Sixth formers struggle with growing up because they’re still treated like children

As soon as I started at my school, I had a problem. I was seeing students crying – it was very overwhelming. I struggled with anxiety, because I never knew when I’d be in trouble. The shortest detention you could get was 20 minutes, which I got a lot but it went up to two-hour detentions and weekend detentions. 

I felt really jealous of people who went to other schools because they just lived a better life than me, they seemed to have more freedom and just were happier. I would ask my mum if I could go to a different school, but then when it came down to it I thought: ‘If I’ve got through it to this point, then I can go through it to the end.’

I was pleased with my grades but they really pushed us to the point where we were all just really tired in the end. Now I’m at college and I’m so much happier.

I think I would have done better at a school where I felt like this, partly because I’m more comfortable asking teachers for help. At my old school I’d always just stay quiet because there was this feeling that everyone else knew what they were doing, why didn’t I?

The friends I have who have stayed onto sixth form at my old school are still under pressure. They struggle with growing up because they’re still treated like children and still controlled by teachers. In fact they’re just not growing up at school at all.

Student, London