Sixth form

In the education systems of England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and certain Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-level or equivalent examinations like the International Baccalaureate or, until 2023, Cambridge Pre-U. Key Stage 5 covers a similar stage of education, though it refers only to academic education and not to vocational education.

England and Wales

Sixth Form describes the two school years that are called by many schools the lower sixth (L6) and upper sixth (U6). The term survives from earlier form naming conventions used in both the state-maintained and private school systems. Another well known term is Year 12 and 13, carried on from the year group system started in primary school.

In the state-maintained sector in England and Wales, pupils in the first five years of secondary schooling were divided into cohorts determined by age, known as forms (these referring historically to the long backless benches on which rows of pupils sat in the classroom). Pupils started their first year of secondary school in the first form or first year; this being the academic year in which pupils would normally be 12 years old by August 31. Pupils would move up a form each year before entering the fifth form in the academic year in which they would be 16 years old by August 31. Those who stayed on at school to study for A-levels moved up into the sixth form, which was divided into the Lower Sixth and the Upper Sixth.

In the independent schools sector, the traditional public schools did not have a consistent naming convention, except for the Sixth Form.