Your child has shown a lot of academic promise and you want to ensure that they get as far as possible in their studies – is it worthwhile to enrol them in an independent school? Independent 6th form colleges are regarded by some as a privilege of the rich but they are not. If you go about getting a school in a smart way you can find one that you can afford.
You can start by looking at your finances – how much can you afford to pay in school; fees every year? The sooner you start putting away money the better so that when your child joins up you don’t have to run around trying to find ways to pay fees. Since your child has been doing well academically you should look into whether you can get a scholarship for them. The best independent schools understand that not all families can afford to pay school fees, and to that end they have a few scholarships set aside for deserving students every year. So long as your child meets the required criteria and they are able to pass the entrance exam they will be able to get a position.
The other thing you should know about independent 6th form colleges is that they have a limited number of positions every year. If you want your child to be enrolled in a certain school you have to get there early. Find out when the cut off date is so that you are not disqualified. Make sure that your child is prepared for the entrance exam – they are not very easy and many students fail to get in because they cannot pass these exams.
One of the best independent 6th form colleges in the UK is the Cambridge Centre for Sixth Form Studies. You can talk to them about enrolment on https://www.ccss.co.uk/.