Options for A levels Schools and Colleges Post-16 Advice for Year 10 (and Year 11) Students and Parents

KS4 is the time when Year 10 and 11 students consider their options for post 16 education and training.

We are lucky in this area to be able to access a wide range of different institutions who offer post 16 opportunities.

This ranges from A levels to a vast range of vocational courses including apprenticeships, BTEC Level 3 Nationals. One of the first things parents often look at is league tables of results. However, it is important that league tables are considered at very carefully as different Sixth Forms and Colleges offer many different specialisms and courses and have different levels of entry and expectations in terms of GCSE results. Some post 16 providers offering just A levels may have a higher set of entry requirements.

League Tables here: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/schools-by- type?step=default&table=schools®ion=all-england&for=16to18

GCSE requirements of Local Sixth Forms and Colleges (alphabetical order for ease of reference)

These requirements are for a student wishing to study 3 A levels.

Institution General Requirements Other Requirements

Accrington Expected to gain 5 GCSEs Must include grades 9-5 in at grades 9-5 both GCSE English and Maths Alder Grange Sixth Form, All cases considered on Rawtenstall an individual basis, but subjects generally require a grade 5 or above Bacup and Rawtenstall In line with other Must include at least Grammar School providers, there is a grade 4 or above in both minimum entry GCSE Maths and English requirement – please view Language the prospectus/website Blackburn College Expected to gain at least 5 GCSEs at Grade 5/4s Expected to gain at least 5 GCSEs at Grade 5 or above Clitheroe Grammar School Minimum of 4 GCSEs at Must have at least a grade grade 6 or above 4 in both GCSE Maths and English Darwen Aldridge All cases considered on Must have at least a grade Community Academy an individual basis, but A 6 in both GCSE Maths and (DACA) level subjects have a English minimum GCSE grade of 6 Minimum of 2 GCSEs at Must have a Grade 4 or grade 5 and 3 GCSEs at above in GCSE Maths and grade 4 or above English Skipton Boys Grammar Minimum of, at least, 5 Must have at least a School Sixth Form GCSEs at grade 5 Grade 5 in GCSE Maths (Ermystead’s) and English Language Skipton Girls Grammar At least 5 GCSEs at Must have at least a School Sixth Form grades 9-4 Grade 4 in both Maths and English St Christopher’s Sixth Minimum of 4 GCSEs at Must have at least a grade Form, grade 5 or above 4 in both GCSE Maths and English St Mary’s Sixth Form, Minimum of 2 GCSEs at Blackburn grade 6 and 3 GCSEs at grade 5 or above St Wilfrid’s Sixth Form, Required to have at least Must have at least a grade Blackburn 2 GCSEs at grade 5 and 3 4 in both GCSE Maths and GCSEs at grade 4 or English above

 A number of Sixth Forms and Colleges also require students to have specific grades at certain subjects if they wish to study that subject at A level e.g. CRGS require a grade 7 or above in GCSE Maths to study A level Further Maths and St Mary’s College, Blackburn require a grade 5 or above in GCSE English Language to study A level Religious Studies or Sociology - make sure you check these carefully in the prospectuses/websites.

We have not included Craven College, Skipton or Myerscough College, near Preston as they do not offer A levels but do run a wide and interesting range of BTEC level courses. Also Darwen Aldridge Enterprise Studio School offers qualifications specialising in creative, technical and care sector pathways.

As GCSE requirements for BTECs differ so much depending on the level of BTEC a student may wish to enrol on, we advise students and parents to seek advice from the appropriate college.

What to look for in Sixth Forms and Colleges

No one institution is like another!

Sixth Forms and Colleges range from those with a traditional teaching ethos specialising in A level teaching to those with offering a wide variety of both A level and BTEC courses to those specialising only in vocational courses and offering varied teaching styles. It is important that your child (and you as parents) feel comfortable with the style of teaching offered at the Sixth Form or College.

The main way to get a feel for Sixth Forms or Colleges is to attend an Open Evening and hopefully these should be able to go ahead from September/October in some form.

It is important to remember that although prospectuses and websites have useful information about the institution and the courses and other facilities they offer, you will get a real feel for the place when you visit. Whilst you are there, look out for the following:

 Atmospere/Vibe  Facilities  Teaching and Learning Spaces  Libraries and Resource Areas

Also remember to ask lots of questions! Try and speak with teaching staff, pastoral staff and current students who should be there to help! Main areas to ask about are:

 What is the subject content of the courses?  What type of academic support do you offer?  What type of pastoral support do you offer?  What Post-18 university and careers advice do you offer?  What Extra-curricular activities do you have on offer?  If needed, you may wish to ask about support with regards to SEND (special educational needs and disabilities e.g. dyslexia, autism, slow processing etc)

Are there other ways I can access information about Sixth Forms and Colleges?

If you are unable to make the Open Evenings, if you contact them, most Sixth Forms and Colleges will accommodate you visiting at other times. This, of course, depends on the availability of your child and their current school!