A level courses will have undergone changes to make them ‘linear’. This means all exams are taken at the end of the course. Key features of new A levels are:

• Their difficulty will be the same as old A-levels;
• They will be linear;
• Exams will have a greater variety to questions types (e.g. multiple choice);
• Coursework will be reduced.
• It will be still be possible to complete an A level in one year as long as all assessments are completed at the end.
• Grading will remain as A*-E.

A-Levels are usually offered in traditional academic subjects such as English, Theatre Studies, Photography, Biology or Maths.

Taking A-Levels is a good option if you want to go to University. You can sometimes take a mixture of A-Level and BTEC subjects at some colleges. Just make sure these are acceptable at the University you want to apply for.

T Levels are new courses which follow GCSEs and are equivalent to 3 A-levels. These 2 year courses, which launched September 2020, have been developed in collaboration with employers and businesses so that the content meets the needs of industry and prepares students for work, further training or study.

T Levels offer students a mixture of classroom learning and ‘on-the-job’ experience during an industry placement of at least 315 hours (approximately 45 days).

In time, students will be able to take a T Level in the following subject areas:

• accounting
• agriculture, land management and production
• animal care and management
• building services engineering for construction (starting September 2021)
• catering
• craft and design
• design and development for engineering and manufacturing
• design, surveying and planning for construction (now available)
• digital business services (starting September 2021)
• digital production, design and development (now available)
• digital support and services (starting September 2021)
• education and childcare (now available)
• finance
• hair, beauty and aesthetics
• health (starting September 2021)
• healthcare science (starting September 2021)
• human resources
• legal
• maintenance, installation and repair for engineering and manufacturing
• management and administration
• engineering, manufacturing, processing and control
• media, broadcast and production
• onsite construction (starting September 2021)
• science (starting September 2021)

FE colleges generally offer vocational (work related) and specialist qualifications.  They tend to provide courses for 16-18 year olds, as well as adult learners and often have close links with the community.

FE colleges offer a wide range of courses at a variety of levels. Each college is different, so you will need to check with a chosen college and what courses they offer. Some of the most usual courses include:

• Catering and Hospitality;
• Travel and Tourism;
• Health and Social Care;
• Childcare;
• Business Studies;
• ICT/Computing;
• Hair and Beauty;
• Sport and Public Services;
• Performing Arts;
• Media;
• Art;
• Animal Care;
• Construction;

however there are many more on offer.

The qualifications linked to these vocational areas could be: NVQs, BTECs, HNCs, HNDs and Foundation Degrees. These qualifications (mostly NVQ and BTEC) are offered at different levels. To get onto a certain level, you need:

• Level 1 requires 2’s at GCSE;
• Level 2 requires four x 3’s at GCSE;
• Level 3 requires five x 4’s at GCSE (inc English and Maths at 4+).

These can vary for each college provider.

Salford City College is our main FE provider. Other main vocational providers which Salford young people move onto include: Bolton College, Trafford College, The Manchester College, Bury College, Loreto College, Wigan and Leigh College, Bolton Sixth Form College, Winstanley College.

UTC’s are academies for 14-19 year olds. They provide education that meets the needs of employers. They offer technical courses and work-related learning, combined with academic studies.

All UTC’s:

• Are sponsored by a local university and employers;
• Specialise in two curriculum areas;
• Teach core GCSE’s alongside technical qualifications;
• Focus on sectors that require highly specialised equipment;
• Develop young people Business, ICT and Design skills to prepare young people for a range of careers and continuing education at age 19.

We have one UTC located at Media City near Salford Quays. It specialises in Media, which includes TV and Film, Gaming and Radio.

It has a Key Stage 4 which means it has a Year 10 and 11 cohort and a Key Stage 5 curriculum for young people age 16+.