The hierarchy was frequently reinforced within careers advice and guidance which they often felt was more geared towards that route . The key reason for this was the presence of a sixth form . The impact of a sixth form was twofold . Firstly , participants felt that it inevitably led to the school wanting to direct learners into the A-level route .
I think if there ’ s a 6th form they probably would want us to come here ( Participant school A )
Like we ’ re rarely told in class about doing an apprenticeship in anything and we ’ re always told ok if you ’ re good at science you ’ ll do a science A-level , we ’ re not told like ok if you ’ re good at science you could do an apprenticeship in science ( Participant school B )
Secondly , from a personal perspective it also meant that for participants , sixth form provided them with an option that allowed them to stay in familiar surroundings , i . e . was a choice with a low level of ‘ risk ’. The role of sixth form was also emphasised in that apprenticeships appeared to have been presented as a more viable option for participants from school C , which had no sixth form . It should be noted however , that the most available data set ( 2016 leavers ) demonstrated that in three of the four schools , the percentage of pupils progressing into an apprenticeship after key stage 4 was higher than the national average ( GOV . UK , 2019 ).
This hierarchical structure of educational choices was often reinforced at home , especially from parents . Some participants reported that their parents were clear that they wanted their child to follow the A-level to university route whilst a minority were discouraging of the apprenticeship route .
I think she [ mother ] would want me to [ go to university ] just because I think that she would want me to because its higher education and you get further up ( Participant school A )
I personally think because she [ mother ] sees my brother in university she wants me to follow in the same line ( Participant school D )
The perception that apprenticeships are for certain ‘ types ’ of young people
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