South Bank University Sixth Form Review 2026: A technical sixth form with clear pathways into engineering, health and business

This is a specialist 16–19 provider with a deliberately career-facing offer: A-levels alongside vocational and technical routes, built around three main pathways, engineering, health, and business and finance. It opened as a 16–19 academy in September 2023 and sits within the London South Bank Academies trust.

The public story here is less about tradition and more about build quality: leaders have been developing systems, staffing, curriculum sequencing, and employer partnerships at pace since opening. It is also unapologetically practical. Programmes are structured around defined end points, such as degrees, higher apprenticeships and technical careers, with substantial use of projects, placements and industry-facing facilities.

Leadership is current and clearly signposted. Kishan Pithia has been Principal since August 2024, arriving during a period where the provider was still bedding in its teaching team and routines.

The tone is professional and future-oriented, which is typical for a sixth form that aims to feel closer to a workplace than a school. The provider explicitly frames the day as a “professional working day” and links expectations around attendance, punctuality and behaviour to employability, rather than simply compliance.

Pastoral structures are organised around daily contact, with every student assigned a coach (form tutor) and a daily morning coaching session. That creates a consistent point of contact for families and a predictable routine for students, which can be a genuine stabiliser for a post-16 setting, particularly for students who need close oversight as they transition from GCSEs into more independent study.

The strongest defining feature, however, is the emphasis on applied learning and external partnerships. The Ofsted monitoring report describes leaders working closely with partner organisations and employers to shape an “innovative technical, skills-based curriculum”, with examples including curriculum design informed by NHS trusts.

This setting will usually feel best suited to students who want a structured route into a sector, and who like their learning to be connected to real outputs, such as projects, placements, and practical problem-solving. Students who want a very broad A-level menu and a more traditional, purely academic sixth form culture may find the offer narrower by design.

Because this provider is sixth-form-only, the relevant headline data is post-16 performance, not GCSE outcomes.

On the available A-level measures used for this review, performance is recorded as follows: 0% A*, 0% A, 0% B, and 0% at A*–B. England averages, for context, are 23.6% at A*–A and 47.2% at A*–B.

Rankings based on the same data place the sixth form 2,640th in England and 15th in Lambeth for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), which sits below England average overall (bottom 40%).

Two practical implications follow. First, parents should treat the A-level performance picture as unresolved until a longer run of published cohorts is available, particularly in a young sixth form with evolving curriculum pathways and cohort sizes. Second, it reinforces the importance of looking beyond one measure. Here, curriculum intent, teaching quality, placement quality and destination fit matter a great deal, especially for T-level and vocational students whose outcomes are not captured by A-level-only summaries.

Curriculum organisation is unusually explicit. Ofsted’s monitoring report sets out the programme mix in practical terms, including around 210 students on level 3 pathways and around 90 on a level 2 foundation programme that includes GCSE English and mathematics resits. It also documents a relatively small A-level cohort, with around 20 students studying mathematics and or science A-levels.

The entry criteria published for September 2026 start underline how tightly pathways are aligned to intended difficulty and pace:

• A levels: 5 GCSEs at grade 6, including English Language, Maths, and two or more science subjects (or Double Science)

• T-levels: 5 GCSEs at grade 5, including English Language, Maths, and one or more science subjects (or Double Science)

• BTEC: 5 GCSEs at grade 4, including English Language and Maths

• Foundation: 5 GCSEs at grade 3, including English Language and Maths

This tiered model matters for families because it signals a “right course, right level” approach, rather than a one-size post-16 offer. It also supports a more predictable learning experience in classrooms, since students’ starting points are closer to the programme demands.

Where the teaching model stands out is in sequencing that connects technical knowledge to applied tasks. Ofsted provides a concrete example from level 3 engineering, where teachers cover mathematical principles (such as product and quotient rules) before setting practical assignments that use that knowledge to solve real design tasks.

The provider’s prospectus frames the wider study programme beyond the main qualification. It includes a tutorial slot, a structured independent study programme, and a “Skills Award” intended to evidence transferable skills such as teamwork and problem-solving. It also references work placements, including opportunities in the UK and overseas through the Turing Scheme.

The implication for students is straightforward. Those who learn best when theory is tied to application, and who like their education to build a portfolio of evidence for employers and universities, are likely to find this model motivating. Students who want a more traditional, exam-only rhythm may need to be comfortable with project cycles, placements and employability-focused expectations.

The provider publishes destination examples rather than cohort-wide destination statistics. That is common for newer sixth forms and for institutions where pathways lead to a wide spread of outcomes.

The prospectus includes named success stories that illustrate the kinds of next steps being pursued, including a degree apprenticeship in engineering with Jacobs and LSBU, a BSc Aerospace Engineering with Pilot Studies at the University of the West of England, and a BSc Paramedic Science at the University of Hertfordshire.

It also signals a model where placements are not decorative add-ons. Work placements are positioned as part of the study programme, with external partners and employers involved in curriculum-linked activity.

For parents, the right way to read this is as a provider that wants outcomes to be sector-relevant. The most useful due diligence is therefore not only “Where do students go?”, but also “What evidence do students leave with?”, such as projects, placements, and technical work that supports competitive applications for apprenticeships and vocational degrees.

Entry is to Year 12, with applications made directly through the provider’s application portal. For September 2026 entry, the published process points to application now, followed by interview scheduling and then in-person enrolment on or shortly after GCSE Results Day in August 2026.

Open events and taster opportunities are strongly baked into the recruitment model. The provider publishes an Open Evening on 14 May 2026 (5pm to 7pm), but also explicitly advises Year 11 applicants not to wait for that date and to apply earlier.

For pre-16 schools, there is also a structured schools liaison programme that includes Year 10 and Year 11 taster days. Example taster sessions include Computer Aided Design and Design for Manufacture in engineering; a Health Simulation Suite emergency-response activity; entrepreneurship and marketing in business; and A-level science tasters. Typical visits are described as 1 to 3 hours.

Because this is post-16, admissions are less about catchment and more about course fit, readiness, and meeting published entry grades. Families comparing options can use FindMySchool’s Local Hub comparison tools to weigh nearby sixth forms against this provider’s technical focus and entry thresholds.

Pastoral support is structured around the coach system, with daily morning coaching and a stated expectation that coaches work closely with families on attendance, punctuality and behaviour.

Support is also framed as integrated with learning. The provider describes mentoring from staff and industry co-sponsors built into the curriculum, plus workshops to support UCAS personal statements and access to professional counselling.

Ofsted’s monitoring report reinforces a strong safeguarding culture with staff trained to identify and report concerns quickly and safeguarding staff using external agencies effectively when needed. It also flags an improvement area: students’ understanding of the risks of radicalisation and extremism was less secure at the time of the monitoring visit, and leaders planned to strengthen this using local expertise.

For families, the key implication is that pastoral support here is not positioned as soft or optional. It is a core part of how the provider expects students to succeed in a demanding post-16 environment.

Enrichment is not presented as a generic list of clubs. The prospectus describes a Freshers Fair model where students feed in what they want outside timetabled lessons, followed by a responsive enrichment programme.

The published enrichment menu includes: debating and public speaking; choir and music; chess and board games; sports such as football, basketball, badminton and table tennis; boxing and fencing; gym and fitness; faith groups; flight simulators and robotics; computer maintenance and AI; and student ambassador roles.

That range matters because it aligns with the provider’s identity. Flight simulators, robotics and AI-related activity are coherent with a technical sixth form mission and reinforce the sense that students are being prepared to operate confidently in practical, technology-rich environments.

There is also evidence of structured external-facing experiences. A news report describes student involvement in a Lambeth “Dragons’ Den” style event, where teams presented social enterprise plans to business leaders, with follow-on recognition and awards.

The implication for students is that enrichment here is likely to feel purposeful. It can help students build a credible CV for apprenticeships and competitive degree applications, rather than functioning only as recreation.

This is a state sixth form, so there are no tuition fees for the 16–19 study programmes.

Transport information is clearly published. The provider lists Brixton as the nearest Tube station, with Brixton and Herne Hill listed as nearest stations more broadly. It also lists several bus routes serving Brixton Hill, including 45, 109, 118, 133, 159, 250 and 333.

Specific daily start and finish times are not consistently published in the sources reviewed. Families who need a precise day structure, particularly those balancing part-time work, caring responsibilities, or travel time, should confirm the timetable expectations for their chosen pathway during admissions and interview.

• New-provider stage. Opened in September 2023, this remains an early-stage institution in terms of track record. That can be a positive for families who like a modern, fast-developing setting, but it also means less multi-year outcome data than established sixth forms.

• English and maths resit outcomes. Ofsted reported that too few level 2 students improved their English and or mathematics GCSE grades at the time of the monitoring visit. For students who must resit, families should ask how resit teaching, intervention, and monitoring works in practice.

• Safeguarding education breadth. The monitoring report highlighted that students’ understanding of radicalisation and extremism risks was less secure, with leaders planning improvements. Families may want to ask what has changed since that visit, and how online safety and wider safeguarding education is taught.

• Specialism versus breadth. Pathways are intentionally focused. That is likely to suit students with clear sector interests, but it may feel limiting for students who want a very broad A-level choice across arts, humanities and languages.

South Bank University Sixth Form is best understood as a technical sixth form with an explicit mission: prepare students for defined professional pathways through a mix of academic study, practical curriculum design and employer-linked experiences. Leadership is current, pastoral systems are built around daily coaching, and the enrichment offer reinforces a culture of employability and technical confidence.

Who it suits: students aged 16–19 who want a structured route into engineering, health, or business and finance, and who will benefit from applied learning, projects and placements. Families who want the broadest possible A-level curriculum, or who want a long-established outcomes record, may prefer to compare alternatives alongside this option.