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Work Experience Studying and Revising Qualifications and skills Career Planning E Guidance Aimhigher College and sixth form Apprenticeships, jobs and training Money University Transport Gap year and time out College and sixth form Continuing full-time study after year 11 – the basics, College, Sixth form, College and sixth form qualifications, Continuing full-time study after year 11 – the basics   Legally, you must be in full-time education until the end of year 11. Full-time study beyond this time is voluntary. This means you can leave college or the sixth form at any stage. Some students leave their courses early but most complete their courses and leave with a range of qualifications   College and sixth form study is known as “further education” (with university study being called “higher education”)   When planning to go to college or sixth form look ahead to what you will be doing after you leave. This could include going to university, starting your career, doing an apprenticeship or having time out   Applications to colleges and sixth forms are made during year 11. You can apply for more than one course at each place and to several colleges and schools at the same time. Then you can decide nearer the time   Your course should be free if it’s full-time (at least until you are nineteen). Depending on your age and household income you may receive a weekly Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). More help may be available if you are in particular hardship. See Money and Transport for more information   You can find out more about colleges and sixth forms from your Connexions PA. There should also be Connexions PAs working in your chosen college or sixth form College   There are five colleges in Somerset. Together they do all sorts of courses   Some courses build on the subjects you have done at school (and give you the chance to do new ones). Others concentrate on a particular job area   There are courses for everyone regardless of how well they’ve done at school. Some need good GCSE passes; others need few or no school qualifications   You can tell courses apart by their levels. These range from entry level (for students needing extra help and support) through to levels 1, 2 and 3 (with level 3 courses needing four or five GCSEs at grade C or better)   Most courses last one or two years. You may decide to do a lower course followed by a higher one. This means you may spend one, two or three years at college   You don’t have to go to college immediately after year 11. You can start when you are 17, 18, 19 or older   Most 16-19 year olds study full-time. Hours vary between courses, schools and colleges. You may have more free time than at school but your day could be longer with a later finish   It’s also possible to study part-time. This could be for just a few hours or nearly as much as for a full-time course. Study could be during the day, the evening or as part of your job. The money side of things could be different for part-time study (so check in advance)   For further information on the colleges in Somerset please see www.thinklearning.co.uk and the Your Town/Area section on this site   To view details of College open evenings in Somerset click here Sixth form   Some schools have sixth forms for students aged over sixteen. If you’re at a school that doesn’t have a sixth form you can still join one at another school   Nine Somerset maintained (state) schools have sixth forms (as well as eleven independent schools in the county)   Sixth forms offer broadly similar courses to colleges (but may not offer such a wide choice)   Entry qualifications to each course depend on how well you’ve done in year 11. There are usually courses at different levels meaning that there’s something available for most people   Courses last one or two years. Some people do a one-year course followed by a more advanced two-year course. This means you could spend one, two or three years in the sixth form   Depending on each school’s policy you may be able to join a sixth form when you are 17, 18 or slightly older   Sixth forms are part of schools so school rules may still apply (but there may be certain privileges for sixth formers)   For further information on the sixth forms in Somerset please see the Your Town/Area section on this site College and sixth form qualifications At college or sixth form you can do qualifications at various levels:   entry level   level 1   level 2   level 3 Some of these courses are at a similar level to the work you do in years 10 and 11 (but may take a different approach, be more specialised and be in a completely new subject). Others are at a higher level and get you ready for options such as university. What is available varies between schools and colleges. Here is a list of the main qualifications on offer:   AS and A levels (level 3)   BTEC First (level 1), Introductory (level 2) and National (level 3)   Diploma: Foundation (level 1), Higher (level 2), Advanced (level 3)   GCSEs (level 2)   International Baccalaureate (level 3)   National Vocational Qualifications (levels 1, 2 and 3)   OCR Nationals (levels 1, 2 and 3)   Various courses and qualifications preparing you for progression (entry level)   Vocationally Related Qualifications (levels 1, 2 and 3) Here is some extra information about two of these qualifications. Diplomas are new, the International Baccalaureate has been around for a while but is now being made more available. The DIPLOMA The Diploma is a major new qualification that offers a mixture of classroom learning and hands-on experience. It can be done on its own or with other qualifications (such as A levels or GCSEs). The Diploma can be taken at three levels so you choose the one that suits you best:   Foundation (level 1)   Higher (level 2)   Advanced (level 3) With each there is the chance to gain an extended diploma by doing extra, more intensive study. Level 3 Diplomas are graded the same as A levels and can be used for entry to university or employment. The Advanced Diploma is equivalent to 3.5 A levels. It consists of core diploma study together with additional and specialist learning. If you just do the core study you’ll get a Progression Diploma (equivalent to 2.5 A levels). The more intensive Extended Diploma is equivalent to 4.5 A levels. By 2009 there will be Diplomas starting at each level in:   business, administration and finance   construction and built environment   creative and media   engineering   hair and beauty   hospitality and catering   information technology   land-based and environmental   manufacturing and product design   society, health and development Public services, retail, sport and travel & tourism will follow later but, in the meantime, you can still do existing courses in these subjects. To discover more about Diplomas go to www.direct.gov.uk/diplomas INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE More students are being given the chance to do the International Baccalaureate (IB) instead of A levels. This is a two year course. What makes it different is you do six subjects to gain one overall qualification. Three of these subjects are studied in more depth than the others. The six subjects come from:   English   a modern foreign language   individuals and societies (geography, history, philosophy, philosophy)   experimental sciences (biology, chemistry, physics)   maths/IT   the arts (art, music) or something from the above And you do three core units:   extended essay (up to 4,000 words)   theory of knowledge You score points depending on how well you do. 45 points is the top score; 24 points is a pass. Find out more at www.ibo.org Return to top of page Make text larger Make text smaller Text Only Display Disclaimer