well known term is Year 12 and 13, carried on from the year group system started inprimary school.
In the state-maintained sector in England and Wales, pupils in the first five years of secondary schooling were divided into cohorts determined by age, known asforms (these referring historically to the long backless benches on which rows of pupils sat in the classroom). Pupils started their first year of secondary school in thefirst form orfirst year; this being theacademic year in which pupils would normally be 12 years old by August 31. Pupils would move up a form each year before entering the fifth form in the academic year in which they would be 16 years old by August 31. Those who stayed on at school to study forA-levels moved up into the sixth form, which was divided into theLower Sixth and theUpper Sixth.
In the independent schools sector, the traditionalpublic schools did not have a consistent naming convention, except for theSixth Form. As well as theUpper Sixth andLower Sixth, the public schools used and still use a variety of descriptions for lower forms, such asShell,Remove, Lower Fourth, Upper Fourth, Lower Fifth, Middle Fifth, Upper Fifth.
In some private schools, the termMiddle Sixth was used in place ofUpper Sixth, with the latter being used for those who stayed on for an extra term to take the entrance examinations that were previously set for candidates toOxford orCambridge universities. Other schools described theseOxbridge examination students as being in theSeventh Form orThird Year Sixth.
In the state sector, the system was changed for the 1990–1991 academic year and school years are now numbered consecutively from primary school onwards.Year 1 is the first year of primary school afterReception. The first year of secondary school isYear 7. The Lower Sixth (the first year of sixth form) isYear 12 and the Upper Sixth (the second year of sixth form) isYear 13. Public (fee-charging) schools, along with some state schools, tend to use the old system of numbering.
In some parts of the country, specialistsixth forms were introduced not part of a secondary school but rather catering solely for sixth form aged students. A large proportion of English secondary schools no longer have an integral sixth form. This is mainly related to reforms in the later 20th century, where different political areas became a factor in the introduction of colleges instead of the original sixth forms. There are now numerous sixth form colleges throughout England and Wales, and in areas without these, sixth form schools and specialistfurther education (FE) colleges calledtertiary colleges may fill the same role. As of 2015[update], there were 93 sixth-form colleges in England.[1]
Sixth form itself isn't compulsory in England and Wales (although from 2013 onwards, people of sixth form age must remain in some form of education or training in England only; the school leaving age remains 16 in Wales); however, university entrance normally requires at least three A level qualifications and perhaps one AS level. The term AS level is short for Advanced Subsidiary level. AS levels are academic qualifications that are most common in UK educational systems. AS levels are considered the stepping stone qualification between GCSEs and the more commonly known A levels.[2]
Before the most recent reforms, students would usually select between three and five subjects from theGCSEs they have just taken, for one "AS" year, the AS exams being taken at the end of Lower Sixth. Three subjects would then be carried into the A2 year (the dropped AS being "cashed in" as a qualification), then further exams would be taken at the end of that year. The marks attained in both sets of exams were converted intoUCAS points, which must meet the offer made by the student's chosen university.
Since the move to a "linear" system, students more commonly choose three or four subjects and either continue to study them for the full two years before a single set of final "A level" exams, or choose to drop one or two subjects by sitting "AS level" exams at the end of the first year.
In 2015,Sally Weale, writing inThe Guardian, said that "While spending on schools has been largely ringfenced, sixth-form colleges have been exposed to years of cuts which have resulted in courses being dropped, staff being laid off and enrichment activities axed".[1] In 2018, anotherGuardian article by Weale reported funding cuts of 21% to sixth-form provision (school sixth forms, sixth-form colleges and further education colleges) since 2010.[3]
In the Jamaican education system,sixth form describes the two school years which are called theLower Sixth (6B) andUpper Sixth (6A), or grades 12 (lower) and 13 (upper), by many schools. Students are usually aged 17 or 18 by October 31.
Sixth form is a must, two years long, advanced post-secondary program, at the end of which students write the CAPE (Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exams). These are the equivalent of the GCEA Level examinations which were the standard up until 2003. Some students still choose to sit A-levels if they wish, but in doing so they must still meet CAPE's basic subject requirements/groupings. CAPE and A-level exams are significantly harder than exams sat at the end of high school, and are often thought to be harder than most exams students will ever sit in university. Students usually select between three and five subjects from theGCSEs/CAPE they have just taken.
In Northern Ireland, the equivalent of Reception is "P1", and the equivalent of the English Year 1 "P2", while the first year of secondary school is known asYear 8 orfirst year (rather thanYear 7 as in England), and following that Lower and Upper Sixth are Year 13 and Year 14 respectively.
In the Scottish education system, the final year of school is known asSixth Year orS6. During this year, students typically studyAdvanced Higher and/orHigher courses in a wide range of subjects, takingSQA exams at the end of both S5 and S6. Pupils inScotland may leave once they have reached the age of 16; those who reach 16 before 30 September may leave after national examinations in May, whilst those who are 16 by the end of February may leave the previous Christmas.
It is not essential for candidates to do a sixth year if they wish to attend a Scottish university, as they have obtained adequate Higher grades in S5 and may apply and receive acceptance, though this is conditional on being successful in the examinations. However, the vast majority of Scottish students return for S6 if they plan to attend university. Some English universities will also accept Scottish students who have obtained adequate Higher grades in S5. It was announced in December 2008 that, as from 2010,UCAS will increase the number of points awarded to those who achieve Highers and Advanced Highers.[4]
In some cases, particularly in independent schools, the termsixth form is also used for the last two years of secondary education.
InIreland, the last year of secondary schooling is called theSixth Year. There is no Sixth Formper se but a similar concept exists called theSenior Cycle where school pupils aged 16–19 prepare in their final two years for theLeaving Certificate examination.
InIndia andNepal, the Higher Secondary Education is called "Class 11th" and "Class 12th" which is also known as "+1" and "+2" respectively of the "10+2" educational system. In India, this is also referred to as "Intermediate" in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh and Bihar State Boards," Pre-University Course"(PUC) in Karnataka State Board, and "Junior College" or "Higher Secondary Certificate" in Maharashtra State Board, inCBSE andCISCE Boards it is called “Class 11th" and "Class 12th".
The termsixth form is used to define the final two years of education before entering university inMalta.
InMalaysia, a sixth form is known as "Tingkatan 6", and lasts for three semesters.
InSingapore the equivalent of a sixth form college would be called ajunior college, where pupils take their Cambridge GCE A-levels after two years. Prior to the 1990s, these two years were known as "Pre-University" (Pre-U) 1 and 2.
InNew Zealand, under theold system of forms, standards and juniors, sixth form was the equivalent of Year 12 in today's system. Year 13 was known as seventh form.Australia also sometimes uses the term for year 12, though the Australian year 12 is equivalent to the NZ Year 13 / seventh form and the UK's upper sixth / Year 13.
InBrunei, sixth form comprises Year 12 and 13, which may also be referred to as Lower and Upper Sixth. At the end of the schooling, students sit forBrunei-Cambridge GCE A Level.[5] Students may also opt to takeAdvanced Subsidiary Level or AS Level halfway at the end of Lower Sixth or halfway through Upper Sixth. Sixth form is not compulsory, but a preferable choice for students wishing to continue in academic studies leading to university level.
In some college preparatory schools in the United States, such asThe Hill School,Woodberry Forest School,Ethical Culture Fieldston School,Kent School,Pomfret School, TheChurch Farm School, TheHaverford School,Portsmouth Abbey School and more,sixth form refers to the final year of education prior to college. It is the equivalent oftwelfth grade in the US education system.
The dictionary definition ofsixth form at Wiktionary