Vocational Education

As a fully inclusive school we are committed to providing outstanding educational opportunities for all our students. Traditionally this has seen a focus on the more academic educational routes. The overwhelming majority of our students have followed a purely academic path with their subject options which has led to stunning results at A Level and exceptional statistics regarding university entry. Over 90% of our Sixth Form students attend ‘red brick’ universities and our A Level results place us consistently in the top five of non-selective state schools nationally.

We have embarked on an ambitious project to overhaul our provision of vocational education and refocus our existing technology based curriculum to be both more appealing to students and more relevant to the 21st century. We have launched a variety of BTEC courses in the Sixth Form and will continue cascading these down through Key Stage 4.

The ‘BTEC’ (Business & Technology Education Council) is a vocational qualification taken in England and Wales and Northern Ireland by young people aged 14 and over and by adults. The qualification is organised and awarded by the Edexcel Foundation within the BTEC brand.

What could these qualifications lead to?

These qualifications carry UCAS points and are recognised by higher education providers as contributing to meeting admission requirements to many relevant courses, if taken alongside other Level 3 qualifications, as part of a programme of learning. Depending on the other qualifications students have taken, they can progress to a degree programme in line with the sector they have studied. Progression can be direct to an honours degree or to a Higher National, a Foundation Degree, or a Higher Apprenticeship.

For some student however, participation in these courses will lead directly to employment and/or apprenticeship opportunities. We are eager to offer students an alternative to university.

We are running the following vocational courses:

  • BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Business
  • BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Business
  • BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Creative Media
  • WJEC Level 3 Diploma in Food Science and Nutrition (Replacing existing BTEC Hospitality and Catering course)
  • CACHE Diploma in Childhood Studies (existing course)
  • BTEC Level 2 First Diploma in Business