What are the main options available to SCC students if they wish to continue in some form of education?

The vast majority of SCC students will continue in education after leaving us.  There are a huge range of different courses out there offered by a multitude of different providers.  Some of the most likely course types for students to follow would include:

A Levels

A Levels are the most traditional option for students to study after GCSE and are still the most common route into universities, although other qualifications can also be used to enter higher education. 

A Levels are now broken down into a two year course as outlined below:

·         AS Level – After one year, students can gain an AS (Advanced Subsidiary) qualification.  The value of this qualification is equivalent to half a full A Level.

·         A2 Level – Students can choose to continue with their study of a subject into a second year and at the end of this year they will achieve the full A Level.  The second year of the A Level course is called A2.

 

A Levels are available in a huge variety of subjects and the entry requirements will vary from provider to provider and from course to course.  As A Levels are the most stereotypically academic option after GCSE, the vast majority of students who study for A Levels will have 5 or more GCSE passes at A*-C and are likely to have at least C grades in both English and Maths.

Students often study as many as four AS levels during Year 12 and then often focus in on three A2 subjects during the course of Year 13.

BTEC Qualifications

There are a wide range of different BTEC qualifications that are available for study after students leave Y11.  These qualifications are traditionally seen as being more vocational and practical than A Levels.  Where assessment of A Levels is still heavily focused on exams during and at the end of the course, BTEC qualifications involve ongoing assessment throughout.

As with A Levels, different BTEC courses will have their own specific entry requirements.  BTEC Level 3 nationals would be the vocational equivalent to A Levels.

For more details on the range of BTEC qualifications, please click on the link below to access a full guide for parents and learners.

BTEC – A Guide for Parents and Learners

Apprenticeships

As employees, apprentices earn a wage and work alongside experienced staff to gain job-specific skills. Off the job, usually on a day-release basis, apprentices receive training to work towards nationally recognised qualifications. Anyone living in England, over 16 and not in full-time education can apply.

Apprenticeships can take between one and four years to complete depending on the level of Apprenticeship, the apprentices’ ability and the industry sector. The minimum salary is £2.60 per hour; however, many apprentices earn significantly more.

Here are some useful websites on apprenticeships in general and apprenticeship vacancies available in the north east.

http://www.apprenticeshipguide.co.uk/

http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/

GCSEs

Although most of our students will be studying for Level 3 qualifications (A Levels or a BTEC vocational equivalent), some students may be looking to re-sit particular GCSEs.  Many colleges do insist that students have at least a grade C in English Language and Maths and those students who do not have so upon joining the college will need to sit the exams in these subjects again in their first year.

With so many different qualifications, how do I make sense of the value of each?

With so many different qualifications, it can be difficult to understand how different qualifications compare to one another.  With this in mind, qualifications are organised into different levels. 

Students who achieve grade A*-C in a subject have achieved a Level 2 qualification, as would a student who has achieved a BTEC award at Level 2.

 

Level 1	- GCSEs grades D-G  - BTEC Introductory Diplomas and Certificates  - OCR Nationals at level 1  - Key Skills at level 1  - Skills for Life  - Functional Skills at Level 1	- BTEC Awards, Certificates, and Diplomas at level 1  - Functional Skills at level 1  - Foundation Learning Tier pathways  - NVQs at level 1
Level 2	- GCSEs grades A*-C  - Key Skills level 2  - Skills for Life  - Functional Skills at Level 1	- BTEC Awards, Certificates, and Diplomas at level 2  - Functional Skills at level 2  - OCR Nationals – at level 2  - NVQs at level 2
Level 3	- A levels  - GCE in applied subjects  - International Baccalaureate  - Key Skills level 3	- BTEC Awards, Certificates, and Diplomas at level 3  - BTEC Nationals  - OCR Nationals  - NVQs at level 3

 

In terms of entry requirements for Higher Education, both A Levels and BTEC awards at Level 3 have ‘points’ attached to them that can go towards meeting the entry requirements for Higher Education providers.