Editing Sixth form (section)

==England/Wales==
''Sixth Form'' describes the two school years that are called by many schools the '''lower sixth''' ('''L6''') and '''upper sixth''' ('''U6'''). The term survives from earlier naming conventions used in both the [[state school|state-maintained]] and [[private schools in the United Kingdom|private school]] systems. Another well known term is Year 12 and 13, carried on from the year group system started in [[primary school]].

In the state-maintained sector in England and Wales, pupils in the first five years of secondary schooling were divided into cohorts determined by age, known as ''forms'' (these referring historically to the long backless benches on which rows of pupils sat in the classroom). Pupils started their first year of secondary school in the ''first form'' or [[first year]]; this being the [[academic year]] in which pupils would normally be 12 years old by August 31. Pupils would move up a form each year before entering the fifth form in the academic year in which they would be 16 years old by August 31. Those who stayed on at school to study for [[A-level]]s moved up into the sixth form, which was divided into the ''Lower Sixth'' and the ''Upper Sixth''.

In the independent schools sector, the traditional [[public school (United Kingdom)|public schools]] did not have a consistent naming convention, except for the ''Sixth Form''. As well as the ''Upper Sixth'' and ''Lower Sixth'', the public schools used and still use a variety of descriptions for lower forms, such as ''[[Westminster School#Notable buildings|Shell]], [[Remove (education)|Remove]], Lower Fourth, Upper Fourth, Lower Fifth, Middle Fifth, Upper Fifth''.

In some private schools, the term ''Middle Sixth'' was used in place of ''Upper Sixth'', with the latter being used for those who stayed on for an extra term to take the entrance examinations that were previously set for candidates to [[Oxford University|Oxford]] or [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]] universities. Other schools described these [[Oxbridge]] examination students as being in the ''Seventh Form'' or ''Third Year Sixth''.

In the state sector, the system was changed for the 1990–1991 academic year and school years are now numbered consecutively from primary school onwards. ''[[Year One (School)|Year 1]]'' is the first year of primary school after [[Reception (School)|Reception]]. The first year of secondary school is ''[[Year Seven (School)|Year 7]]''. The Lower Sixth (the first year of sixth form) is '''Year 12''' and the Upper Sixth (the second year of sixth form) is '''Year 13'''. Public (fee-charging) schools, along with some state schools, tend to use the old system of numbering.

In some parts of the country, specialist sixth forms were introduced not part of a secondary school but rather catering solely for sixth form aged students. A large proportion of English secondary schools no longer have an integral sixth form. This is mainly related to reforms in the later 20th century, where different political areas became a factor in the introduction of colleges instead of the original sixth forms. There are now numerous sixth form colleges throughout England and Wales, and in areas without these, sixth form schools and specialist [[further education]] (FE) colleges called [[tertiary college]]s may fill the same role. {{As of|2015}}, there were 93 sixth-form colleges in England.<ref name="Weale_2015">{{cite news |last1=Weale |first1=Sally |title=Sixth-form colleges: we are an endangered species |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/feb/13/sixth-form-colleges-we-are-an-endangered-species |access-date=21 November 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=13 February 2015}}</ref>

Sixth form itself isn't compulsory in England and Wales (although from 2013 onwards, people of sixth form age must remain in some form of education or training in England only; the school leaving age remains 16 in Wales); however, university entrance normally requires at least three A level qualifications and perhaps one AS level. 
The term AS level is short for Advanced Subsidiary level. AS levels are academic qualifications that are most common in UK educational systems. AS levels are considered the stepping stone qualification between GCSEs and the more commonly known A levels.<ref><https://www.nec.ac.uk/2023/11/28/what-is-an-as-level/></ref>

Before the most recent reforms, students would usually select between three and five subjects from the [[GCSE]]s they have just taken, for one "AS" year, the AS exams being taken at the end of Lower Sixth. Three subjects would then be carried into the A2 year (the dropped AS being "cashed in" as a qualification), then further exams would be taken at the end of that year. The marks attained in both sets of exams were converted into [[UCAS]] points, which must meet the offer made by the student's chosen university.

Since the move to a "linear" system, students more commonly choose three or four subjects and either continue to study them for the full two years before a single set of final "A level" exams, or choose to drop one or two subjects by sitting "AS level" exams at the end of the first year.

In 2015, [[Sally Weale]], writing in ''The Guardian'', said that "While spending on schools has been largely ringfenced, sixth-form colleges have been exposed to years of cuts which have resulted in courses being dropped, staff being laid off and enrichment activities axed".<ref name="Weale_2015"/> In 2018, another ''Guardian'' article by Weale reported funding cuts of 21% to sixth-form provision (school sixth forms, sixth-form colleges and further education colleges) since 2010.<ref name="Weale_2018">{{cite news |last1=Weale |first1=Sally |title=Sixth form and FE funding has fallen by a fifth since 2010, says IFS |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/sep/17/sixth-form-funding-has-fallen-by-a-fifth-since-2010-says-ifs |access-date=21 November 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=17 September 2018}}</ref>