Guide to the Sixth Form

Guide to the Sixth Form is a book that addresses the educational needs of sixth formers. The book starts by introducing the influence of sixth formers and their role as schoolmasters, doctors, lawyers, and other professionals in British society. The author traces the establishment and growth of the sixth form or stage of education. The author points out the usual academic path taken by the sixth form, by passing tests conducted at O-level, and then proceeding onto the university level. Since other sixth formers are shown as not desiring to go onto the university level, the author asks whether the notion of a sixth form is still worth continuing in a changing modern British society. The Crowther Report is then cited as a way to understand this dilemma. The necessity for a university education and entry to other institutions of higher education is also analyzed as a sort of academic extensions of the sixth form. The degree of government assistance rendered to different students is noted, with focus on the state of financial dependence or independence for the sixth form student. The text can be of interest for a great majority of parents, school administrators, and government education officials.