Up until
the end of high school, I thought all non-fee paying schools were relatively
similar. I knew that religious schools existed, and that they operated somewhat
differently to your average state school, but I was not prepared for the huge
culture shock I experienced when I started a catholic sixth form. From year 7
to year 11 I attended an OFSTED ‘satisfactory’, borderline ‘rough’
comprehensive school. To study for my a-levels, I thought the local catholic
sixth form (attached to a catholic high school) would suit my need for a
structured learning environment more than a college, so I happily filled in all
the paperwork and a few months later was offered a place.
The
following September I skipped (metaphorically, of course) up the drive of my
new sixth form, despite all of my friends opting for the other college, I was
optimistic and excited to start my studies. On reflection, I can’t really
remember what I was expecting from sixth form, something similar to school but
with more praying perhaps. In reality, stepping into my sixth form was like
stepping into to a whole new world. Throughout the 2 years, I learned a lot
and, even though I hate this cliché, I definitely ‘changed as a person’.
The first
thing that hit me as I walked through the corridors on my first day was that
nobody hit me. At high school, the corridors were like a rugby scrum, there was
pushing and shoving and shouting and swearing; whereas now, everyone walked on
the left hand side in a quiet and orderly fashion. It sounds small but I found
it very strange, even more so when a year 7 boy held the door open for me
rather than slamming it in my face. For me, this is the perfect representation
of the discipline and respect for others that is drilled into children at
religious schools, something which was neglected at my state school.
Another
strange thing I discovered was that pupils actually did the work they were set.
I found it incredibly odd as I walked through the sixth form study area to find
around 40 pupils all sat in silence completing homework and independent study,
with no teacher present to supervise. If we had had this kind of area at high
school, it would have been turned into an extension of the canteen, paper would
be thrown, pranks would be played and not a single piece of work would have been
done. The fact that there were children and young people who actually wanted to
learn amazed me and made me realise that, actually, I really wanted to learn too.
It changed my mindset from seeing school as somewhere where I was forced to
work to somewhere where I was given the opportunity to study and enrich myself.
The way
my sixth form worked was that you had to be religious to attend the high
school, but anyone could attend the sixth form. As an atheist, I was
apprehensive about what the religious pupils would be like. I thought they
would be serious, difficult to chat to and I was worried we would have nothing
in common. I could not have been more wrong. I met some of my best friends at
sixth form, many of whom are deeply religious. I used to think that a religion
was something which consumed a person. I saw religious people as ‘Christian’
‘Jewish’ or ‘Hindu’ etc. and failed to recognised they had other
characteristics such as ‘funny’ ‘kind’ or ‘sporty’. Also, I thought that religious people would
not want to be friends with me because I didn’t share their beliefs.
Thankfully, these preconceived ideas I had were soon destroyed as I realised
that religious people were actually just like me, except they believe in a God/Gods
and I don’t- simple! The majority of people were also happy to answer my
questions about their faith, I am fascinated by what makes someone religious
and if people from religious families truly believe their teachings. I learned
so much about religion and culture over the 2 years and it made me a more
tolerant, understanding and overall less ignorant person.
My sixth
form required pupils in year 12 to complete 50 hours of ‘enrichment’ over the
year. Enrichment could be anything from charity work to completing a road
safety course to learning a new sport. It struck me that although I was at a
very academically high performing school, the headmistress and senior
management team obviously cared a lot about pupil’s personal skills as well.
They recognised that there was more to education than exam results and this was
something I had never considered before. Even our lessons were not completely
geared around passing the exam, instead, the teachers tried to give us a broader
understanding of the subject. At my comprehensive school, this was never the
case and we were simply taught the syllabus and spent countless hours trawling
over past exam papers. I learned that school didn’t have to be like the ‘exam
factory’ I had experienced and that there was more to education, more to life
in fact, than getting qualifications.
I think
this is an appropriate point at which to say that I don’t completely disregard
my high school. I am so thankful that I went there for my secondary education
rather than attending a religious or private school. I was exposed to a wide
range of people from different social and economic backgrounds, something that
you just don’t get from non-comprehensive schools. I felt like my sixth form
was a bit of a bubble, most people were middle class and aspired to go to
university. Hardly anyone knew what it was like to struggle financially or
suffer real hardship. Also, I noticed that pupils who had attended the catholic
high school were not as independent as those who had just come in year 12. I
was incredibly taken aback one day when one of my friends said she had never
been on a bus! At comprehensive school you learn to look after yourself, stick
up for yourself and generally become a bit of a ‘tough cookie’. If you can stand
the taunts and teasing of year 9 then I truly believe you can handle 99% of
other situations you will encounter later in life.
I truly believe
that going to a catholic sixth form rather than college was one of the best decisions
I ever made, on both an academic and personal level. It was a drastic change
from what I was used to, and having to adapt was also a very worthwhile
experience. However, if I was given the choice to go back and complete my
secondary education their too, my answer would be a resounding ‘no’. The
comprehensive experience is so valuable, even if the educational side of it isn’t
that great. I would probably have got better GCSEs at a religious/private high
school, but at least I know how to catch a bus.
