Harris Professional Skills Sixth Form Review 2026: Vocational Sixth Form with a Clear Employability Focus

A sixth form built around practical routes into work, apprenticeships and further study can feel like a relief for students who do not thrive in large, academic sixth form colleges. That is the niche Harris Professional Skills Sixth Form aims to fill, with a curriculum shaped around professional and technical pathways, plus GCSE resits where needed. The setting is distinctive too, the sixth form operates from the former South Norwood Police Station building in South Norwood, sharing a site with Harris Aspire Academy.

Leadership is clearly visible on the school’s own site, with Andrew Barr named as Principal. For families weighing options across Croydon, the strongest published “next steps” signal is destination data: for the 2023/24 cohort, 32% progressed to university, 5% to further education, 5% to apprenticeships, and 26% to employment.

The school presents itself as an intentionally smaller, more focused post 16 environment for students who “may not suit the traditional pathways at post 16”, pairing vocational options with strong pastoral support and the chance to retake GCSEs required for progression. That positioning matters in practice. A standalone sixth form is not trying to replicate a large tertiary college, it is trying to reduce friction for students who need structure, close tracking, and a tighter course menu linked to realistic next steps.

The site and facilities reinforce that message. The former police station building is described as the base for a modern vocational environment, with purpose-specific resources for construction trades alongside ICT and media facilities. For some students, that physical signal, tools, spaces, kit, specialist rooms, helps learning feel more concrete than an abstract timetable of lecture style lessons.

The school opened as a new provision on 1 September 2018, so it does not carry decades of tradition. Instead, its “identity” is practical: employability, industry facing learning, and a belief that students progress best when their programme is tightly aligned to what comes next.

This is a post 16 provider, so the most relevant “results” question is: do students complete their programmes and move on successfully? Published A level performance measures are not a natural fit for many vocational sixth forms, especially where the core offer is technical and professional qualifications rather than a broad A level menu.

On the FindMySchool ranking used for A level outcomes, the sixth form is ranked 2,597th in England and 27th in Croydon. This places it below England average, within the bottom 40% of providers on that particular A level lens. (FindMySchool ranking based on official data.)

A practical way to interpret that for parents is to treat it as a prompt to look harder at course mix and progression rather than as a definitive judgement on quality. If your child is taking mostly vocational qualifications, the stronger indicators are the relevance of the curriculum, the support around attendance and completion, and the destinations data.

Families comparing local post 16 options can use the FindMySchool Local Hub pages and the Comparison Tool to line up providers by pathway type (academic, mixed, technical) before visiting.

The curriculum is framed explicitly as vocational, with pathways including Construction, Health and Social Care, Business, Media, Science and Art, plus GCSE resits for students who need them for progression. In practice, that model works best when the sequencing is clear: foundational concepts first, then more complex application as students gain confidence and technical vocabulary.

The most convincing vocational programmes are the ones that teach “why” as well as “how”. In construction, for example, competence is not only practical skill, it is documentation, safe systems of work, and clear written communication. The school’s wider approach to study support, including planned additional study time and targeted intervention sessions, is designed to prevent students from quietly falling behind in the basics that gatekeep progression.

GCSE resits can be a turning point or a grind. The key question is whether resit teaching is treated as serious, well timetabled provision with focused literacy and numeracy support, rather than an add on. Parents should ask directly how English and mathematics resit groups are staffed, how progress is assessed, and what happens if a student needs a second year to secure a key grade for their next step.

Where Students Go Next

For the 2023/24 cohort (74 students), 32% progressed to university. A further 5% went into further education, 5% started apprenticeships, and 26% moved into employment. These are meaningful proportions for a provider whose stated purpose includes both employability and progression to higher education.

The distribution also suggests a sixth form that serves several “end points”, not a single high intensity university pipeline. That can suit students who want a practical programme with credible Plan A and Plan B options: employment or apprenticeship routes alongside university for those on appropriate courses.

The school’s own messaging places strong emphasis on employability and local labour market relevance, including the context of construction and regeneration in Croydon and surrounding areas. For families, the due diligence question is: which employers, training partners, and apprenticeship routes are most active this year, and how many students actually secure those outcomes. If numbers are not published, ask for recent examples and the process used to support applications, interviews, and sustained destinations.

Admissions are direct rather than Local Authority coordinated in the way Year 7 admissions are. The school’s application page shows a live admissions cycle for Year 12 entry, with applications for September 2025 made available online, and the school stating it is offering 240 places in Year 12 for that intake.

For September 2026 entry, families should expect a similar annual rhythm, with applications typically opening during the school year ahead of entry. Exact closing dates and any conditional offer steps can change year to year, so treat the school website as the source of truth for current deadlines and documentation.

Because this is a vocational sixth form, “fit” matters. Ask about course entry requirements, expected prior attainment, attendance expectations, and how the school handles students who change pathway after enrolment. A good vocational setting will be clear about what it can support, and what it cannot.

Parents considering multiple options should use FindMySchool’s Saved Schools feature to track open events, application windows, and course choices across a shortlist, especially when you are balancing sixth form colleges, school sixth forms, and specialist providers.

The school places heavy emphasis on pastoral support as part of its purpose. That is an appropriate focus for a cohort that may include students who have struggled in larger settings, students needing resit support, and students looking for a more structured transition into adult life.

Effective post 16 pastoral care looks different from Year 11. It is less about daily behaviour management and more about attendance, motivation, mental health support, and practical barriers such as finances, travel, and family responsibilities. Where the model works well, staff combine high expectations with frequent check ins and swift intervention when attendance dips.

When visiting, ask about the staffing structure for pastoral support, the role of tutors, the availability of counselling or coaching, and how students are supported to manage deadlines for coursework heavy vocational qualifications.

Enrichment is described as mandatory and designed to build confidence, life skills, and wider personal development alongside the main programme. That is a sensible approach for vocational study, where employability often depends on communication, teamwork, and professional behaviours as much as technical competence.

The enrichment menu listed on the school’s site includes Debate, Financial Literacy, Cooking and Baking, and Games clubs, plus coursework catch up and study groups to support students completing assessed work. The practical implication for students is time carved out for both development and completion, which can be decisive for those managing multiple deadlines across coursework units.

Facilities add another layer of “beyond the classroom” experience because vocational learning is often experiential by design. The school highlights ICT resources, media facilities, and trade focused provision including plumbing, bricklaying, carpentry, painting and decorating, and plastering. For many students, this is not an extra, it is the core environment that makes learning feel purposeful.

This is a state funded sixth form, there are no tuition fees. Families should still budget for the normal costs that come with post 16 study, such as travel, equipment for certain vocational courses, and trips where applicable.

The site is in South Norwood and the school publishes a travel plan, which is worth reviewing if your child will be travelling at peak times. The school also describes an additional study support programme outside core teaching time, which may affect pick up and travel planning for some students.

• A level metrics may not reflect the core offer. The published A level focused ranking sits in the lower band. If your child is primarily taking vocational qualifications, focus your evaluation on course quality, completion support, and destinations, then challenge the school to explain how it measures success.

• Coursework load and deadlines. Many vocational programmes are coursework heavy. The enrichment offer includes coursework catch up and study groups, which is helpful, but students still need strong time management.

• Specialist pathways can narrow options. A focused vocational route suits many students, but it can feel limiting for those who are undecided or likely to pivot. Ask how flexible it is to change course or combine pathways mid year.

• Travel and timetable structure. The school notes staggered starts across nearby Harris provision to reduce congestion, and it also uses additional study periods for interventions and support. Families should confirm what a typical day looks like for their child’s pathway.

Harris Professional Skills Sixth Form is a purposeful post 16 option for students who want a vocational route with a strong employability orientation, plus the chance to secure the GCSE grades needed for progression. Facilities aligned to construction trades, media and ICT help make learning tangible, while the destinations profile shows progression into university, apprenticeships, further education, and employment.

Who it suits: students who learn best through applied, practical programmes, and who benefit from close structure and support rather than a large lecture style sixth form environment.