Overview Financial Support Every Child Matters

Information For Parents

Year 11 is a year of decision making for young people as they reach the end of compulsory education, but whatever they choose to do, they should be encouraged to continue learning and to gain qualifications which will help them in their future working lives. Recent research has shown that people with 5 good GCSEs earn around 18% more than those with none.

The choices for your son/daughter include:

• continuing in full-time education
• going onto a work-based learning programme, an Apprenticeship
• going into employment, which could include part-time learning
• e2e programme (Entry to Employment)

Further Education

...either in the sixth form at the same or another school, at a sixth form college, or at a college of further education. A very wide range of courses is available for either academic or vocational study, including:

Advanced Subsidiary/Advanced Level GCSE (AS/A Levels) and Applied A Levels

Usually your son/daughter will continue with subjects they have studied at GCSE into A Level. It is also possible for them to take up a new subject completely. A Levels are taken in 2 stages - the first half is known as AS (Advanced Subsidiary) and as it is a qualification in its own right, it does not have to be studied to full A Level. Most students take 3 or 4 AS Levels in the first year of sixth form, which they narrow down to 2 or 3 subjects which are studied to full A Level. Alternativley your son/daughter may do an Applied A Level - this is a vocational qualification in areas such as ICT and Health & Social Care.

Diplomas

• From September 2009 Diplomas are available in 10 vocational subjects including Business, Construction, Creative and Media, Engineering, Hospitality and IT.
• A Diploma can be studied at 3 levels: Foundation and Higher, (which can be taken from Years 10 and 11), and Advanced (which can be taken in the 6th Form or College).
• Study of a Diploma includes a mixture of theory and practical experience as well as Maths, English and IT skills relevant to the subject.
• Not all Diploma subjects are available in all schools/colleges – check on the Online Prospectus or with your Personal Adviser if you are unsure

Vocational Qualifications

There are many vocational qualifications on offer in school sixth forms as well as at colleges. They are useful for those who may have a good idea of the type of work they wish to enter. Some of these qualifications may be known by their examination board such as City & Guilds or BTEC.

Work Based Learning

This option combines work experience with the chance to take an NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) or other recognised qualification - many of these give the young person the opportunity of being on an Apprenticeship scheme.

With an Apprenticeship your son or daughter would work for an employer whilst learning on the job, earning money, and taking an NVQ. There is a wide range of occupational areas for Apprenticeships, and these include animal care, business administration, catering, construction, health and social care, hair and beauty, motor vehicle maintenance and many more, although they are not all available at all times.

Apprenticeships involve working on key skills qualifications, an NVQ at Level 2 or Level 3, and may lead to a City & Guilds or BTEC certificate.

All 16-17 year olds who have 5 or more passes at Grades A-G have an entitlement to an Apprenticeship place, and your Connexions Adviser will help you and your son or daughter to decide which level of Apprenticeship is best for them.

More information about Apprenticeships is available on the website at www.apprenticeships.org.uk

Employment

Employment without any further learning is the least valuable option for a young person leaving Year 11. It is worth encouraging your son/daughter to only consider taking a job that offers continued learning which leads to an NVQ qualification. All young people aged 16 and 17 who are in employment are entitled to reasonable, paid, time off from work to continue with study or training if they are not yet qualified to Level 2 - which is GCSEs at Grades A-C or NVQ at Level 2 or equivalent, so all young people should be able to aim for a job with training up to at least Level 2.

Entry To Employment

If your teenage son or daughter is not yet ready for any of the options already mentioned, then there is a flexible and individually tailored programme for 16-18 year olds which will help them prepare for that next step. e2e has been designed to help teenagers develop their literacy and numeracy skills, along with building confidence and self-esteem. It allows young people the opportunity of trying different jobs and gain qualifications in basic skills. Young people can receive EMA (Education Maintenance Allowance) whilst on the programme.

Further Advice And Guidance

Advice and guidance is available for all 13-19 year olds in England. Every school in the Bradford District has at least one Connexions Personal Adviser who can offer impartial advice and guidance to students and their parents. They provide straightforward information, practical help and advice on a range of issues, from job search to choosing courses, sorting out finances, finding health advice. They are there to help your teenager through this period and are happy to deal with any issue they may wish to raise in their school/college, work or personal life.

You can contact your son/daughter's Connexions Personal Adviser
on 01274 829400

Alternatively, you can contact Connexions Direct, which is a service for 13-19 year olds and their parents which offers advice on a wide range of subjects relevant to young people. You can access the website or make contact by phone, email or text - calls can be made from 8am to 2am 7 days a week on 080 800 13219, or text on 07766 413 219.

The website can be accessed on www.connexions-direct.com