If you are 16 to 18
English and maths, alongside your main course
If you do not already have a grade 4 in GCSE English or maths, you will keep studying it while you are here. There is nothing to apply for and nothing to arrange.
Does this apply to me?
It depends on the grades you arrive with
Only English and maths, and each subject on its own. It is common to carry on with one and not the other.
In that subject
Grade 4 or above
- Nothing more to do. Your timetable is your main course.
- You will still use English and maths inside your vocational subject, because most jobs do.
Or no grade at all
Grade 3 or below
- You carry on studying it here, timetabled alongside your main course.
- It is a condition of your funding as a 16 to 18 student, not a decision the college makes about you.
What happens
How it gets decided
You will not have to organise any of this. It happens around you in your first few weeks.
You sit a short initial assessment
First few weeks
Everyone does. It is not an exam, there is nothing to revise for and you cannot fail it. It shows your tutors what you can already do.
Your course and level are confirmed
Straight after
The English and maths team decides between a GCSE resit and Functional Skills, and at what level. Functional Skills is a real qualification, not a lesser one: at Level 2 most employers and all apprenticeships accept it in place of a grade 4.
It sits in your timetable
Rest of the year
Taught alongside your main course by tutors who teach English and maths and nothing else. Your main course hours are protected.
Questions
For students, parents and carers
Can I choose not to do it?
No. Continuing with English and maths is a condition of the funding that pays for your place, not something the college decides student by student.
Does it cost anything?
No. Your whole study programme, including English and maths and your exam entries, is funded.
I got a grade 3. Do I have to do the GCSE again?
Usually yes, because a grade 3 means you are close and the GCSE is the qualification most likely to open doors for you. Your initial assessment settles it, and your tutor will explain the decision.
Will it take time away from my main course?
No. It is timetabled alongside your main course, not instead of it.
My child has an EHC plan or additional needs
Talk to our Additional Learning Support team before or at enrolment. Exam access arrangements, in-class support and alternative qualifications are all arranged through them, and the earlier they know, the better it works.
Who do I speak to if it is not going well?
Your English or maths tutor first, then your course tutor. Parents and carers can ring the college.