To think evening class GCSE/A Level provision for adults has massively declined since 1990?

[Blakeyzbus]

The Autumn of 1990 was the first year I was looking to do a part time GCSE course as I’d left school. I lived in a city and there were these huge paper supplements with the local newspaper that had loads of A level and GCSE courses you could choose from at different venues within the city. Fast forward to 2025 and I find that GCSE / A Level night school provision is thin on the ground in the same city.

I suppose I’m thinking this because it’s approaching end of August/ beginning of September.
Any thoughts?

A good friend of mine Organises creative subject part time and evening courses at a college in London, they seem to still have lots of options like pottery and photography which are not available where I am in Scotland anymore. Individual school exams very hard to find outside big cities. I looked into it for DS1 a few years ago as he left school having crashed and burned his way through exams. Access courses seem to have replaced them.

For anyone wanting to do A Levels for fun you can self teach most of them..those that don't require coursework. Just read the specification and buy the textbook. Might be worth paying a tutor to mark past papers. Lots of teachers teach A Levels they have no qualifications in by self learning with the textbook and specification. You would need to pay a centre to sit the exam. I realise this wouldn't be possible for everyone but if you are reasonably educated anyway I think it's definitely possible to do it alone or with limited paid help

It's not just academic evening classes that are missing. Newly divorced in 2006 I looked for evening classes in DIY, to learn how to use a drill and to do lots of practical things myself. There was nothing 😢 I've taught myself but I'd have love to have learnt other practical skills.

It was before that, 2005 or 2006. I used to work somewhere that offered a big night school programme. They had everything from CLAIT, ECDL, painting & drawing, conversational French…you name it! Most courses were fairly cheap with discounts for those on benefits/low income. Staff were allowed a free course, paid by work.

Funding was cut very suddenly and they stopped offering night school classes as it was no longer viable. Sad really, my friends dad was learning French, other people were trying to gain skills to enhance employment options, some liked the social aspect.

@CatherineParr while I agree with you, as someone who used to teach evening A level courses in the early 2000s, before the government funding stopped, we had plenty of people doing it for fun and interest. You can do it alone, but a big part of the course was meeting people and it was very social. I think it is incredibly sad that you can't do A levels in person for interest anymore - as so many are lonely and this was a good way to meet likely minded people as an adult.

I did that for law gcse and got an a star. However I believe
moving to a level is far more technique in the essay writing side. Over knowledge. Which you’d need a tutor to share examples to practice.
i decided to skip the a level and just do a second degree in law, which was interesting at 50.

We never did have evening class A levels available. They were day time at the local FE college. A few O levels for repeats too. Evenings were pottery, photography, local history - that sort of thing. Plus part time study towards basic professional qualifications. There never was a replica of a school near me in the evenings.

YANBU
They want struggling young people in work and not on benefits but there is next to no access to MH provision, it’s hugely difficult to get driving test dates and there are big difficulties in getting qualifications for those that have had a disrupted education.

Some Alevels aren’t suitable for doing at home.

Access courses aren’t cheap and actually for some Alevels over a longer period of time would be preferable.

Its simply not good enough.

This has been my experience recently as well. I wanted to learn DIY and car maintenance, in person not via YouTube. Absolutely no options available.

Local authorities are completely broke. The death of evening classes and night schools is a real shame, particularly for working class communities, but a pp is right: most people now get more qualifications at school (thank goodness).

And it’s not a good use of taxpayers money to pay for you to do random A Levels as a hobby: someone has to pay the exam board, the invigilators, the markers, the teachers etc, and numbers wanting to do it had declined.

Councils have to spend all their money on social care and looked after children. The Cameron Government cut their funds to the bone. All the money is gone for everything else.

Yes I’ve found some online classes which are good - BUT ……

like you I kiss the social side

back in 2008/9 I went to a Spanish GCSE class - it was a reasonably big class with many people there - and a variety of great people aged from 16-80 - I miss that I really do

Many people who did A levels in the evening actually paid for it themselves, yes some were funded by the tax payer (we could get adults to get loans like they do for access courses but that’s not possible for A levels for some stupid reason!) but now anyone who wants to access HE as an adults doesn’t have the option of A levels they have to do an access course. That’s just silly and limits people’s options.

I agree. I did two A levels at night school, and really enjoyed both the learning and social aspect.

Perhaps because it is lots of people prefer to do online classes now? That wasn't an option then.

I was toying with studying for an A level myself. The main cost/barrier seems to be doing the exam.

can yoh share who the provider was please?

They are pretty much a thing of the past here too, only maths, English, functional skills. My mum actually did a few in the early 2000s (left school in the 70s at 15, got a shop job straight from school, married by 20 so left the workplace and needed to upskill to re-enter the workplace). She did quite a few computer classes, a few gcses, a using the full Microsoft office suite class. The adult education centre also did photography, painting, sewing, knitting, card making and loads more, pretty much 6, 12 or 18 week courses every week day between 9.30 and 4. Bar my mum, a couple of other middle age women in the same position as my mum and 1 SEN adult, the majority of the attendees were retired (courses were free or significantly discounted for retired people) and were going for something to do. There was a group of 8 who basically did every course, constantly failed the exams but it was a social experience for them, they didn't do Tuesday afternoon as that was knitting club, Thursday morning was church coffee morning, Friday afternoon was pop in shop but every other course was attended. The courses were basically running at a loss. Just before it closed the adult Ed centre was used as a cheap Alternative Provision so lots of teens that could not attend mainstream school due to SEN were attending with either a 1:1 or as a group with 5 students and 2 adults. They also had quite a few SEN adults from the care home attend. Unfortunately, it wasn't really appropriate for either the teens or SEN adults and most them were spending their time in a corridor, refusing to attend classes and having meltdowns due to unmet needs.

Nowadays, the adult education centre is shut (shut 2011). Courses are at the central hub and only English, maths and functional skills.

Yes, there's nothing near me either (shit town, the Midlands). The only available courses of any kind take place in the daytime when I'm at work.

I'd love to do a language course one night a week, or higher Maths or even Philosophy. The only courses near me are watercolours with Beryl at the local village hall from 2pm til 3pm on a Wednesday.

Not GCSEs but I remember in the 90s getting a college brochure and enjoying looking through all the interesting adult evening classes available at easily affordable prices.

I'd pick something to try each term. I did various cookery courses, pottery, beauty, balloon modelling 😂. It was good fun and sociable.

It's very hard to find anything like that now and if you can find it the cost is hundreds of pounds. Such a shame.

Adult education is a mess sadly.. so much for lifelong learning which was the mantra when I did my PGCE in 2000

I think the Tories and austerity finally killed it off.
It makes me quite sad to see our local college all dark with lights off in the evenings these days. They used to do.GCSE's and A-levels mid week, lots of people coming and going. Not any more.

I attempted to redo my maths GCSE as an adult years ago, and the class was mostly full of disinterested kids who were resitting, and acted up like they were still in school. Think kids being told to put their phone away then arguing with the teacher. I dropped out as it was getting daft with all the disruptions.

I think you can do a lot online now but the issue is finding an exam centre to sit your exams in.

Access courses are good but so expensive now. When I did mine, it was about £200 (back in 2013). They are now £3380!

I just looked at the prices for my local college. GCSEs are £430! Only Maths, English and Biology available for adults to do. There are loads more options if you are younger. Adults can't do A-levels at all.

I did A level psychology at a evening class in 2002-3, It was fairly cheap as I remember and there was quite a range of choices back then , As others have said the only things available now are basic math/English type classes

Just to add, the Access courses in my local college are now just for health care like nursing and some AHP. There were other options years ago. I did Access to Science many moons ago, where some people went on to study chemistry and things like that.
It is like we are just forced down the one path now.

And it’s not a good use of taxpayers money to pay for you to do random A Levels as a hobby: someone has to pay the exam board, the invigilators, the markers, the teachers etc, and numbers wanting to do it had declined.

But it was never free. There were course fees, and exam fees, if it was an exam class. The fees were meant to cover the cost of the tutor and admin - that's partly why you gad to have at least 6(? I think) enrolled for the class to run. We had to buy the course book. It may well have been subsidised, but definitely not free.

The exams I did were at the local 6th form college, in a big hall with mostly 6th formers, so no extra invigilation costs. There would have been a bit extra admin for enrollment and exam entry.

Local authorities are not responsible for FE any more. Haven’t been since 1992. Colleges of FE can decide if such courses are worth putting on or not. Their funding is separate from local authorities.