Choosing post-16 courses
Don't know how, where or what to study? Read on...
Full-time study options
Stay on at your current school, if your school has a sixth form
Go to another school sixth form, if places are available
Go to a college of further education (F.E. college)
School or college?
With so many school sixth forms and colleges in Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole, it can be difficult to choose.
If your school has a sixth form, many of your class will stay on and this can seem the easiest option. If there is no sixth form in your school, you have to make a choice about what you're going to do.
What's on offer at a sixth form?
School sixth forms are often smaller than colleges and all students are around the same age. As the most senior students in the school, you may have the chance to take on special responsibilities. The courses on offer vary from one school to another. School sixth forms have traditionally offered mainly full-time academic courses like A-levels. Now, more schools are offering vocational courses lasting one or two years.
What's on offer at college?
FE colleges also offer both types of qualifications covering a wide range of vocational subjects, sometimes with specialist facilities for these. Colleges have students of all ages. Some will be studying full-time and others part-time.
What do you need to think about?
Do you like your current school and want to stay there for at least another year or two?
How do you find the teachers?
Would you prefer a fresh start?
Do you like the idea of making new friends?
What qualifications and subjects will you need for your future career?
Which schools and colleges offer these qualifications and subjects?
Have previous students achieved good grades and enjoyed the course?
Do the courses and facilities seem good?
What enrichment courses and other activities are on offer?
What jobs or further courses have other students gone on to?
How easy will it be to get to school or college?
How much will travelling cost?
Not sure what course or subjects to do?
Check the qualifications needed for any job ideas you have - use Kudos or Careerscape computer programmes for more information.
Think about what subjects you're good at and enjoy.
Think about your learning style.
What grades are you likely to get? (Look at the qualifications section).
Look at school and college prospectuses. They have short summaries of what you would cover on each course.
Look at websites and books that explain more about courses after year 11.
See your school careers co-ordinator or Connexions Personal Adviser for advice.
What next?
Go to the Looking Ahead website to search 4 courses.
Get hold of prospectuses and application forms for schools and colleges that interest you. (You can apply for as many as you like).
Get the dates of open evenings.
Compare courses, entry levels and facilities of places that interest you.
Weigh up the pros and cons of each.
Popular courses fill up quickly. Check with each college the best time to apply.
Get your application forms completed and returned for January.
Have a back-up plan just in case.
Contact Connexions if you are not sorted by the time you finish school or if your exam results are not what you had hoped. Places may still be available, but you might not get your first choice of course.
Check out financial help available.
Need extra help or support at school or college?
If you receive extra funding or support in school this should continue when you go into the sixth form. Your school, and the Children's Services Authority where you live, will be responsible for giving you this support.
If you need to know more, talk to the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) in school.
If you are going to college, you need to talk to the admissions tutor and the learning support tutor. If you are going to a new school, talk to the head of sixth form. Tell them about any support that you may need. Ask about this when you visit the college or school.
If you receive extra support in school, you should still get support when you go to college. Your personal adviser can help by doing an assessment of your support needs to give to the college.
Extra help available
- Help with personal care
- Teaching in small groups
- Special equipment
- A support teacher or worker to help with parts of your course or college life
- Help with writing and maths
- Help about how best to learn and study
- Help with travel arrangements
Colleges must produce a disability statement. This will describe the support they offer.
Specialist College
There are also some colleges which specialise in courses for learners with particular learning difficulties and disabilities.
The Learning & Skills Council (LSC) pays for a small number of learners to go to these colleges each year if local colleges cannot meet the learner's needs.
If you go to a specialist college, you might live at the college during term-time.
More information
SKILL is a national organisation for students with disabilities. They have some fact sheets which give more
What if you start the course and it's not right for you?
You may be able to change your course. You may be able to do a new course at the same college or go to a different college in your area.
You need to act quickly otherwise you might have to wait until the following September to start another course.
Always talk to your tutor or personal adviser before leaving a course.
Updated Nov 07