They were the best of times; they were the worst of times. My formative years spent at Sixth Form College London seem to encapsulate some of the best and worst moments of my life and when I reflect on my experiences they have adopted a mystique that I did not recognise at the time. My memories paint a picture of an almost Dickensian world where the parties were harder and the poverty greater than any of the most extreme moments of the rest of my life.
Mine was an independent Sixth Form and it was a brilliant place. We were allowed the freedom to attend classes or not which was a massive step up from the strict almost militant school that I had left. The responsibility was not always well placed as there were many days when excessive nights out drinking made subsequent days difficult to attend. Indeed, too difficult sometimes but I guess it taught me that I was in control of my own success and that I had no one to blame if I failed. I learnt quickly and am happy to report that I didn’t fail and all in all it was a perfect bridge between school and university where I found that I was far more independent than kids that came straight from school. Send your child to an independent sixth form. They’ll thank you one day!
