How sixth form colleges give students the chance to shine

All institutions struggle with misconceptions and sixth form colleges (SFCs) are no exception. "A lot of people think we are elite A-level factories," says Helen Pegg, principal of Stoke SFC. Nothing could be further from the truth. Located in Stoke-on-Trent, an area with high levels of deprivation, Pegg says she has the widest mix of students you could imagine. "We have some really high performing students and some very needy ones and I suppose what makes sixth form colleges stand out is our ability to react to that range."

With the average SFC teaching 1,500 students, mostly aged 16-18, size is on their side. It means that unlike school sixth forms, they have the capacity to teach a wide variety of both academic qualifications such as GCSEs and A-levels (the latter of which SFCs get better results in than schools), along with vocational courses in subjects including childcare, business, and art and design. The combination options surpass schools too, with students having the opportunity, for instance, to study an A-level in law alongside a Btech national diploma in computing.

The size of SFCs also means extra-curricular activities include the weird and the wonderful, with examples including knitting (which, when advertised as "the new rock and roll" at Peter Symonds SFC, attracted record numbers of youngsters), ballroom dancing, bee-keeping, cooking on a budget, philosophy and jazz, along with practically every sport you can think of.

Where this still fails to attract students, particularly from deprived areas, it's simply a case of "if Mohammad won't go to the mountain, the mountain will come to Mohammad". Pegg explains, "There is a certain part of our city which is particularly deprived and where residents are so loyal to their area that they don't like leaving it. So we decided to set up a sixth form centre with the FE college, which together we staff."

Meanwhile, the main college has plans to relocate to be next to the university. "Together, the university and two colleges will share some of the most specialist facilities. For example, we're going to build a dedicated science centre," says Pegg.

This location could not be more appropriate, given the ethos of SFCs, which principals describe as being a "bridge" between school and university. "Students like the more grown-up, independent learning environment of sixth form colleges which helps them prepare for university life, should they decide to go," says David Adelman, principal of Godalming College.

While many principals believe that some 16-year-olds may be better suited to schools (where they will, for instance, continue with the same teachers they've had for at least five years) or FE colleges (where they can mix with all age groups), Adelman is adamant that the uniqueness of being 16 years old means all youngsters should attend SFCs, which are completely dedicated to this age group. "Schools cater to children and FE colleges to adults. They simply don't provide the focused environment you need at this age," he says. "There's something else that's important about sixth form colleges. They give students the chance to reinvent themselves at 16. They can make a completely new start and I think that often feels invigorating, exciting and motivating, giving them fresh impetus to learn. They can make new friends, dress how they want to and throw off the preconceptions made by their teachers since they were 11."

This focus on broadening the educational experience has, he says, enabled Godalming College to offer much of its teaching outside the college walls. "I recently ran a trip to New York to explore with students the civil rights movement and black theology in America and on the day we left, we had another party of music students arriving in the same hotel."

But while it's true that students often can't wait to say good riddance to the custodial atmosphere of school, most SFCs do share some aspects of schools – including an emphasis on pastoral care and attendance. "We're flexible on a lot of things, but rigid on others and I think the balance pays off. Our attendance rates are 93-94 per cent, a rate which many secondary schools would be proud of," says Bernie Borland, St Francis Xavier Sixth Form College principal (and CBE recipient in last month's Queens Birthday Honours).

Like many SFCs – some of which even run more parent evenings than most schools – St Francis Xavier is hot on parent involvement. The college even runs specific events for parents. "We have Higher Education Parents Evening, for instance, where we talk to them about the whole business of applying to university. We tell them about the process – whether for art college, medicine school or Oxford and Cambridge – and how they can help. It's worked well and definitely helped people from more deprived backgrounds get the message that university is for them too."

The Oxbridge intake of students from many SFCs is as good as any independent school – something that Borland believes is largely attributable to them attracting top teachers. "When I was head of an 11-18 school, there was always a worry about staff who wanted to teach A-levels. Small numbers of students meant we couldn't always offer them the opportunities they wanted. But if you have the numbers like we do, you know you're gong to attract the teachers with the best degrees who might think twice about teaching in a school because they want to focus on more advanced courses," he explains.

Nonetheless, Borland admits that he sometimes feels guilty about promoting the numbers of students that make it to Oxford or Cambridge. "It's back to that misconception about sixth form colleges being elite. I want to do everything I can to make it clear that our intake is truly comprehensive and that we are not selective – and that we're not just about getting people into Oxford or Cambridge. There are other ways to succeed."

Many of the Catholic SFCs have, like St Francis Xavier, links with local secondary schools, agreeing to take students on regardless of their achievement. "That obviously prevents us from becoming selective, even if we wanted to be," says Borland.

Even Government ministers get it wrong, says Borland. "Partly because we have good such outcomes and partly because they think we are selective and only deal with A-levels, they leave us alone to get on with things. I think with many ministers, we're not even on their radar. But that's not always good because we do have our own set of challenges for which we need their support, such as the growth in the number of schools getting sixth forms. People might say, 'Well, if you're giving students such a good deal, why worry about it? Let the small sixth forms come in and offer broader choice.' But there is evidence that small sixth forms find it more difficult to deliver a good education, which ultimately leads to students missing out."

He adds that some schools pressurise fifth formers to stay on at school. "It's all anecdotal but you do hear of students, who come into school on results day, being frightened into thinking a sixth form college is a big impersonal place 'that won't look after you like we do.' That might be true for some people, but interestingly I feel the students who are the most vulnerable are the ones who could often most do with a fresh start in a sixth form college."

Ezme Bushell, 17, feels St Francis Xavier has changed her life. "It's the quality of the teaching, being treated like an adult and the opportunities in things such as theatre and drama," she says. "It's got me off my back to buckle down to things such as research and revision. I'm really enjoying it."

Sue Whitham, head of secretariat for the Sixth Form Colleges' Forum, has a further beef with school sixth forms. "Currently, schools that apply for a sixth form get the go-ahead virtually automatically. It's the same with academies. They just appear and sixth form colleges are left responding to the impact it has on them. St Vincent College in Gosport is an example. A local school suddenly had 350 A-level students and St Vincent had to respond by offering more level one and two qualifications. In many ways, that's no problem because it's something we do successfully, but there needs to be planning."

Good news for SFCsis that new legislation promises to change all this in two years' time. Martin Doel, Association of Colleges chief executive, says, "We are pleased that the Government is looking again at the issue of sixth form presumption and is proposing to extend the consultation period for the establishment of new school sixth forms and to put more emphasis on local co-operation over competition. The best way to ensure effective local provision is through partnerships between colleges, schools and local authorities, that will also be the key to delivering the new diploma and the wider 14-19 curriculum."

Since there is no such thing as a typical SFC – each has its own local needs and culture – it's not surprising that different colleges excel in different aspects. In Oldham, a particular challenge has been ethnic integration and diversity. Having just received an outstanding Ofsted report which made special mention of its "harmonious multicultural environment", vice principal of Oldham College, Michael Walsh, has every reason to be pleased. "Many of the schools round here are over 90 per cent white or Asian, whereas with us the split is 60/40. So for many of our students, it's the first time they've had meaningful contact with people from another ethnicity. We've made that work by not just throwing together the students, but mixing them in tutorials, activities and classes, ensuring that they get to know each other. We are now extending our work to schools and about four weeks ago, we had a group of primary school pupils, one from a predominantly Asian school and another predominantly white and did activities with them."

Meanwhile Taunton's SFC is excelling in widening access in innovative ways. "For instance, we've been running a Btech music course in the centre of the city, which we now run with Solent University as a way of encouraging students into education, who might otherwise have sat on their bed strumming their guitar. Many now have the aspiration to go on to do a degree in music production or something else. It's a good example of how sixth form colleges are all about breaking down barriers."

'The teachers have been amazing. They've treated us like adults'

Penny Robertson, 19, is studying her International Baccalaureate at Taunton's Sixth Form College

Taunton's is by no means my nearest college. It takes me an hour to get here, but I when I came to the open day, I liked the people and the feel of it. I came away thinking I'd be able to really contribute something. Already, I've gone to Africa to help build a school and the principal nominated me to go to a conference in the States, which prepares people to be world leaders. Since I've been here, I've also been offered a place to study social and political science at Cambridge.

Another reason I chose this college is because I wanted to do the International Baccalaureate. That has meant I'm in smaller groups than A-level classes and we've really supported each other. The teachers have been amazing. They've treated us like adults and gone the extra mile. During exam time, one of them started a thread on Facebook so could all keep up the support while on study leave. Meanwhile, our psychology teacher, at the beginning of every lesson, gets us to rate our days out of 10. If anyone is below a six, we figure out how to help them. Another teacher would put up inspirational quotes every morning.

When I was doing my exams, I had a bad car crash and the principal rang to see how I was. The teachers were really supportive too. One gave me a massive hug.

Before I went to Africa, I thought I'd like a London corporate job where I could earn lots of money. But going to Africa changed my life and now I'd prefer to become an international diplomat around aid and crisis management.

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