Do I need to study functional skills?

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If you do not have suitable prior English or maths qualifications, you may need to study functional skills to achieve the English/maths level required to achieve the overall apprenticeship. Apprentices on level 2 apprenticeships may be requested to study and attempt the examinations for level 2 English/maths even though only level 1 qualifications are required to achieve the apprenticeship because The Sheffield College is expected to upskill learners. Upskilling your English/maths qualifications will benefit you when progressing to higher level courses and when applying for new jobs. Special exemptions may apply for learners with considerable Additional Learning Support needs.

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Are my prior qualifications suitable?

I have Additional Learning Support needs, can special considerations be made?

Can I study for a GCSE qualification rather than functional skills?

I do not have a suitable English or maths qualification at level 1 or above

(Exemptions may apply to apprentices with additional learning support needs)

I am on a Level 2 apprenticeship

You must study and pass the examinations to achieve level 1 English/maths to be able to achieve your apprenticeship.

You will also be requested to study for and attempt the examinations at least once for level 2 English/maths but even if you do not pass, you can still achieve the apprenticeship.

I am on a Level 3 or above apprenticeship

You must study and pass the examinations to achieve level 2 English/maths to be able to achieve your apprenticeship.

I have level 1 English/maths qualification such as functional skills or GCSE grade D-E or 3-2

I am on a Level 2 apprenticeship

You will be requested to study for and attempt the examinations at least once for level 2 English/maths but even if you do not pass, you can still achieve the apprenticeship.

I am on a Level 3 or above apprenticeship

You must study and pass the examinations to achieve level 2 English/maths to be able to achieve your apprenticeship.

I have level 2 or above English/maths qualification such as functional skills, GCSE grade A-C or 9-4 or an A-Level

I am on a Level 2 apprenticeship

You do not need to study functional skills English/maths. Your English & maths skills will be stretched in the vocational aspects of your apprenticeship.

I am on a Level 3 or above apprenticeship

You do not need to study functional skills English/maths. Your English & maths skills will be stretched in the vocational aspects of your apprenticeship.

I am not sure what level my qualifications are or if they are suitable

This may apply to less commonly known qualifications and overseas qualifications.

We will need to assess your qualifications and determine if they are suitable to exempt you from studying functional skills. If you have overseas qualifications you may be required to apply for an ENIC statement of comparability.

Are my prior qualifications suitable?

Although you may have studied and achieved English/maths qualifications, some types of qualifications may not be suitable because they are not conventional functional skills or GCSEs. Or it may be that you have lost the certificates and you have other evidence such as a statement of results, but these are not always accepted by the End Point Assessment Organisation.

If you have qualifications achieved outside of the United Kingdom, you may need to apply for an ENIC statement which shows what your overseas qualifications are equivalent to when compared with UK qualifications.

Please see the section Are my prior English and maths qualifications suitable? for more information.

I have Additional Learning Support needs, can special considerations be made?

If you have considerable Additional Learning Support needs, we will need to make an assessment of your needs and see if you have pre-existing supporting documentation, for example an "Education & Health Care (EHC) Plan". Depending on your needs, we may be able to offer special considerations such as:

Examination considerations such as extended time, a scribe, or coloured paper
Working towards a lower level functional skill (for example, while you would typically require level 1 functional skills you may instead be able to work towards level Entry 3

Can I study for a GCSE qualification rather than functional skills?

Generally, we recommend all apprentices who require English/maths to study towards functional skills, as the qualifications are more straight forward, and we have more flexibility as to when classes and examinations can take place. Functional skills are easier than GCSEs for most learners to pass the examination as it focuses on subjects applicable to most workplaces, excluding more advanced topics such as trigonometry.

Apprentices can request to study towards GCSE English/maths instead of functional skills if desired, but classes take place at more rigid times during the year and if you do not get the grade you require in the examination, you may have to wait until allotted times to take a resit. GCSE training and examination is less flexible so we have to timetable classrooms and examinations to specific times of the year.

We recommend that apprentices work towards level 2 functional skills which will be suitable as the English/maths for all apprenticeship levels.