Moving schools for sixth form: making the next two years count

Would moving solve the right problem?

Ask your teenager to finish this sentence: “Sixth form would be better for me if…” A subject their current school does not offer is a concrete answer. So is wanting a different learning environment, a shorter journey or the chance to board. “Everyone says this school is better” needs a little more unpacking.

Our view: a move deserves a positive reason, not just an impressive destination. A settled pupil with teachers who understand them may gain more from staying and using the opportunities already available. A pupil who has outgrown their current setting may welcome a fresh start. Neither choice is automatically more ambitious.

Give the current school a fair hearing. Do not assume the next two years will feel exactly like the last five.

This guide focuses on independent sixth-form applications, using English Year 12 entry and current English school examples. It is not a single admissions calendar for the whole UK. Families considering Scotland’s school qualifications, or schools elsewhere with different year names, should confirm the correct entry stage directly.

Check the subject combination before falling for the school

Write down a first-choice combination and a genuinely acceptable alternative. A prospectus can list every subject you want without allowing your particular combination.

Confirm which qualifications the school will offer for your child’s intake. An older prospectus may describe a programme that is changing.

For a school-specific example, our Sevenoaks guide looks at its IB-only sixth form, subject access and the different fees for new entrants. The programme and the practical details both belong in your decision.

Westminster’s 2027 subject-choice page, for example, arranges A levels into four teaching blocks, with one choice from each. It expects pupils to arrive with the subjects used in their entrance assessment. Later changes depend on both the timetable and class capacity. “We can decide after the offer” is therefore a risky plan.

For a new subject, request a sample lesson, reading list and a description of the assessed work. A teenager who likes discussing current affairs may enjoy economics, but should still understand what the course asks them to do. Enjoying drawing is not the same as wanting the sustained development and written reflection of a particular art course.

If university is a possibility, check a few actual course pages together. UCAS explains that requirements may specify qualifications, subjects and grades, rather than just an overall points total. Your child does not need to choose a career now. The aim is to avoid closing an important door accidentally.

Ask the department: which GCSE knowledge do you assume, what summer work bridges any gaps, and what happens if the course feels wrong in September? Get the last date for a subject change and any restrictions in writing.

A levels or the IB: think about the working week

The IB Diploma combines six subjects with work beyond those lessons. Its core includes an independent research essay, discussion of how we know things in Theory of Knowledge, and creative, physical and service activities.

For a London day-school example offering both routes, the King’s Wimbledon guide explains its four-subject A-level start, King’s Essay and IB choices. It also covers the admissions papers and subject interviews, so you can connect the course decision with the application your teenager actually makes.

In the IB Diploma, students take three or four subjects at Higher Level and the others at Standard Level. Higher Level covers more material and involves more teaching time: the IB specifies 240 hours compared with 150 at Standard Level. Both are assessed. The choice affects the working week, not just the labels on a subject list.

The practical question is whether your teenager wants that breadth. Someone who is ready to concentrate on a small group of subjects may prefer an A-level route. Someone reluctant to give up languages, mathematics or humanities may find the IB attractive. That is a starting point for discussion, not a rule about which pupils belong where.

Compare real timetables, not slogans about being “well rounded”. For either route, find out how much work is expected outside lessons and what help is available before a problem becomes a poor report.

Do not treat the IB as a universal university advantage or A levels as the easier option. The right course is the one your child can engage with deeply, in a school that teaches and supports it well.

How much freedom does your teenager actually want?

Mark the lessons, supervised study and compulsory activities first. Then add the journey, rehearsals or training your child hopes to keep. A free period on the timetable may not mean permission to go home or leave the site.

• Where must pupils be when they have no lesson, and who helps them plan that time?
• Which sport, enrichment, assemblies or chapel commitments are compulsory?
• Are there Saturday commitments or regular late finishes?
• How does the school respond when independent study is not getting done?

A teenager who wants more independence may feel frustrated by a tightly managed day. Another may welcome the structure. Ask your child which parts of the sample week feel appealing—and which would make it harder to do their best work.

Start before Year 11 gets crowded

Year 10: explore without turning it into a second job

Visit plausible schools, discuss subjects and check affordability. Keep a short record of registration dates and assessment formats. A couple of thoughtful visits can be more useful than a long list your child has no time to investigate.

Summer and early autumn: prepare the actual applications

Obtain the latest report, ask how predicted grades will be supplied and tell the current school about references. Check whether your child must write a statement or complete separate questions. Put bursaries, scholarships and registration on separate lines in the calendar.

For September 2027 entry, Wellington gives 21 September 2026 as its registration deadline. Its at-home cognitive tests run 6–9 October, followed by shortlisted interviews and assessment activities in November. Initial decisions are due on 1 December. The school offers both A levels and the IB, and asks for reports and a personal statement at registration.

Westminster’s 2027 timetable closes bursary applications on 23 September 2026 and registration on 30 September. Entrance exams are on 7 November and shortlisted interviews on 28 November. These are two examples, not national deadlines. Recheck the school’s page for your child’s entry year before booking travel or paying a fee.

Harrow’s 2027 standard route closes much earlier, on 7 September 2026. Check early even if most schools on your list have later deadlines.

Winter onwards: offers are decisions, not the end of the process

Compare conditions, payment dates and notice obligations before accepting. Ask whether any scholarship or bursary decision comes after the reply deadline, and what you would be committing to before funding is confirmed.

Keep GCSE preparation manageable and stay in touch about any significant change.

Check the exact arrangements in our school guides or use the local comparisons to build a shortlist that works for your family.

Prepare for the assessment the school actually uses

“16+ preparation” is too vague to buy confidently. Westminster tests four proposed A-level subjects for 45 minutes each. Wellington uses cognitive testing and later activities including lessons, discussion and problem-solving. A preparation plan suited to one is not automatically suited to the other. Their admissions pages linked above explain the distinction.

Start with the school’s own departmental guidance. Westminster English describes one essay responding to an unseen prose passage. It says specialist knowledge is not required and links a sample paper. That points towards practising careful reading and a supported argument, rather than memorising an essay about a favourite GCSE text.

Our suggested routine is simple: try an official sample under the stated conditions, review it with a teacher if possible, then identify one or two specific weaknesses. Was the issue missing knowledge, misreading the question, weak evidence or running out of time? Those need different remedies.

For a fictional English practice exercise, take an unfamiliar passage and ask: what changes in the narrator’s attitude, and which words make you think so? The useful part is explaining the link between observation and interpretation. This is our preparation example, not a reported Westminster question.

Request a diagnostic and a bounded plan. Be wary of promises about secret questions or guaranteed admission. Preparation should not consume the time your child needs for their present schoolwork.

Practise a conversation, not a performance

Separate the academic discussion from the general interview. For a subject conversation, your teenager should practise explaining a piece of work, responding to a new idea and admitting uncertainty without giving up. For the broader conversation, talk about why they want to move and what they hope to contribute.

Try a ten-minute discussion about something they genuinely read, made or investigated. Ask, “What surprised you?” and “What might someone disagree with?” If they get stuck, give them time to think. Parents do not need to turn every answer into a lesson.

For a fictional pupil explaining a difficult year, a useful structure might be: “I found the move to a new school harder than I expected. I stopped asking questions when I was confused. This term I have started bringing one question to my teacher each week.” Only use something like this if it is true. There is no obligation to disclose private experiences for a dramatic story.

At Westminster, shortlisted candidates attend in person, including those living overseas. Confirm travel requirements separately from the entrance-test arrangements; an option to take a test abroad does not imply an online interview.

Your child should have questions too. “What do new pupils find hardest in the first half-term?” is more useful than a question whose answer is already on the homepage.

Read every GCSE condition, not just the headline

An overall threshold and a subject-specific requirement are different hurdles. Record both. Also distinguish the grades expected when applying from the conditions written into an offer; do not turn either into an invented probability of getting in.

Westminster currently describes offers as conditional on at least eight GCSE or IGCSE passes at grade 7 or above, including at least four at grades 8–9 in the proposed A-level subjects. Check the individual department pages as well. Your own offer and any agreed qualification equivalence need careful confirmation.

Our Channing guide illustrates another reason to check closely: its published Further Maths information contains conflicting GCSE maths thresholds.

With the receiving school, discuss the actual profile and subject choices. Do not pressure a teacher to inflate predictions or assume excellent sport or music will override an academic condition.

Before results day, know how results must be sent, who to contact if a condition is missed and whether an alternative subject can be considered. Keep a realistic fallback. A near miss deserves a prompt conversation, but a discretionary exception is not an entitlement.

Find out what joining halfway through school feels like

How did they find friends? Were clubs genuinely open to newcomers? Did teachers explain the school’s routines or assume everyone knew them? Listen for ordinary details, not just whether they describe the school as welcoming.

For your application list, ask how many Year 12 places are expected for external applicants after existing pupils progress. The total Sixth Form roll is not the number of places open to your child, and an intake estimate is not an acceptance rate.

For an athlete or musician, take the real weekly commitments to the visit. A facility is not the same as access to it.

For learning support, explain what currently helps and ask how it would continue. Check who arranges exam-access evidence, when it is needed and whether support costs extra. Do not assume that a current arrangement simply carries over to a new school and new qualifications.

Who helps a new pupil plan what comes after sixth form?

Do not stop at asking how many pupils reach well-known universities. The first year should help your teenager explore options, rather than leave all the thinking until application season.

If your child is considering a course with an admissions test, audition or portfolio, ask who helps them check its requirements and make a preparation plan. Request the school’s internal timetable as well as checking the course provider’s deadlines. Find out what support is available for apprenticeships or a gap year too, if those interest your teenager.

Ask how teachers form university predicted grades, what work they use, and when pupils can discuss them. Who writes the reference, and how will they hear about relevant work completed before the move? These are questions about an accurate picture of your child, not a way to negotiate more flattering grades.

For example, a fictional new pupil, Maya, wants to explore an architecture course. She needs to know who can help her check whether a portfolio is required and review her developing work. “We have excellent university destinations” does not answer that question. A named contact and a clear first conversation do.

If the move also means boarding

If boarding is part of the move, investigate evenings and weekends as carefully as lessons. Our boarding guide covers the questions about houses, care, time away and family logistics. Day places at boarding schools belong on a local shortlist too, where the journey and school day work.

Make the final choice with the whole two years in view

Compare the whole arrangement, not just the headline termly price.

Financial support has its own process. Wellington distinguishes applications needing substantial means-tested help from its other registration route; its scholarships are described as honorary. That is a useful reminder not to budget on the assumption that an award reduces fees. Follow the school’s current instructions and our fees and bursaries guide for the wider questions.

Is it reassessed annually? What changes must you report, and when will you learn the following year’s amount? Check whether it covers tuition alone or any compulsory extras, and how a fee increase would affect your contribution. Help in Year 12 does not necessarily fix the family’s bill for Year 13, so get the award terms in writing.

Before paying, read the acceptance terms and the current school’s notice requirements. Establish what happens if GCSE conditions are missed, a subject cannot run or your child changes their mind.

Finally, compare your child’s two most plausible options using four questions: can I study what I want; can I get help when I need it; can I picture an ordinary week here; and can our family sustain the cost and travel? Let your teenager answer first. A clear answer to those questions is worth more than winning an argument about which school sounds most impressive.