Beyond the Classroom
Options at 16
Many students decide to continue on at Thomas Telford Sixth Form but there are other choices too, like studying at a college or a training provider or getting an apprenticeship. What is important is to choose the course or training to suit your skills and aspirations.
The pathway you choose will be based on the following:
- The GCSE grades you have achieved or expect to achieve
- How you like to learn
- Where and what you would like to study later
- What you want to do in the future
Choosing the right courses can be critical for some career paths and it’s important to not unintentionally close off paths that you may wish to pursue later on in your career.
What you can do to make the right choice:
- Find out about different careers that interest you
- Get advice from the people who know you like your parents and teachers and from The Careers Team at School
- Look at the qualifications on offer to you at Thomas Telford Sixth Form and in other local colleges and also consider whether an apprenticeship might be a good route for you.
Click here to find out more about the different routes available to you.
Choosing the right Sixth Form courses for university
If you have a particular degree or subject in mind, now is the time to check out the entry requirements on the UCAS site, so that your post 16 choices are the right ones to ensure you get where you want to go post 18!
If you really don’t know what you want to do at 18, but you think higher education might be of interest then choose a broad range of subjects at 16 so you have maximum choice of university subjects later.
There are some A Level subjects regarded by virtually all universities as being acceptable. These are sometimes known as ‘facilitating’ subjects such as Maths, English, Physics, Biology or Chemistry , History or Geography or a language.
Whether you have a clear idea of what you would like to study at University or not, the Russell Group of 24 Leading Universities has developed a website designed to help students and their families choose the right subjects to study at sixth form. Students can use the website to learn which subjects are usually required for particular degree programmes, and to receive suggestions for potential degrees if they are uncertain about what they want to study. The website can be accessed here – https://www.informedchoices.ac.uk
What courses are available at Thomas Telford Sixth Form?
If you are thinking about taking A Levels or BTEC qualifications you need to choose subjects:
- you will enjoy;
- you believe that you will do well in;
- that will help you get to where you want to go in the future.
Thomas Telford School offers a wide variety of A Levels and vocational courses including BTECs and Cambridge Technical qualifications.
Students are encouraged to discuss their A level/BTEC choices with their Personal Tutor, subject teachers and to take advice from The Careers Team.
Apprenticeship Options
An Apprenticeship is a great way to learn on the job, building up knowledge and skills, gaining qualifications and earning money at the same time.
You will spend most of your time in the workplace gaining job-specific skills, but you will also be supported by a specialist learning provider to build up your knowledge and qualifications.
Apprenticeship training normally takes between one and four years to complete and the length of your Apprenticeship will depend on its level, the industry you’re training in and the skills you already have.
Have a look at the Employment and Apprenticeships page on the website for more details or speak to one of our Careers Advisors in School.
What if TTS doesn’t offer me the A level course that I want to do?
Not all subjects are offered at Thomas Telford School in the VI Form and students may wish to research other post 16 providers for courses such as Law, Media Studies, Sociology, Photography and Animal Care.
There are many different colleges in the Telford and Wolverhampton area. The links below will take you to their individual home pages.
