We offer a variety of different qualifications so that all pupils study a course that is the most appropriate for their learning styles and assessment needs. These include:

GCSE

• General Certificate of Secondary Education. These are the main qualification taken by 15-16 year olds in schools and colleges. You can also take them if you want to gain a qualification in a subject you are interested in, at any age.
• The qualification mainly involves studying the theory of a subject combined with some investigative work.
• They are usually studied full-time at school or college, taking two years to complete. Short courses are also available.
• GCSEs are at levels 1 and 2 on the National Qualifications Framework, depending on the grade you get.

BTEC

• BTEC (Business and Technology Education Council) awards are work-related qualifications suitable for a wide range of students.
• They’re built to accommodate the needs of employers and allow progression to university.
• They provide a practical, real-world approach to learning without sacrificing any of the essential subject theory.
• They can be taken alongside, or in place of, GCSEs and A levels. They can also form the knowledge component of Foundation Learning or BTEC Apprenticeships.
• Available across a wide range of industry sectors, they’re continually developed and updated to meet the needs of employers and learners.
• BTECs have been around for nearly 30 years and their reputation is second to none.
• They’re recognised by schools, colleges, universities, employers and professional bodies across the UK and in over 100 countries worldwide.
• They offer natural progression along a vocational path, from and to academic qualifications and university.
• BTEC qualifications are developed with key industry representatives and sector skills councils.
• Many industry and professional bodies offer exemptions to successful BTEC students for their own accredited qualifications.
• BTECs come in different levels, from Entry Level (Foundation Learning) right through to professional qualifications at Level 7 (equivalent to postgraduate study).
• They also come in different sizes at each level. The smallest size is an Award, the next size is a Certificate and the largest is a Diploma.
• The time taken to complete a BTEC depends on the size and level of the qualification, and also whether the qualification is studied full- or part-time.
• The number of units varies according to the design and focus of each qualification.

Functional Skills

• Functional Skills contain the core elements of English, Mathematics and ICT and students who take these qualifications will develop the transferable skills needed in everyday life and at work.
• The qualification mainly involves studying contextualized and relevant scenarios to learn problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics and ICT.
• They can be studied as a stand-alone qualification
• Functional Skills are accredited to the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) and are offered at:Entry levels 1, 2 and 3
• Functional Skills were designed to address the concerns of employers that many young people and adults lacked a firm understanding of the basic English, Maths and ICT.
• Studying Functional Skills will help you to develop the transferable skills you need in everyday life and at work.

DiDA

• DiDA – Diploma in Digital Applications – is a suite of ICT qualifications designed to enable pupils to become confident  producing digital content.  The qualifications are usually  taken by 14-16 year olds and have a broad equivalence to GCSEs in terms of grades and the amount of work required.