Your Study Programme

You will enrol on a two-year programme and will study three or four courses for both years, as appropriate to your individual circumstances and GCSE profile. You can take just A Levels or a combination of A Levels and BTEC courses. Some students choose to just take BTEC courses. Your suitability for a particular study programme will be discussed at both your admission and enrolment interviews.

A Level courses are two-year linear qualifications with examinations at the end of the course. Some A Level subjects also involve coursework and/or an element of practical performance.

BTEC courses are more practical work-related courses and are either taken as a Diploma (equivalent to 2 A Levels) or an Extended Certificate (equivalent to one A Level). They are well established and nationally recognised courses, which offer an excellent route to either higher education, employment or apprenticeships.

As well as studying your chosen subjects, you will also have the opportunity to take part in a range of Extension activities. Extension Studies in both the first and second year provide an excellent way to develop wider skills and abilities such as team-working, problem-solving, creativity, critical thinking and the capacity to conduct independent research, all of which are greatly valued by both universities and employers. In your first year Extension Course, you will have the opportunity to undertake a Complementary Study alongside your core A Level or BTEC subjects. For example, you might decide to get involved in Community Volunteering, take part in the College production, play team sports or join the Duke of Edinburgh scheme. In the second year, you have the opportunity to choose a specific Progression Pathway to support your progression and develop your skills further. The most popular current choice is the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ).