Applying for courses

College applications

Each college has its own dates for applications. You’ll apply through each individual college.

You need to check with the college, or colleges, you're applying to and find out what their process is.

Five important things to find out:

1. How to apply – is it an online form?

2. Will you need to attend an interview, or provide a portfolio or any other additional information? 

3. Can you apply for more than one course? Is there a limit to how many courses you can apply for?

4. What are the closing dates?

5. What happens once you've submitted your application? How, and when, can you expect to find out if you've been offered a place?

Click on the above links to visit each college and complete the following activities:

• Think about an important question – do you want to go to college or complete an apprenticeship?

• Remember you must be in education or training ( Apprenticeship) until you are 18 years of age.

• Look through the website at the variety of courses on offer.

• Pick which course(s) / qualification you are interested in taking when you leave secondary school.

• Look at the entry requirements for this qualification.

• It may be that you need to study a lower level if you do not meet the entry requirements for a level 3 course.

• Look at the content of the course and what will be required of you while studying (e.g. is work experience a mandatory component).

• Look at the application process (how to apply).

• Make a note of key dates (open evenings / application deadlines etc).

• Travel – Can you physically get to the college or workplace?

• Do I need to re-take my GCSE in Maths or English, if so, can I do this here?

• Remember not to be tempted to pick a college / course just because your friends are going there / taking that course.

• Remember to research what Career you are planning to go into. Make sure the course you study will enable you to reach your career goal….

• You can use a Career quiz to help you with careers research & employability skills.

• Make sure you have your CV completed and up to date.

• Make sure you are prepared for the interview process & questions.

• Year 11 students receive a 1-2-1 Careers interview with a careers advisor during the academic year.

During September of Year 11 we invite Post 16 Providers into school to host an information assembly to give students an insight to what is available to them post Stanway School. We encourage all our students to visit as many providers as possible to give them a broad selection to choose from. We also encourage students to apply to multiple providers to ensure they have options come August.

You may be entitled to some financial support to continue in education once you leave Stanway. Please click on the link below for more information

www.gov.uk/1619-bursary-fund/overview

Post-16 options in England are changing again and, for educators, that means another new qualification to understand, explain, and contextualise for both students and their families: V Levels.

From September 2027, students will be able to take the first V Levels. They are new vocational qualifications designed to sit alongside the existing A Levels and T Levels.

At first glance, V Levels might appear to be just another addition to an already-crowded qualifications landscape. But they could become an important option for students who want a more practical route after GCSEs, but aren’t ready ‌to commit to a specialised pathway.

What are V Levels?

V Levels are new level-3 vocational qualifications, with one V Level equivalent to one A Level.

Students will be able to combine them with other qualifications, rather than choosing between an entirely academic or vocational route. For many students, that flexibility could be a real advantage.

In simple terms, V Levels are being positioned as a broader vocational option—something that helps students gain useful work-related knowledge and practical skills while keeping their future options open.

Currently, their relationship with apprenticeships is unclear. It seems as though they won’t be taken as part of an apprenticeship, but this may change.

Which subjects are launching first?

Three subject areas have been recently announced:

• Digital

• Education and Early Years

• Finance and Accounting

These subjects can lead to future study, apprenticeships, or employment, which gives some insight into how V Levels are intended to work in practice.

How are they different from T Levels?

This is likely to be one of the first questions students, parents, and colleagues ask.

The clearest distinction is that T Levels are designed as a more specialist technical route. They are larger programmes, and more occupationally focused. They are intended to prepare students for entry into specific industries. They include at least 45 days of industry placement. And while one V Level is worth one A Level, a T Level is equivalent to three A Levels.

V Levels appear to offer something different: a more flexible vocational route that students may be able to take alongside other level-3 qualifications.

For ‌some students, this could make a big difference. Not every student is ready at 16 to commit to a narrow pathway, even if they know they want to take a route which is more vocational than A Levels. V Levels can help fill that gap.

Why does this matter for educators?

Post-16 guidance is becoming more complex, and to a large extent, more personalised.

For many years, student options after GCSEs have often been framed in fairly simple terms—academic or vocational. However, the introduction of V Levels adds a more clearly defined “middle ground”.

This means educators will increasingly need to help learners understand the differences between:

• A Levels as the academic route

• T Levels as the specialist technical route

• V Levels as a broader vocational route with more flexibility

That’s not just a messaging challenge. It also has implications for curriculum planning, option choices, and progression conversations. It will affect how schools and colleges support informed decision-making.

What else is changing?

V Levels are part of a wider set of post-16 reforms.

Alongside V Levels there are plans for new level-2 pathways for learners who need more time or support before progressing to level-3. There are also changes coming to English and maths qualifications for students who have not yet secured a grade 4 at GCSE, as well as further expansion of T Levels.

Taken together, these reforms are intended to make the system easier to understand. In the short term, though, they may have the opposite effect unless schools and colleges are ready to explain what’s changing in a clear, student-friendly way.

September Guarantee

The September Guarantee is a guarantee of an offer, made by the end of September, of an appropriate place in post-16 education or training for every young person completing compulsory education.  Ensuring that every young person has an offer of a place to progress onto is particularly important as it helps young people make a seamless transition into post-16 learning or employment with training.

The September Guarantee is supported by good quality information, advice and guidance. This can come from a number of sources which include:

• Teachers

• Parents and family friends

• Careers Coordinators and Guidance Advisers

• On-line and printed information about courses, progression routes and employment routes

What does the Guarantee offer?

The September Guarantee is an offer of a place in one of the following:

• A school sixth form

• A college of further education

• Employment with training to at least level 2

• An apprenticeship

Very useful link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/september-guarantee-offers-of-education-or-training-for-16-to-17-year-olds