The aim of Study Programmes is to maximise the potential of young people (16-19) to progress onto higher education and/or skilled employment.
(DfE, 2013)
All Sixth Form students will follow a Study Programme that:
- Provides progression to a level higher than that of their prior attainment.
- Includes qualifications of sufficient size and rigour to stretch students and that are clearly linked to suitable progression opportunities in training, employment or higher education.
- Includes opportunities to develop employability skills
- Includes activities unrelated to qualifications, which develop character, skills, attitudes and confidence that support progression.
Students will follow an agreed Core Aim, which is the main type of qualification students are studying. This will either be an Academic Core Aim, where students study purely academic subjects such as A-Levels, a Vocational Core Aim, where students study a Technical Level qualification such as a BTEC Level 3 course, or a mixture of both Academic and Vocational qualifications.
All students studying an A-Level based Study Programme will have ten timetabled study sessions across a fortnight. Study sessions may consist of a combination of directly taught lessons, periods of individual assessment, individual one to one mentoring/tutoring, or time for students to work independently on their work.
For some courses, the required practical time allows students to progress at their own pace to craft their work whilst receiving regular feedback from their teacher(s). Such work does not always necessitate a teacher to be with the students for all the timetabled sessions. This is particularly so where there is a small number of students studying a subject, as they will cover the course content in depth more quickly than for a large cohort of students. Furthermore, the smaller group size enables more of a 'private tuition' approach to learning and support.
In addition to allocated lessons, a student’s study programme will also include non-qualification activities, such as mentor periods, allocated independent study time and a weekly enrichment activity. It will also include work experience for a week during the term time.
Example Study Programmes
| Academic Core Aim for student who has 9-4 in English and Maths |
|---|
|
Substantial Qualification(s): Reformed (Linear) A Levels x 3 |
|
Non-Qualification Option(s): Mentor Period x 5 |
|
Study Period x 2 |
| Vocational Core Aim for student who has 9-4 in English |
|---|
|
Substantial Qualification(s): Technical Level Qualification + Reformed A-Level |
|
Non-Qualification Option(s): Mentor Period x 5 |
|
GCSE Maths x 2 |
|
Study Period x 1 |