Get Qualified

The Gold Arts Award encourages in-depth research of any selected art form or arts practice. The Gold Award is designed for ages 16 and above and carries 16 UCAS points. The Award consists of five projects across two units:

For Unit 1 Personal Arts Development – You will complete 4 projects: 

A. Focus on your specialist art form and collaborate with someone else and their specialist art form to create a new piece of work.

B. Involve yourselves in arts-based workshops and/or work experience/other opportunities.

C. Research a professional practitioner.

D. Research opinions around an arts issue you feel strongly about and formulate an arguement.

For Unit 2 Leadership of an Arts Project – You will complete 1 project: 

• Develop your leadership and management skills by planning and co-ordinating a team, working on a focused project/event that is presented to an audience.  Examples can include a dance or music performance, an art, photography or design exhibition, or a video produced for charity fund-raising.

The course starts in June of your first year and will normally be completed in March of year 2.  Students will have one timetabled session per week on the programme, and you will be expected to work independently on your projects, supported by an advisor.  You will need to prepare a digital ‘portfolio’ of evidence to record your work against the assessment criteria. 

* Students do not need to have completed the Bronze or Silver Arts Award prior to this.

Grade 5 Music Theory additional study is a comprehensive course, covering all the topics you will need to be able to take your Grade 5 music theory exam and develop your understanding of music notation and your music reading ability. All welcome.

This Level 2 Coaching in Sport and Physical Activity qualification prepares learners for employment involving coaching and similar skills. It includes three certificates: Multi Skills, Generic Coaching, and Technical Discipline. Learners develop the skills and knowledge to plan, deliver, and review structured and progressive coaching sessions, working either independently or as part of a team.

The course combines practical and theoretical learning and is open to anyone with an interest in sport or physical activity – you do not need to be a PE student or member of a sports team to participate. it is ideal for those considering careers in coaching, teaching, or sports development, while also helping to build confidence, leadership, communication, and organisational skills.

Recognised by UK Coaching and aligned with UKCC standards, this qualification is the industry-standard Level 2 course and supports progression to Level 3 Coaching or other sport-related pathways. Students gain valuable hands-on experience by delivering coaching sessions in a local primary school, alongside college-based theory lessons.

Those who have successfully completed Level 2 Certificate in Coaching in their first year can choose to progress to Level 3 in their second year. The qualification is recognised as the industry standard Level 3 qualification for the coaching sport and physical activity by UK Coaching, the lead technical agency for the development of sports coaching in the UK. It has been aligned to the UKCC criteria and will allow progression onto a UKCC- endorsed qualification. This qualification may lead to employment, paid or voluntary, as a lead coach in a sport and physical activity. Indeed, a number of our students have gone on to become paid coaches as a result of taking the Level 3 course at College. Students will participate in coaching sessions at a local primary school every week. UCAS have allocated 24 tariff points to this qualification.

Various option available – including critical risk or statistics (to be discussed further at enrolment)

Level 3 Mathematical Studies (Core Maths) is a course which is intended for students who have achieved a grade 5 (or equivalent) and above at GCSE but aren’t planning on taking Mathematics at A Level. It helps to develop students’ mathematical thinking and skills in preparation for the mathematical demands of study, work and life. The course builds on work that you have studied at GCSE. The course is quite applied in nature and seeks to teach students new concepts and techniques for solving a variety of both theoretical and “real world” problems. The course is also useful for those who may wish to study a number of degree courses with mathematical, statistical or numerate elements including politics or sociology degrees.

Students taking the following A Levels will find Core Maths a beneficial 4th Course: accounting, biology, business, chemistry, computing, economics, electronics, environmental science, geography, geology, product design, psychology. However, Core Mathematics is open to any A Level student who wishes to study the course and who has previously achieved grade 5 to 9 in GCSE Mathematics. Successful candidates gain a Level 3 qualification - which is equivalent to an AS Level (half an A Level) at grade A to E. The qualification also carries UCAS points.

The AQA Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is a Level 3 qualification. It is awarded to students who complete an individual research project about a topic they are interested in. The outcome of the project can be a dissertation, design, performance or artefact. The EPQ gives students a chance to demonstrate project management skills and conduct independent research - impressive to universities and employers. EPQ skills briefings commence in the summer term of Year 1 and students complete their projects in Year 2. Students will be expected to work in a highly independent and self-motivated way, with a significant amount of independent work taking place outside of the classroom.

A one-year accelerated course for complete beginners in the language who have significant interest and linguistic ability. This course is suitable for students with a proven aptitude and interest in languages and is particularly appropriate for students who have already gained a 6 or above at GCSE level in a foreign language or who have a strong alternative background in foreign language learning. This course however is not suitable for students who already have a strong background in the Spanish language.

It may be possible for some students who have not had the opportunity to study a GCSE foreign language to do this course, but it must be emphasised that a very high degree of commitment is required as grammar and vocabulary will need to be learnt on a daily basis. The course is taught in six periods per week. AS Spanish will be available in Year 2 to those students who achieve a grade 6 or better pass.

Some competitive universities require additional tests for their courses in mathematics and related areas. For other universities, success in these tests may make for a stronger application or an alternative offer in terms of required A Level grades. This class helps students prepare for these tests such as STEP, MAT and TMUA which are required for some courses at the University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Imperial College London, University of Warwick and the London School of Economics.