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When your child first starts out at secondary school, sixth form seems light years away. Yet GCSEs soon come round and by Year 11 it鈥檚 time to think about what they might study next and where they will continue their education.

Open days at colleges take place from October right through to February. You can find out about them through your Local Education Authority (LEA). Check the admissions criteria too. Even if your child is not sure about whether to change school at this stage, they can still apply as a precaution. If their application is successful they are likely to be made a conditional offer.

Because these are conditional offers, dependent on GCSE results, and there is no common application form, students can apply to several colleges without having to state any preference, and ultimately hold several offers at once. They do, of course, need to state which courses they wish to take and this may vary from one college to another, depending on what is on offer.

There are several things to keep in mind when deciding what courses to take at this stage. First off, if your child knows what they want to study then that will help guide them as to which courses to take next. If they are not so sure, then opting for subjects that interest them and do not narrow their choices too much may be the way forward.

To find out more about the range of options, including qualifications such as BTECs or NVQs, check out the . They also have an , which is worth taking a look at.

If your son or daughter is at a small school, the range of subjects might be quite limited so this may push them to look at larger colleges, including specialist or further education colleges. This was the case for my son who wanted to take psychology at A-level but in fact, at his school they only offered it by a video link from another school, so he opted to study elsewhere.

If they are at a single sex school, they may wish to move to a mixed sixth form. My daughter found that being in an all girl environment got a bit intense at times, so was happy to move.

In February this year, some of the leading UK universities warned against studying 鈥榮oft subjects鈥� /news/education-12365050 at A-level such as media studies, favouring 鈥榝acilitating subjects鈥� such as maths, English or biology. They have been behind the publication of a booklet entitled to advise young people on post-16 choices.

The deadline for handing in the application forms will vary, so it鈥檚 worth checking with the college so as not to be caught out. They are likely to want a student鈥檚 predicted grades which they may well need in writing from their current school too.

The student will finally have to decide which sixth form they wish to go to at the end of August, just after their GCSE results come through. At this point it鈥檚 all systems go, the phone lines to the school offices become really busy and emails fly. They will then have to go to the sixth form of their choice to enrol on a specific day, prior to the start of term and finalise which courses they are opting for.

I have also known students who, having changed for sixth form, after a week or so decided that the new sixth form was not for them and then decided to return to their old school. Provided there鈥檚 space on the courses they鈥檝e chosen, a student might be accepted back there.

The process of checking out alternative local colleges and sixth forms may just serve to convince them that the sixth form at their existing school is as good as any, so perhaps staying on there might be the best option after all. However, if they鈥檙e after a specialised or vocational course then switching might give them a better choice.

Fiona Holmer is a regular contributor to the 大象传媒 Parents Blog.

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There has been a proliferation of book clubs in recent years and I for one, have benefited from reading and discussing books that I wouldn鈥檛 normally choose. But it鈥檚 not just adults who are getting involved - children are jumping on the book wagon too. Many parents and teachers are helping children to set up and run their own book clubs, with positive results.

Of course, adult book clubs are usually attended by those who love reading. This doesn鈥檛 necessarily have to be the case with children. They are still at an age where they can be enthused by reading, provided the book club is fun and well organised.

A good friend of mine noticed that her nine year-old daughter could read well and loved listening to stories but was less keen on reading to herself. So, with support from her daughter鈥檚 teacher, she set up a weekly lunch-time book club for eight capable but reluctant readers.

The difference in her daughter鈥檚 attitude to reading is remarkable. My friend points to many other benefits too, such as the opportunity to express and listen to different points of view and develop communication and analytical skills.

I am so impressed I鈥檓 planning to set up something similar for my daughter and my friend has offered plenty of tips on how to get the best out of a children鈥檚 book club. Before the first session, give each child a short welcome letter to explain about the book club. Ask them to think about what stories they enjoy and who is their favourite story book character. This provides a starting point for discussion in the first session. It helps to have the parents on board too 鈥� even better if parents can take it in turns to facilitate the club.

It鈥檚 also a good idea to provide a drink and a snack and to establish a few simple rules such as not interrupting and taking turns to speak. Here are some other considerations:

• Decide who will be in the book club: friends, classmates, recommendations from teachers. Eight to twelve children of a similar age and reading ability gives everyone a chance to participate
• Choose a location, either alternate homes or possibly your child鈥檚 school
• Have an adult facilitator present but allow older children to take control of the organisation and running of the club
• Decide on the frequency, length and time. For younger children, fortnightly or even weekly may be better if they are reading shorter books. For younger children, 30 minutes a session is enough and up to an hour for older children, either after school or at lunch-time if your child鈥檚 school is amenable and parent(s) are able to facilitate.

One of the most important decisions is to choose which books to read. Check out the 大象传媒 Blue Peter site for current favourites. With younger children it鈥檚 a good idea if the adult facilitator chooses the first few books but older children will probably want to take it in turns to make a recommendation. For less enthusiastic readers, choose a fun, easy book with larger than life characters for the first session to get the children interested.

Older children may have a favourite author and could explain why. If you need further inspiration there are plenty of online book clubs that offer suggestions and discounts. For some recommendations, try visiting the .

It helps to have some questions ready to get the discussion off the ground and gently encourage quieter children to express their opinions. Mostly importantly, let the book club develop into something that the children want and enjoy. It鈥檚 not like a lesson; it鈥檚 a chance for children to discover the pleasures of reading in a way that suits them.

Sarah Kingsley is a freelance writer and a member of the 大象传媒 Parent Panel.

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The odd thing about music in education is that although just about everyone you ask says it鈥檚 important, very few of them will then come out with a coherent reason as to why this should be.

This is a shame because it genuinely adds something to someone鈥檚 life 鈥� very few people will use it directly in their workplace but just about everyone will have some appreciation of it and it will help them relax, unwind and lead a more fulfilling life.

A budding violinist

My daughter has been playing violin since she was six and has gained in confidence and grown as a person.

Ways of introducing music as play, like the , which is used to teach violin and other instruments, avowedly don鈥檛 try to make professional musicians out of everyone but instead add to this 鈥渨ell roundedness鈥�.听

The idea is that kids learn to play with instruments first, as if they were toys, then they play-act bowing, then they learn to perform in front of people. After that, they learn to read music. Beginners are often very motivated. Other schemes such as those on offer at get the parents involved in the games too.

The principles are simple - first play with the equipment, then play-act as if you鈥檙e interacting, then actually do it and later learn what it looks like written down. This is an exact replication of how children learn to speak 鈥� it鈥檚 not surprising it鈥檚 often an effective way of teaching.

This sort of method produces some very keen hobbyist musicians as well as people who go on to more serious things. It works precisely because it imitates natural learning. Maybe there鈥檚 something to be learned about other subjects from this 鈥� I鈥檓 no educationalist but observing how kids play and learn simultaneously must surely tell us something about how the process works.

Music is a good end in itself as well. We can have endless debates about whether education in the arts is as productive or beneficial as the 'harder' subjects and people have done so.听 You could usefully observe that children are naturally creative, and as we all start as kids it makes sense to develop our creative abilities as much as every other element of ourselves.

The reasons I鈥檓 pleased my own child is learning violin are subtly different. First it came from her; we didn鈥檛 urge her, didn鈥檛 push the idea, she just became interested in listening to violins on TV and wanted to take part. Any parent who had the choice 鈥� which is a privilege, I鈥檓 aware 鈥� would want their child to have that chance if possible.

If there鈥檚 one job shared in common by parents and teachers alike then it鈥檚 arming our young people to go into the world and eventually cope for themselves.

The knowledge that she鈥檒l be able to go to college or later when she鈥檚 working, find out where there鈥檚 an amateur orchestra playing and build an instant social life in doing so is something I find very reassuring.

OK, she might chuck it all in 鈥� it鈥檚 her life, she has that right. But if education isn鈥檛 about opening people鈥檚 options as far as possible and giving them the choice, including music lessons, then what鈥檚 it for?

Guy Clapperton is a journalist specialising in writing about technology as well as small business for several major broadsheets. He broadcasts occasionally on 大象传媒 Radio stations and reviews the newspapers on the 大象传媒 News Channel.

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鈥淪tudents hit by more exam errors鈥� 听was the headline for a recent 大象传媒 report. Over the last few weeks a rash of errors in this summer鈥檚 AS-level exam papers have come to light across different subjects.

My daughter鈥檚 friend Nick who was doing a multiple choice paper in biology was one of the students who was caught out. He had done plenty of revision but when it came to one question, he was stumped. It was only later, that he discovered why.

The exams regulator Ofqual, has criticised these events saying they are 'unacceptable' . Ofqual stipulated that the exam boards will have to take the errors into consideration, by discounting marks for any questions that were impossible to answer or take into account any attempts made by students to reach the answer.

It is very difficult to compensate the students for the stress caused, as it might well have put candidates off their stride for the remaining part of the paper and meant they did worse overall.

Dr Jim Sinclair, Director of the 听on June 9th, about the errors in the exam papers. He confirmed that "students and parents should be assured that no one will be disadvantaged as a result of these mistakes. Examiners marking the papers are aware of the incidents and will make careful adjustments so that all students receive the marks they deserve."

Whatever the outcome, one can only hope that in future strenuous efforts are made to check exam questions thoroughly, in order to avoid such mistakes again.

Fiona Holmer works on the 大象传媒 Parents Blog.

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A year ago, when I was the leader in in Essex and the East, what always struck me was the way parents and teachers seemed to accept simple inclusion in sport, as the best deal they could get for their child with an impairment.

Whilst we have made great strides forward in pushing for all children to be able to access PE in their school, we also have a great responsibility to ensure that they are stretched and to let them know that we have high expectations for them.

This is the story of Sam, a boy in Year 8 with cerebral palsy/hemiplegia which restricts the use of his limbs down one side of his body. He loved sport at mainstream school but had always been on the outside looking in when new school teams were picked. His self-esteem took a knock and his belief in his ability was greatly affected too.

Sam's school put him through a 听in Essex where he was 鈥榙iscovered鈥� five years ago. He went on to break regional and national records for his age group, in disability sport and also had England trials for football. His self-esteem is well and truly boosted. He has medals galore and now his walk is more of a swagger than part of his disability.

It鈥檚 not about your child becoming the next star. It鈥檚 being aware that unless you put them in an environment where they are properly stretched in sport, and have the opportunity to measure themselves against other children with disabilities, they are missing out in a big way. What they gain from that disability sport is vital.听

So here we have two possible scenarios: one concerns the child in a mainstream school, where they are sometimes included but not stretched, and one concerns the child in a special school, where they are almost always included and often stretched.

Whatever the scenario, it鈥檚 very important to understand what makes a child tick in sport. What is their experience of sport (good or bad)? Have they ever been asked what sports they would like to try or what clubs they attend outside school? Would they like try something different?

There are some marvellous new sports for children in special schools. We have seen a huge rise in sports such as (a game in which you throw or kick a ball at a target), new age kurling, sports hall athletics, poly bat (similar to table tennis), (a game played predominantly by blind people) and many more.

The majority of mainstream sports have disability versions. There are numerous wheelchair versions of different sports 鈥� for example wheelchair basketball. A good place that will signpost you to various disability sports and outline how you can get involved is the .

When I was a leader in disability sport, we surveyed large numbers of children with a range of disabilities in mainstream schools in Essex and the East to find out exactly what their experience of sport was. The survey showed that only a few accessed clubs after school, most felt included in PE lessons but only a handful felt they were stretched in those PE lessons. We were able to identify the sports that our children were keen on, and actively put in place opportunities for them to access our clubs and competitions at the level they wanted.

Children with impairments need the opportunity to test themselves out against children who are of similar ability to them. Only when children like Sam are the shooting stars of sport, will they be included in wider society.

Joel Shaljean is deputy head teacher at a special school.

See also 辫补驳别.听

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听

Starting secondary school is one of life鈥檚 major milestones. Whilst schools do their best to prepare and settle new pupils into the new routine, there鈥檚 no doubt that it鈥檚 a stressful time for parents and children.

A good friend of mine recently admitted that she鈥檚 feeling nervous about her son leaving his cosy, local primary school and starting a new school in September, located several miles away. I felt the same two years ago, when my son reached the end of year 6, but there are a few things parents can do to help their child prepare for and settle in to secondary school.

It helps to be able to visualise a new situation so if your child hasn鈥檛 visited the new school recently, try to organise a visit before the end of this term. Also, practise the route to and from school several times, particularly if the journey involves public transport and busy roads. Doing it first thing in the morning at the exact time they will be leaving will ensure they know how much time to allow for the journey, especially at rush hour. Now is a good time to discuss road and personal safety issues 鈥� while they are more likely to listen to your advice.

The summer holidays provide an opportunity to encourage your child to become more independent and responsible. Suggest he or she organises social activities too, even if it鈥檚 just meeting up with current friends.听

Also, make sure you have all the required uniform and PE items plus stationery, rucksack and books well in advance 鈥� all labelled of course! It鈥檚 a good idea to involve your child in this process, as a way of preparing for the organisational skills that will be needed at secondary school.

Try to be sympathetic to any worries. It鈥檚 easy to dismiss concerns with a 鈥榙on鈥檛 be silly鈥� comment, but children cope better if they feel they are being taken seriously. If your child is anxious about making friends, come up with ideas together on how to start a conversation and how to get to know new people. The has some useful advice for children who are worried about starting secondary school.

Parental support during the first few weeks can make a huge difference. If possible, ensure your child has a nutritious breakfast before school. Of course, no-one likes being told off, especially in a new environment, so make sure your child arrives on time and wearing the uniform correctly.

One of the biggest challenges for most new secondary school children is organising their work. For the first few weeks, help your child sort out the right books and kit for the next day, until the timetable and routines become more familiar. Establish somewhere quiet to do homework and be prepared to help with scheduling, particularly if your child isn鈥檛 used to doing much homework.

There鈥檚 no doubt that the first few weeks of secondary school can be daunting. Make allowances for irritability and tearfulness, and keep after school and weekend activities to a minimum for a while. I remember being exhausted when my son started secondary school and it took at least half a term to work out a routine of homework, TV and supper that suited all the family. But new routines soon become regular routines and, before you know it, that nervous little 11 year-old will be towering over you and choosing GCSE subjects!

Sarah Kingsley is a freelance writer and a member of the 大象传媒 Parent Panel.

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This week鈥檚 story on the 大象传媒 News Education website warning us that the UK could become "yesterday's country equipped with yesterday's skills" if education cuts continue, struck close to home for me, with three teenagers potentially going to university in the next few years.

The percentage of young people going to university has dropped significantly in the UK since 2000. If you look at graduation rates, the UK had the third highest rates back in 2000 and had fallen to 15th by 2008, according to an OECD report.听

With the , it will be the poor that are hit hardest. 听The irony is that greater numbers of disadvantaged young people will be costing the government money anyway, as the alternative is to go on benefits.

Some university heads have predicted that the cuts will also mean that some institutions will close. The situation is made worse by the fact that with immigration rules tightening, fewer foreign students can come and study in the UK which means another fall in revenue.

It will be interesting to see how higher education fares in the UK in the near future. My daughter is part of the first cohort applying with the new fees in place and it鈥檚 certainly making her think seriously about vocational courses, and whether it鈥檚 worth landing yourself in all that debt!

Fiona Holmer works on the 大象传媒 Parents Blog.

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The obvious response to this question is that smaller classes would be better听for our children. They would get more attention from the teacher and hopefully better results in all aspects of their schooling.

The evidence of the ill-effects of large classes is quite compelling.

And the news for UK parents is not brilliant: , with an average of 26 pupils in a class.

, shows that Japan and South Korea have the largest class sizes, with well above 30 per class on average, whilst Greece has the smallest, with an average of 17 pupils per class.听

Larger class sizes are obviously more cost effective. One article presents a case for the large primary class size in the UK as they help to 鈥榣ower costs' - 鈥楾he larger class sizes allows the UK to afford better teacher pay and longer student learning hours, so basically it鈥檚 quite an effective spending choice.鈥� 听 Many children at primary level at Key Stage 1 are in classes of 30 (there is a limit of 30 pupils per class for children aged 5 to 7). By Key Stage 2, class sizes often exceed 30.

A recent study by the Institute of Education has proved that smaller class sizes are particularly beneficial for children who are low achievers.

The research shows that and have little interaction with the teacher. Students were twice as likely to misbehave in classes of 30 as they were in classes of 15. The report suggests small classes can be a valuable educational initiative right through school, but should be particularly targeted at lower attaining pupils at secondary level.

When I talk to my eight year-old about school, (she is in a class of 30) it often sounds like her teacher spends most of her time on crowd control and discipline, rather than teaching. I sometimes wonder how much one-on-one attention she actually gets.

Whilst I believe teachers are doing an admirable job, teaching more than 30 children must be a real challenge, even with the help of a teaching assistant. Perhaps this is too great a challenge?

Yet it is unlikely that the situation is going to improve. Education Secretary Michael Gove has warned that primary schools have to find places for an extra 350,000 pupils over the next four years, due to a 15 per cent increase in applications. 听

This coupled with spending cuts, surely means that class sizes are set to increase, even if more schools are built to cope with the extra demand. A recent report from Durham University claimed that the quality feedback from a teacher is more important than class size. .It costs a lot to reduce class size and it only works if class size is considerably reduced but improving teaching is more achievable.

I agree that a 鈥榦ne size fits all鈥� approach to education seems to support the financial interests of schools and institutions, but I鈥檓 not convinced it meets the educational needs of our children.听

Claire Winter is a member of the 大象传媒 Parent Panel.

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It will soon be school sports day for many children up and down the country, and as parents, it鈥檚 something that probably stands out on our calendars too. Not least because we have to ensure our children are sent to school with the correct kit, but also as we might be asked to help.

Last year was my first experience of sports day as a parent. It was the one school event I really didn鈥檛 want to miss. I鈥檇 planned a walk along Hadrian鈥檚 Wall last summer and wanted to make sure that it wouldn鈥檛 clash with the annual welly wanging and sack racing.

And of course, asking about sports day invariably ended up with me being coerced into helping out. I was very happy to offer my time to help set up and supervise some events, and as I had already gone through a school Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check this was an offer taken up very quickly.

I intended my involvement to stop at putting out cones and finishing lines, and knew parents鈥� race wasn鈥檛 for me. The argument I put forward was that I didn鈥檛 want to risk injury before the charity coast-to-coast walk that I had planned.

Interestingly, a report in The Guardian last year suggested that .

But for some mums and dads, a competitive streak compels them to enter, regardless of their physical condition. 听On the day of my son鈥檚 maiden sports competition I deliberately wore unsuitable footwear, but other parents had clearly come kitted out to race.

Competition at schools sports events is the subject of fierce debate. Should sports days be non-competitive? Or are they a good vehicle to practically demonstrate to children the general nature of life?

My son鈥檚 primary school have adopted a common policy of there not being individual winners, but that the children compete in teams and indeed, an overall winning team is announced at the end of the event.

It seems for older children, and secondary schools, there is renewed emphasis on embracing competitive sport. Last year, the government announced funding for a national schools sports competition, hoping to leave a positive lasting legacy from the Olympic Games. This event will be known as the .

Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt argues that: "Sport - whether you win or lose - teaches young people great lessons for life. It encourages teamwork, dedication and striving to be the best that you can be."

As someone who engages regularly in competitive sport, I would agree with him, but it鈥檚 not for everyone. Forcing involvement on those unwilling to take part or who are unlikely to do well, could perhaps have a very negative effect. Perhaps schools should consider involving children in alternative activities that don鈥檛 rely so much on athletic ability 鈥� for example, a treasure hunt with plenty of mind-stretching clues.

Sports day really is a highlight of the school year, but if you think we give school sports days a lot of attention here,

Ian Newbold is a freelance writer.

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You often hear the term Baccalaureate or Bac 鈥� there are the relative newcomers in the form of the English Bac and the Welsh Bac and of course - the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma 听on the other hand, has been around for a while and was first offered in the UK back in 1971. I took it myself in the early 1980s and it seems there have only been a few small changes since then.

But what does the ? It provides a broad approach to education, with all students taking six subjects, three at higher level and three at standard level, including the following compulsory subjects: maths, English, a science, social science and foreign language. These can be taken at higher or standard level depending on a student鈥檚 abilities and the direction they take for further education.

There are now with a steady growth in the number of sixth form colleges running it, including those in less privileged areas. 63% of institutions offering the IB in the UK are state schools. With the A-level pass rate continually on the rise and the recent introduction of the A*, the International Baccalaureate is increasingly viewed as a safer alternative.

Four years ago Barton Court Grammar School in Kent, took the big step of . It has been a huge success attracting a number of international students and despite a few casualties along the way, it has been well received overall.

My daughter has followed in my footsteps and opted for the IB. Being able to take two languages for IB was a big plus. She had been considering doing A-levels but felt restricted by having to choose four subjects and did not want to stop Spanish. She also commented that it would be frustrating having to drop one of the four at the end of year 12. So the IB was the answer and she is taking French at higher level and Spanish at standard level.

There are three other elements to the IB. Firstly, creativity, action and service (CAS) programme is another element of the IB is 150 hours of voluntary work within the community (an enlightened addition since my time). The CAS programme picks up on one aspect of the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, namely active citizenship. It requires young people to help in the community, for example serving in a soup kitchen, becoming a leader in a local Brownie pack or doing some form of voluntary work for a specified number of hours.

The second element is the theory of knowledge (TOK) course which is similar to the A-level in critical thinking but is not studied in such depth. The student needs to do a presentation for this. Thirdly, there is an extended essay of 4,000 words on a topic of the student鈥檚 choice.

The IB is ideal for a student who is a good all-rounder and who might not be sure of which area they want to focus on so prefers to keep their options open. Even though it is more work than A-levels juggling six subjects, it is very rewarding for someone who is reasonably academic. This podcast from Woman鈥檚 Hour testifies to the fact that the IB engenders independent study, giving young people a good grounding for university.

The diploma is recognised worldwide and most good universities require between 32 and 42 points, to secure a place (each subject being marked out of 7 and up to 3 points for TOK and the essay so a maximum of 45 points is awarded). The exams are all taken at the end of the second year so you do not have the pressure of regular exams for two years. Also the average point score has remained stable in recent years unlike the A-level, so when it comes to applying to university you know what to aim for.

With A-levels still being in a state of flux given the recent introduction of the A* grade, it looks like the 听when it comes to end of school exams. Although my daughter may prefer to leave an open verdict, with her 4,000 word essay still to be written by the start of the next term!

Fiona Holmer works on the 大象传媒 Parents Blog.

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