Open or Closed Sixth some Consequences of Structural Change in Comprehensive Schools

Abstract

Summary Based on a survey of 969 university entrants from 163 comprehensive schools in England and Wales, this article1 examines the effect of the ‘open’ sixth form upon the educational background of university students. It finds that the ‘open’ sixth has considerable influence upon subject preference at ‘A’ level, upon the number of ‘O’ levels passed in the sixth form and upon the ability to change subjects at this late stage in a student's school career. The findings suggest that the ‘open’ sixth form is a far more flexible institution than its ‘closed’ counterpart, at least as far as university students are concerned. Finally, the article advances the idea that structural change in the sixth form is likely to be far more conducive to flexibility of subject choice than manipulation of the examination structure.1 1The research report on which this article is based will be published next year by Routledge and Kegan Paul under the title How They Fared: The Impact of the Comprehensive School upon the Univer...