Should we let our daughter switch to sixth-form college?

Q. Our daughter wants to change schools for sixth form. Should we worry or not? Her current school is excellent and the college is not as good. We think the main reason she wants to go there is to follow her friend…

A. The decision about where your daughter studies for A Level is an extremely important one but one that is fraught with potential pitfalls too.

At 16 your daughter is too old to be told what to do and will certainly rebel if your ideas don’t match hers! So you should start to discuss the pros and cons of changing schools early in Year 11. I am sure that her school will have a series of planned events aimed at showing Year 11 what Sixth Form is like there. If they do, attend them and collect as much information as possible, talk to staff and ask them to talk to your daughter about her proposed courses of study at A Level. Go to the College open events too – collect information there. Look at the social areas and classrooms etc.

Draw up lists making direct comparisons between school and college on results, class sizes, familiarity with teachers, UCAS process, numbers going to which types of universities, sporting and extracurricular opportunities, leadership opportunities, prefect systems, environment and staff qualifications and experience.

Encourage your daughter to talk to girls in the Sixth Form at her school – it is hard to believe when you’re caught up in the hard slog of GCSE study, controlled assessments etc but relationships with staff and classroom atmosphere change markedly in the Sixth Form – even though you are still in the same school.

I would always advise girls to stay at the school where they have grown up for Sixth Form because unless there has been a serious problem and a fresh start is needed, girls can only benefit from being in an environment where they are known and know the staff. A Level study is hard and girls can ill afford to lose momentum which will inevitably happen in the adjustment to a new environment, new teachers, different expectations etc. In many subjects, the first AS modules will take place in January – i.e. after one term of study. The most important thing is to do well in these modules and amass as many marks as possible to give a good basis for A2 study where it is harder to gain marks; A* can only be achieved if you have achieved a good A at AS.

If her friend is a real friend, they’ll still see each other and maybe have even more to talk about! Your daughter presumably has different aspirations and ambitions from her friend. She must start to learn to be herself and make the right choices for her.