How to choose a sixth form or college: a guide for September 2027 entry
How to choose a sixth form or college in England: the options, what results to check, entry requirements, 2027 application dates and money help.
Choosing a sixth form comes down to three questions: which courses fit your plans, which schools or colleges near you teach those courses well, and where you will be happy and supported for two years. Start with the subjects or route you want, shortlist providers that offer them, compare their results, retention and destinations, then visit and apply to more than one by its deadline. Most applications for September 2027 are made directly to each school or college between autumn 2026 and early 2027.
This guide is for Year 10 and Year 11 students and their parents in England. It covers the options, how to compare them, what to ask on open evenings, entry requirements, the 2027 application timeline, money help, and what to do if you change your mind.
What are your options after GCSEs?
In England you must stay in education or training until you are 18, but that does not have to mean staying at school. GOV.UK lists three ways to do it: full-time education, such as a sixth form or college; an apprenticeship; or working or volunteering for 20 hours or more a week alongside part-time education or training.
These are the main places to study at 16:
| Option | What it is | Often suits students who |
|---|---|---|
| School sixth form | Years 12 and 13 at a secondary school, usually one that runs from 11 to 18 | want continuity, smaller groups and a familiar structure |
| Sixth form college | A standalone college for 16 to 19 year olds, mainly teaching A levels, often alongside vocational courses | want a wider choice of subjects and a more independent, college feel |
| Further education (FE) college | A general college teaching technical and vocational courses, T Levels and often some A levels, to students of all ages | know the industry or practical area they want to work in |
| University technical college (UTC) | A technical school for 14 to 19 year olds, set up with universities and employers and specialising in one or two technical subjects; you can join in Year 12 | want a technical specialism with employer links |
| Apprenticeship | A paid job with training, open from age 16 to anyone living in England who is not in full-time education | want to earn while they learn a specific job |
| Independent sixth form | A fee-paying school sixth form or college | are weighing fees against what a private school offers |
UTC details are from Hackney Education and apprenticeship eligibility from GOV.UK. If you are considering a fee-paying sixth form, our guide to state and independent schools covers fees, VAT and bursaries.
A levels, T Levels and V Levels
The type of course matters as much as the place. There are three main routes at level 3.
- A levels are subject-based qualifications, usually studied over two years. Students usually study three A levels, and some sixth forms let you take four.
- T Levels are two-year technical courses equivalent in size to three A levels. According to the official T Levels site, about 20% of the course is a 45-day placement with an employer, and a Distinction* is worth the same UCAS points as three A* grades at A level.
- Vocational qualifications such as BTECs are changing. The government's first V Levels will be available from September 2027, in Digital, Education and Early Years, and Finance and Accounting. Each V Level is the size of one A level, and you will be able to combine them with A levels. Some existing vocational courses, including BTECs, are losing government funding where a T Level covers the same area, so if you are applying for a vocational course for 2027, ask the provider exactly which qualification you would take.
How to choose, step by step
Step 1: Start with subjects and plans
Choose your subjects before you choose your sixth form, because not every provider offers every subject or every combination. If you have a university course or career in mind, check what it expects. The Russell Group's Informed Choices tool lets you explore which subject combinations suit different degrees. It replaced the old "facilitating subjects" list, which the Russell Group no longer publishes, so there is no single list of subjects that every top university prefers.
If you are unsure what you want to do, choose subjects you enjoy and do well in, and keep options open where you can. Talk to your school's careers adviser before you apply.
Step 2: Choose the right route
Decide whether an academic, technical or mixed programme suits you. A T Level commits you to one industry area for two years; A levels let you keep a broader mix; V Levels, from 2027, are designed to let you combine vocational and academic subjects. Then list the providers within reasonable travelling distance that teach your route. Our sixth forms by area pages and sixth form colleges near me search are a quick way to see what is local.
Step 3: Compare results, retention and destinations
The Department for Education publishes performance data for state school sixth forms and colleges on Compare school and college performance. The 2026 technical guidance sets out the headline measures:
- Progress (value added). How well students did compared with students nationally who had similar GCSE results. It is a fairer guide to teaching than raw grades, because it allows for the grades students started with. Each provider is banded from "well below average" to "well above average". A result of "average" means the difference from the national picture is not large enough to be statistically clear.
- Attainment. The average grade per qualification, shown separately for A levels, other academic courses, applied general and tech level courses, and T Levels.
- Retention. The share of students who stayed to the end of their main course. A low figure is worth asking about.
- English and maths progress. How much students who had not got grade 4 in GCSE English or maths improved.
- Destinations. The share of students who went on to sustained education, training or employment. This is published two years behind the other measures, so figures published in 2026 describe students who finished in 2024.
A few cautions. Compare like with like: a college's A level figures with another's A level figures, not its overall average. Small sixth forms can swing from year to year. Independent schools have progress and attainment published, but no retention or school-level destination measures. The DfE consulted on changes to these measures from April to July 2026, so the headline set may change in future years.
On FindMySchool, the profile of each school with A-level results has an A-levels tab, our A-level rankings rank schools and sixth forms on A-level exam results, and the combined A-level and GCSE rankings and Oxbridge success rankings give other angles. Our methodology explains how each ranking works, and our guide to understanding school performance tables helps you read the government figures. Our A-level ranking is based on grades, not value added, so read it alongside the progress banding.
Step 4: Read the inspection report
Since 10 November 2025, Ofsted has inspected schools under a new framework that produces a report card instead of a single overall grade. For a school with a sixth form, post-16 provision is its own evaluation area, graded on a five-point scale from "urgent improvement" to "exceptional", and safeguarding is judged as met or not met. Sixth form colleges and FE colleges are inspected under the further education and skills part of the framework, with evaluation areas for each type of provision they offer. If a provider's latest report is from before November 2025, it will use the older grades, so check the date. Our guide to Ofsted report cards explains how to read both kinds.
Step 5: Check support and pastoral care
Two years goes quickly, and the jump from GCSE is real. Find out who your tutor would be and how often you would see them, how the provider spots students who are falling behind, and what help there is for university applications, apprenticeships and jobs. If you have special educational needs, ask to speak to the learning support team.
If you have an education, health and care (EHC) plan, the move to post-16 is planned through your plan's review. Under the SEND Code of Practice, the review and any changes to the plan, including naming your post-16 school or college, must be completed by 31 March in the year you move. For a September 2027 start, that is 31 March 2027. EHC plans can continue up to age 25.
Step 6: Weigh up the practicalities
Work out the journey at the time you would actually travel, and what it would cost. Ask how the timetable works: whether you would have free periods, and whether your subjects can all fit together. Ask about the dress code and study spaces, and whether you can work part-time alongside your studies.
Step 7: Get a feel for the place
Go to open evenings, and if you can, a taster day. Talk to current students without staff nearby. Notice how teachers talk about their subjects and whether students seem to enjoy being there. Your own impression counts as much as any figure.
If you want a personalised starting point, School Match suggests sixth forms based on your priorities, interests and location. You answer the questions without signing up, then create a free account to see your results, and your top match on your first search is free.
Questions to ask at a sixth form open evening
Take this checklist with you, and ask the same questions everywhere so you can compare answers.
Courses
- Which subjects do you offer, and can I take my combination without a timetable clash?
- How many students take my subjects, and what are their recent results?
- What are the entry requirements for each of my subjects?
- For vocational courses: which exact qualification would I take in 2027?
Teaching and progress
- How many hours of teaching a week does each subject get?
- How big are classes?
- How do you track progress, and what happens if I fall behind?
- How many students complete their courses here?
Support
- Who is my main contact, and how often would I see them?
- What help is there with UCAS applications, apprenticeships and job applications?
- Where did last year's students go next?
- How do you support students with SEND or mental health needs?
Life and practicalities
- What enrichment, clubs, sport and work experience are there?
- Is there a dress code?
- Is there somewhere quiet to study in free periods?
- What bursary and free meals support do you offer, and how do I apply?
Applying
- When is your deadline, and is there an interview or guidance meeting?
- When will I hear, and what happens on GCSE results day?
Entry requirements
Every sixth form and college sets its own entry requirements, and many also set extra requirements for individual subjects. For example, many ask for five GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including English and maths, plus a higher grade, often a 6, in each subject you want to take or a related one. Selective sixth forms may ask for more.
Two real examples show how much this varies. Leeds Sixth Form College asks for five GCSEs at grade 4 or above including English and maths, and for A level biology, grade 6 or above in biology or combined science and in maths. Hills Road Sixth Form College in Cambridge uses its own admissions score, with higher thresholds for maths and some sciences.
At state school sixth forms, the School Admissions Code says entry requirements must be the same for students already at the school and for students joining from elsewhere, and looked after and previously looked after children who meet them must get top priority. A school can hold a meeting to talk through your options and course requirements, but that meeting cannot be used to decide whether you get a place.
If you do not get grade 4 in GCSE English or maths, you will keep studying that subject as part of your post-16 programme, under the DfE's maths and English condition of funding for 2026 to 2027.
When to apply: the timeline for September 2027
There is no national sixth form deadline. Most students apply directly to each school or college, and you can apply to several at once. Some areas coordinate applications instead: in Sheffield, students apply to most of the city's school sixth forms through one online system, Sheffield Progress, which for September 2026 entry opened on 1 December 2025 and closed on 31 January 2026. Check with your school or council whether your area works this way.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Year 10 to early Year 11 | Think about subjects and routes, and talk to your careers adviser |
| Autumn term 2026 | Go to open evenings and taster events; check each provider's dates |
| From autumn 2026 | Applications open, on dates set by each provider. Hills Road, for example, opens on 19 October 2026 |
| Winter 2026 to 2027 | Application deadlines, set by each provider. Hills Road closes on 5 January 2027, or 12 January 2027 for students at Cambridge Area Partnership schools |
| Spring 2027 | Guidance meetings and offers. Because offers come before your results, you still need to meet the entry requirements |
| 31 March 2027 | Deadline for an EHC plan to name the post-16 school or college |
| Thursday 19 August 2027 | GCSE results day. Confirm or enrol at your chosen provider |
| September 2027 | Courses start, including the first V Levels |
Apply to at least two providers, including one where you comfortably meet the entry requirements. If your results in August are lower than expected, contact the provider straight away; our GCSE results day guide explains what to do next. If a state school sixth form turns you down, you and your parent both have the right to appeal.
Money help
Travel, equipment and lunches add up over two years. Three kinds of help are available. The bursary and free meals are for students at publicly funded schools and colleges.
- 16 to 19 Bursary Fund. Students in defined vulnerable groups can get up to £1,200 a year, depending on their costs. They are students in or recently leaving local authority care, students supporting themselves on Income Support or Universal Credit, and disabled students who get Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment in their own name alongside Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit, as set out on the eligibility page. Schools and colleges also give discretionary bursaries to other students who need help, and decide the amount and how it is paid, sometimes as a travel pass, meals or books. Apply to your school or college once you know where you will study; you may need to reapply each year. See the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund.
- Free meals. From the start of the 2026 to 2027 academic year, all students from households on Universal Credit are entitled to a free meal in school sixth forms and colleges, according to the DfE guidance. You or a parent must apply to the school or college.
- Travel. Your council publishes the travel support available for 16 to 19 year olds in your area, in a post-16 transport policy statement due by 31 May each year. Councils do not have to provide free or subsidised travel after 16, so check before you choose a provider a long way from home.
Changing your mind or dropping a subject
Sometimes a subject turns out to be different from what you expected. Whether you can switch, and until when, depends on the provider, on space in the new class and on the timetable, so ask at enrolment what the cut-off is. If you are thinking of dropping from four subjects to three, talk to your tutor first, especially if you plan to apply to university.
Changing provider or route is possible too, for example moving from A levels to a T Level or an apprenticeship. Speak to your tutor or careers adviser early, and remember that you still need to be in education or training until 18. If you are under 18 and coming to the end of a school or college course, GOV.UK says you are guaranteed a place on a further education course the following autumn.
How FindMySchool helps
- Browse sixth forms by area to see local school sixth forms and colleges on one page.
- Explore A-level schools and the A-level rankings, then open the A-levels tab on a school's profile.
- Use School Match for a shortlist based on your priorities; you need a free account to see the results, and your top match on your first search is free.
- For the wider school choice picture, read how to choose the right school in England.
Before you apply, do three things: check that every subject you want is offered in a combination that works, look at the progress, retention and destinations figures for each provider on your list, and note every open evening and application deadline in one place. That gives you a real choice when offers arrive in the spring.
Frequently asked questions
A school sixth form is the Year 12 and 13 part of a secondary school, so it is usually smaller and familiar if you stay on. A sixth form college is a separate college just for 16 to 19 year olds, often larger, with a wider choice of subjects and a more independent feel. Neither is better in general; compare the courses, results and support at each one.