Three years at sixth form before uni

[ShouldIStayOrRunAway]

DD is wanting to stay on at school sixth form to do A levels in particular subjects. However, she wants to also do certain subjects that her school sixth form don't offer. Is it possible to do 2 years of school sixth form, then another year or BTec for example?

Not sure, but I would be interested in the answer. I know many years ago, to do an art degree, we did a levels then the 2nd year of the art BTEC to build our portfolios. Others just did the 2 year BTEC.

I don't see why not, in fact my dd was considering exactly this. She might not get the grade for the uni she wants, so thought she could boost her points by doing a 1 year creative T level, sort of using it in lieu of a foundation year. It would work well because her 6th Form only really offers academic subjects, whilst the uni course she is looking at combines creative with academic.

My daughter really wants to do air hostessing but it's only a 1 year course and tbh she's incredibly academic so we spoke to the local celebs and she can do A levels at one college for two years and then go to the local college to do air hostessing for a year.

To be considered a full time student (so that the college or sixth form get funding) I think you have to take the equivalent of three A Levels.

Students are entitled to 3 years sixth form funding, but in certain circumstances you can get 4. My DC did a 2 year vocational level 3 extended btec then got funding for 3 A Levels for 2 years.

That's fantastic that your daughter has found a way round, fingers crossed it works the same way here!

Possibly, depending on the FE provision in your area. What are the additional subjects she wants to do?

Not an expert in FE funding, but once you've completed a full level 3 qualification I don't think you can carry on and do another qualification - Art foundation being the exception.

The three years is to enable students who don't do well enough at GCSE level to spend a year at college doing a Level 2, then a further two years doing level 3. Or students who start a level 3, to be able to switch to another level 3 at the end of year 12.

Criminology and Health and Social Care, neither of which are A levels as such, but are related to the career she wants. The A levels at school sixth form are more academic, but she is still passionate about them.

This is also my understanding, also not an expert.

You can't just stay on to do 'more' Level 3 qualifications or something else random.

Though I looked here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/advice-funding-regulations-for-post-16-provision/advice-funding-regulations-for-post-16-provision-2023-to-2024#student-eligibility

and I couldn't spot that rule.

Para 103: For students capable of studying and achieving either A levels or a substantial vocational qualification, the qualification should usually be at a level above the student’s prior achievement.

A second qualification wouldn't be higher than her prior achievement once she's got her A levels.

Well spotted.

"87: Institutions must be able to demonstrate educational progression for students recruited onto programmes funded by ESFA and be able to record evidence of good educational reasons for individual students recruited to programmes which do not provide progression. All such students should only make up a small percentage of the total student cohort."

Progression means a higher level.

@ShouldIStayOrRunAway , university admissions seems completely driven by your predicted and achieved A levels as far as I can understand esp with the reform to the personal statement from sept 24. She should choose the A levels she will do best in and then if her school offers an EPQ do this in 1 of her interests.
The Btec in health and social care is at high risk of being defunded from Sept 25 although the DfE won't announce this to schools and colleges until the summer of 24, it's because of the DfE's obsession with T levels and the gradual defunding of Btecs so they no longer exist.

Titchy is correct although she could do additional Level 3 qualifications if she paid for them

@ShouldIStayOrRunAway What career? You normally don’t need to specialise with 2 BTecs. A levels are good for careers too.

Thank you to all who have posted, it has given us a lot to think about

DS took 3 A levels, passed, but not with adequate grades to go to uni for the courses he wanted. We also looked for foundation degrees, but didn’t find any he was interested in and met the entry requirements.

DS got bogged down and made no decisions, we couldn’t find anywhere for him to resit the chemistry he wanted to take further.

DS has taken the first year of a level 3 BTEC which should give him the equivalent of 3 (more) A levels. His first year was free. He has been told the college will ensure he can enrol for the second year for free, I am not convinced, but he can take a student loan out for it, if he passes and goes on to uni, there is a process for the level 3 loan to be “forgiven”.

I am trying to convince him to go into employment with structured learning rather than uni, after he finishes this course (he has dyslexia, dyspraxia and suspected ADHD and autism and struggles with organisation, executive function etc)

Yes you can. I did it. As long as you’re under 19 you’re able to

My daughter started off at college doing A-levels but changed her mind after one year of the course and went for a BTech qualification instead. The BTech was a 2-year course so she ended up doing three years at college instead of two years. She graduated from University nine years ago and is doing very well in her career.

Others have already mentioned the issues around funding. And funding for some vocational courses is being withdrawn over the next two years as well- by the time your DD has done two years of A-levels, these courses may look very different.

However, it's worth pointing out that in most sixth forms/colleges, these would not be one year courses, but would be taken over 2 years e.g. alongside two A-levels. Some colleges will let existing students "fast track" a course in one year, but this can be difficult because of clashes in exams and deadlines. I think most colleges would be wary to allow an unknown student to fast track two of these courses- it would actually be a massive workload, potentially difficult to timetable, and there's no benefit to the college.

Have you actually spoken to the college about whether they would allow this? Because ultimately they are the ones who can tell you whether they'd support this or not, and I think the vast majority wouldn't. Just because something is theoretically possible doesn't mean an FE college has to allow a student to do it.

I think there's a high chance (although not confirmed) that a one A-level equivalent (which I assume is what OP is talking about, as no way you could do a full extended diploma, plus another subject in one year) AAC will be allowed in health and social care or equivalent.

But this raises another issue with "fast tracking" in that the first year classes and the second year classes wouldn't be doing the same qualification in 2025.

For interest: https://teach.ocr.org.uk/post-16-reform-aaqs