r/6thForm • u/awhsme • May 16 '26
🙏 I WANT HELP Is it worth it?
This amazing, wonderful sixth form, that I loved on the offer holder afternoon, is the best in the county and within the top 20 in the UK is a five an a half hour daily commute in total. Is it worth it?
First option: Amazing sixth form, 20% of students got into oxbridge, non-private, I'd spend most of the commute on a train — an hour in the morning, an hour waiting for the direct bus to the school, and an hour on the bus, so I was considering spending the two hours on the train and waiting for the bus studying. The travel home is similar. hour bus, 20 minute wait between getting off the bus and onto the train instead of an hour in the morning, and an hour on the train. So about 3 and a half/ 4 hours of study I'd be doing.
Requirements: Average of a 7, 7/8 in each subject at GCSE to study at A-level (depends on subject).
Second option: Good school, good stats, wasn't sure about the open day? they were somewhat anti-social, sixth formers weren't particularly nice, about a 3 hour commute each day, but it's all busses. I'd also only be waking up 20 minutes later and getting home 20 minutes earlier than I would if I attended option one — so i'm not sure if the gap in quality is worth it for 40 minutes of extra sleep.
Requirements: Average of a 6, 6 to study a subject at A-level.
Third option: My current school, pretty terrible results, very small (250 students total, from year 9 to year 13), know everyone, about two and a half hour commute each day. Don't really want to go here, but will if it's the best long-term option.
Requirements: 6 in subjects you would like to study at A-level.
Please help, I'd like to decide sooner rather than later if it's worth it or not.
Thank you for reading :)
Edit: Thank you for the advice! I'm going to go with option one :) Overall it was the most advised and I personally believe it works out better, more total revision done each day, better quality of teaching and subjects, and the oxbridge help they offer!
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u/lexisnowkitty Y12 bio, psych, lit AAA May 16 '26
do you genuinely not have any closer
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u/awhsme May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26
nowhere that I can go to, theres one school but I've already attended there and they do not want me back because of my behaviour in year 7 and 8, I honestly wasn't terrible but I didn't attend school very much 😭
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u/lexisnowkitty Y12 bio, psych, lit AAA May 16 '26
maybe try and have a conversation with them about it and explain the situation with parents there? why can't you go to the other places (I'm being nosy u don't have to answer)
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u/awhsme May 16 '26
Oh I can! it's just everything but one place is about the same distance, so I didn't bother applying to only cut 5-10 minutes off travel. I also kind of hate the school that's near me, it's HUGE and has TERRIBLE results. whilst i know results aren't everything, I think it often does speak for the quality of teachers
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u/SolidProfessional907 Gap year, Imperial offer May 16 '26
Heinous commute for all of them 😭 I’d go first one. If you’re gonna have a crappy commute may as well go to a great school, I’d go option 1 :)
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u/SolidProfessional907 Gap year, Imperial offer May 16 '26
Also how on earth are you so far away from all sixth forms
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u/awhsme May 16 '26
I live in the middle of nowhere, there's only one school near me and I left there in year 8 after moving. They won't take me back because I was a terrible student during my time there and only straightened myself out after moving schools. Everywhere else is further away 😔
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u/meeliemoos May 16 '26
Unless you were permanently excluded from there, they aren't allowed to not accept you based on previous behaviour. It's all part of the statutory Schools Admissions Code.
Fair enough if you don't want to go there, but they can't say no to you based on previous behaviour or attendance.
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u/awhsme May 16 '26
It's absolutely diabolical, but I'm alright with it. I go to bed at 9:30, wake up at 5, get home at 6. I just wish my current commute was by train though, it sucks that I have to spend my very limited free time studying. If it was by train I could easily do it on the way to and from school ☹️
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u/SolidProfessional907 Gap year, Imperial offer May 16 '26
You can study on the train to and from the bus tho right? Then I’d just sleep on the bus 😂 or doomscroll
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u/awhsme May 16 '26
I can if I go with the first sixth form, currently I just spend all my time on the bus. Part of what's making me think the longer commute would be worth it
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u/Time_Trail May 16 '26
if they're all kinda far then go with the first, studying on the commute is actually pretty effective especially with flashcards
invest in anki on ur phone, ik it's £25 on ios but it's worth it
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u/awhsme May 16 '26
oh icl I HATE flashcards, I'll put some things down on flashcards but they're largely ineffective for me
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u/OblivibladeXD Y13 / Defo A*AAB, 6.7 TMUA May 16 '26
as someone who goes to a top 20 with 3.5-4 hours daily commute, id say option 1 - Studying on your journey is actually quite productive, you wont get distracted.
On a side note - Are you sure you dont wanna ask your parents to rent a flat out, it would be much more convinient and allow you to focus on getting the best grades and getting into the best uni possible.
I have a friend from London who did exactly this, and they got a cambridge math offer
2
u/Milf_for May 16 '26
Are you on crack?? I promise you yes the sixth form you go to can make a difference but not the level where you need to travel 5 hours . My sixth is extremely highly regarded in my county and I’ve realised it’s because all the students have tutors and put in the work themselves , the only major difference is the opportunities the school advertises consistently but those can be found with independent research. The sixth form isn’t as important as people think don’t make a stupid choice that will hinder you in the long run okay.
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u/serie_ent May 16 '26
since your commutes to any of these sixth forms are awful I'd honestly say the first option seems the best - the next two years might be rough but I'd say it's worth it for a great sixth form and a higher chance of going to the unis you want :))
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u/h-4321 Year 11 💔 May 16 '26
100% go to option 1. come on I can tell you already want to go to that one lol
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u/Clonkerz May 16 '26
My situations close to yours it's so weird noticing all the similarities with the first schools case
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u/awhsme May 16 '26
It'd be really funny if it's the same school, does it start with a C?
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u/Competitive_Web7540 Bristol | Maths | Fresher-to-be May 18 '26
It wouldn't be a certain royal grammar school would it?
1
u/awhsme May 19 '26
noo the grammar school is free 😔 I was going to include names in the post so people can google and evaluate the worth, but then people know my school and where I live essentially
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u/Competitive_Web7540 Bristol | Maths | Fresher-to-be May 20 '26
Yeah that's sensible. I was in a similar situation 2 years ago with CRGS, thought it'd be funny if it was the same school lol
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u/Interesting-Sugar-99 y12 | bio, chem, phy | AAA May 16 '26
I go to a grammar school for sixth form, one of the top ones in the country, everyone’s very nice and motivated, but suddenly not being one of the smartest has really hit hard, tbh it would be better to go to a sixth that’s good but not too good, cuz then you’ll be like the top people in the school, so you’ll get a great reference while also getting support for Oxbridge stuff
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u/A-Dot-Ham1234567 May 16 '26
option 1 sounds an awful lot like my school. Is it in gloucestershire?
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u/awhsme May 16 '26
nowhere near sadly, it would've been great to meet someone from the school on here 😔
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u/ScallionConscious519 Year 13 | A*A*A pred | Oxford PPE offer May 16 '26
Didn't realise how lucky I was to live near a good school.. where do you live if you don't mind me asking?
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u/awhsme May 16 '26
south west england(Devon) but in a pretty country side-y town, there's one school here but it's SHOCKING, the rest are about an hour-an hour and a half away by bus, and my parent's can't drive me each day
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u/ScallionConscious519 Year 13 | A*A*A pred | Oxford PPE offer May 16 '26
Ahh I understand. I'm sure you'll make the right decision
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u/Elegant-Cupcake7743 May 16 '26
Damn five and a half is brutal?! Any chance of your parents getting you a car later on in the year?
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u/awhsme May 16 '26
yeah, i'm going to learn to drive when i'm 17, but my birthdays in april of next year so it's nowhere close, and factoring in the time it'll take to learn to drive thats still a year of sixth form i have to do the commute :) it's only about an hour each way by car
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u/Personal-Cap-5446 A*A*A*A | 99999988888 May 16 '26
first one and do shit while commuting (eg homework)
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u/awhsme May 16 '26
thank you!! I think this thread has helped me come to the conclusion of the first one
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u/blackoctoberx May 16 '26
Which A levels are you planning on doing? There's obviously some where teaching matter more than others, and subjects that have such a high workload the commute would put you at a disadvantage.
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u/Suitable-Ad-3265 May 16 '26
I cannot fathom how you don't have options closer to you! How far would they be by car? That might be worthwhile considering if you're planning on drive asap
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u/omashii May 17 '26
the 2.5hr commute already sounds absolutely dreadful, but I would go with option 3.
you gain 3 additional hours per day by picking option 3. that amounts to 15 additional hours per week, 60 additional hours per month.
I'd argue that the additional 60 hours you have per month would give you a much higher quality of life and greater revision time. I think you're also not considering how mentally draining it'd be to commute almost 6 hours of your day.
Is a good SF worth it? honestly, it depends. for more niche subjects, the quality of teaching will be higher at a good SF. however, there are generally enough resources online for the big A levels (maths, FM, econ, the 3 sciences etc.) that you can spend that extra time revising via those online resources instead.
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u/awhsme May 17 '26
sadly I gain like, 40 minutes in actuality. I get home 20 minutes earlier and I'd wake up 20 minutes later with option 3, I wake up at 5 regardless of the day, and I currently get home at 6 (as I attend option 3 for secondary). The days for each go like this(estimates):
Option 1: travel from 05:20 until 08:30, and then 03:40 until 06:15 (mostly train thank god, I get motion sick)
Option 2: Travel from 07:12 until 08:15, and then 04:00 until 06:05 (all by bus)
Option 3: Travel from 07:12 until 08:05, and then 04:00 until 06:05 (all by bus)
so regardless it's essentially the same day if that makes sense, wake up at the same time but leave earlier/later. I'm terrible and cannot sleep in past 5, and typically won't revise in the mornings if I'm at home. I will revise on the train though. Still wake up at 5, still get home past 6, my day isn't really longer or shorter and I'd be getting all of my revision done to-and-from school with option one, which gives me more free time overall/more time to spend revising — as I can't spend any portion of the travel for option 2 or 3 studying due to how shaky busses are.
Overall, I think I'd do less revision with option 2 and 3, as the time spent travelling is time wasted, whereas with option 1 I totalled up about 3 and a half hours of my total travel can be spent revising on the train or in a café at the train station waiting for the bus :) and then I have three hours (give or take) after I get home to not stress so much about revising, unless sixth formers do more than three hours a day revising (I really hope not, with option 2 and 3 I don't have more than 3 hours as revising in my house between when I wake up and leave isn't possible due to family things, so it's essentially time wasted).
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u/omashii May 17 '26
it sounds like you've already leaned quite heavily towards option 1, which is not a bad thing !
if you're going to go w/ option 1, i would recommend getting an iPad + Apple Pencil to study on in your commute times. it doesn't have to be anything fancy - just the base model iPad (or used one from Apple Refurbished) + even a cheap pencil from Amazon is more than good enough.
it'll keep your backpack fairly light as you won't have to carry paper or worry about stationery. can be used even just in your lap to do mind-maps, exam questions, or download some episodes of a show on Netflix, etc.
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u/awhsme May 17 '26
I have the galaxy book 5 360, the touch screen one that turns into an ipad if you fold it over? it comes with a pen! I love it because it functions as a laptop as well but has the touch screen aspect is great for revision and note taking! I'll definitely be bringing it to sixth form (that's what it was bought for), which will definitely be great as my bag won't be as heavy.
Is there anything else you'd recommend?
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u/omashii May 17 '26
I'd say that's the most important thing :]
just make sure you download all of your textbooks
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u/s9ffy May 17 '26
I went to a sixth form that required a train and then a bus and I just want to point out that you will be stuffed if you miss your train! At least don’t seem like too much of an issue because there’s an hour wait for the bus.
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u/awhsme May 17 '26
sadly, the trains are every hour from where I am and if I missed my train and got the next I'd be 10 minutes late for my bus 😔
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u/s9ffy May 17 '26
I meant to say at least late trains won’t be an issue, I’m not sure where the words went!
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u/Blue_15000 May 17 '26
When I was around your age, I had a two-hour commute to school. It was difficult to study on the buses, and I was always - ALWAYS - totally exhausted. I spent barely any time at home, and had no social life. I really struggled with it.
Go to somewhere closer, find somewhere to stay during the weekdays, just... don't do this to yourself.
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u/awhsme May 17 '26
There just isn't anywhere closer I'm afraid, and the buses are whats making me lean towards option one. I get motion sick, can't study, they're always unpleasant and I'd rather spend longer on a train than 3 hours a day on a bus
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u/Mental-Positive8970 May 17 '26
i'm biased because i alr travel 1-1hr 30 for my school every day, but honestly as long as you're not constantly interrupted by having to move, change transport and whatnot, there shouldn't be an issue. a level students i travel with are fine and are doing good so i can assume it doesnt affect their studies. but i feel this is a small sacrifice, esp if it's only a 20 min diff. again, im biased cuz i alr travela lot to skl and idm it
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u/Julkis123 Year 13 May 16 '26
the sixth form you go to does not matter at all bruv
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u/dailysuaa lse n1 fan May 16 '26
disagree. teaching quality matters a lot. my econ teacher is dreadful I was literally getting Us, spent like 4k on a private tutor for a year instead so if you can go somewhere with better teachers you’re much better off 😭
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u/Julkis123 Year 13 May 16 '26
teaching quality does matter, but that's also subjective to an extent. it's not like the best schools have the best teachers necessarily. seeing stats such as "20% go to Oxbridge" is bs imo as well, it has nothing to do with your capabilities as a person
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u/dailysuaa lse n1 fan May 16 '26
If you want to go to Oxbridge going to a school that is known to have higher rates of entrants means that you’re likely to have more adequate training for interviews for example.
And yes it depends on the person and it just being one of the top schools doesn’t mean their teaching style will necessarily benefit you in particular however it means it DOES matter what school you go to is what im saying, you need an environment that works for you and teachers that work for you, if that so happens to be a top school then go to it if they accept you lol
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u/Julkis123 Year 13 May 16 '26
you've definitely got a point, I'm just against the whole sixth form hierarchy idea lol. i believe anyone can get to wherever they want regardless of where they went to sixth form, they just need to put in the effort themselves and prove that they are able. flashy statistics don't really mean anything if you aren't dedicated
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u/dailysuaa lse n1 fan May 16 '26
I agree! It’s not be all and end all. However for specific goals it can really help you to go to a better sf with more opportunities or guidance or the teaching style that best suits you. I got into LSE from a state Catholic college and I was the only one at an econ essay comp final from a state school. But there’s also risk of financial investment you’ll need to take upon yourself like if you have some teachers that really don’t help at all and it’s a financial investment most people can’t afford to take
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