Post 16 Pathways
Post 16 Resources
Post-16 Pathways
An overview for students and parents
Whether you are in Year 11 and finalising your plans OR in Year 10 and starting to think about the step after Year 11 OR you could be the parent of a younger student, who just wants to understand how these things work! The landscape of post-16 options can look big and confusing. This should help to explain the pathways:
There are broadly three different ‘directions’ that students can go in after Year 11:
1. A levels; at either Sprowston, another Sixth Form or City College (the local options).
2. Vocational course; e.g. T-level, BTEC or similar. These are delivered by some Sixth Forms and mostly by local Further Education Colleges, such as City College and Easton College etc.
3. Apprenticeship/work-based route (must have accredited training alongside).
There are variations within the above options, but thinking about it in this way, keeps it simple to start with.
Certainly, this stage of Year 10 (summer term) is a good point to start some research in to these pathways. At Sprowston we use the County Council 14 to 19 website Help You Choose www.helpyouchoose.org to support the post-16 application process. You can search for local courses. If you have a specific course or subject in mind and you want to ensure you aware of all the local options, this can be a useful tool:
Once students are in Year 11, they will be supported in school to register on Help You Choose in preparation for applying to their preferred post-16 options through the site.
Please do remember that at the point in the autumn term where we are encouraging students to complete applications, this is not a final decision. They can apply for more than one provider and more than one course.
In the case of Sprowston, if they apply for a combination of subjects (normally 3 A levels) and then change their mind. They simply need to get in touch with the Sixth Form directly to change this.
We cannot emphasise this next piece of advice enough…..
Focus on the exploration of ideas for now. The most important thing is that students genuinely understand and have explored to a good level of detail, the content of any subject or course they are applying for. This sounds obvious doesn’t it? Believe me, this is the most common part of the process that students leave out!
For Parents
If you have further questions, drop the Careers Team an email at careers@sprowstonhighsch.org
We do hope the above information has helped to explain the options a bit. Whether you are a student or parent, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us if this has raised more questions for you.
One of the most helpful things you can do to support your child through this process? Keep an open mind. Please support them to explore the possibilities, but do try not to allow any opinions/pre-conceptions you may have, to cloud any decision they need to make.
It’s not always easy, but do try to avoid starting any sentence with “I think you should….”.