Options at 16
Most students from The Priory School choose to study at Shrewsbury Colleges Group but there are other choices too, like studying at a school sixth form, getting an apprenticeship or following a study programme with a training provider. What is important is to choose the course or training to suit students’ skills and aspirations. Please click here for a one page guide to the different routes.
The pathway students choose will be based on the following:
- The GCSE grades they are expected to achieve
- How they like to learn
- Where and what they would like to study later
- What they want to do in the future
Choosing the right courses can be critical for some career paths and it’s important to not unintentionally close off paths that students may wish to pursue later on in their career.
What they can do to make the right choice:
- Find out about different careers that interest them
- Get advice from the people who know them like parents and teachers and from The Careers Team at School
- Look at the qualifications on offer to them at Shrewsbury Colleges Group and in other local schools and also consider whether an apprenticeship might be a good route.
The law requires all young people in England to continue in education or training until at least their 18th birthday, although in practice the vast majority of young people continue until the end of the academic year in which they turn 18. Young people must do one of the following until they are 18; stay in full time education, for example at a college; start an apprenticeship or traineeship; spend 20 hours or more a week working or volunteering, while in part-time education or training.
Please click here for our post 16 booklet issued to students towards the end of Year 10.
Potential qualifications routes
There are four main routes for students to choose from:
Academic Pathway (A-Levels): Lots of young people choose to do A-Levels post-16. These 2 year courses are usually assessed by exams but some do include coursework. A-Levels offer a great route into university, Higher or Degree apprenticeships and employment.
Vocational pathway (Applied, BTEC and T Levels): By applying learning to real-life situations, these qualifications offer a more practical approach than traditional A-Level academic courses whilst still enabling progression to higher education courses at university or at college, to an Apprenticeship or into full-time employment.
Apprenticeship: Post 16 apprenticeships would start at Level 2 or Level 3 and have pathways to progress up the levels. There are over 1500 different types of apprenticeships - from Jewellery Making to Law. Every type of apprenticeship is graded at a certain level and this affects the entry requirements.
Study Programmes: These are aimed at young people typically working at GCSE grade 3 and below and are available with selected Training Providers in the county. They consist of Functional Skills or GCSEs in English and Maths, a vocational qualification in the chosen occupational sector, for example Childcare, Construction and a work placement.
Post 16 Education Providers
Shrewsbury Colleges Group: www.scg.ac.uk
Welsh Bridge and English Bridge Campus offer a wide range of A-Levels. Entry requirements start from 5 GCSE’s grade 4 or above but some courses do have specific entry requirements. Deadline for applications is usually end of January.
London Road Campus offer a range of vocational courses and apprenticeships. Entry requirements vary. Deadline for applications is usually end of January.
Thomas Adams 6th Form: https://thomasadams.net/
The Thomas Adams Sixth Form, although on the same campus as Thomas Adams School, is separated by acres of playing fields and is an entirely separate entity, with its own grounds, dining and study areas. They offer a perfect balance between university and school with greater freedoms, such as no school uniform and independent study periods. The school sixth form offers a range of A-Levels for students to sudy.
William Brookes 6th Form: www.williambrookes.com/sixth-form
The school sixth form offers a range of A-Levels with good performing arts provision, being one of the few schools in West Midlands offering A-Levels in dance, music technology and theatre studies. Entry requirements vary between courses but as a guide 5 GCSE’s grade 5 and above including maths and English. Students should apply directly to the school.
North Shropshire College: www.nsc.ac.uk
Oswestry and Walford Campus offers range of full-time courses to suit all academic abilities, both academic and vocational with specific focus on rural and land based courses.
Thomas Telford School: www.ttsonline.net
The school sixth form offers a range of A-Levels within a school environment. Entry requirements vary between courses but as a guide 6 GCSE’s grade 5 and above including maths and English. Students apply directly to Thomas Telford with a copy of latest school report. Application process begins in October.
Haberdashers’ Adams:www.adamsgs.uk
The school environment has a distinct Sixth Form uniform and a dedicated Sixth Form centre with a lecture theatre, seminar rooms and a bistro. A range of A-Levels are on offer and entry requirements vary between courses but as a guide students are usually asked to achieve at least 5 x grade 7s at CGSE. Check website carefully for the most up to date information. Students apply directly to Haberdashers’ Adams.
Newport Girls High School https://www.nghs.org.uk/sixth-form/
The school sixth form offers a range of 26 academic offering 26 courses within a school environment. Typical intake is 80-90 students in Year12 and students complete three A-level subjects and the compulsory, but extremely accessible AQA Extended Project Level 3 qualification (EPQ), which is equivalent to an additional half A-level. There is also the option to take four A-levels over two years if a student achieves an average GCSE score of 7.75 or greater.
Shrewsbury Town in the Community https://www.shrewsburytowninthecommunity.com/btec-football-and-education-level-three
Studying with Shrewsbury Town in the Community is much more than football. It’s the beginning of a lifetime of possibilities; a career centred around reaching your potential. The NCFE in Football & Education will allow you to represent Shrewsbury Town Football Club in the National Development League whilst preparing you to study at university or for work-life within a professional environment. NFCW is offered at 3 levels; Level 3 extended diploma in sport, Level 3 diploma in sport and Level 2 diploma in sport
Other local providers
Post 16 Training Providers (for Apprenticeships and Study Programmes)
Destinations data
We monitor closely where our students move on to when they leave The Priory School at 16 and then endeavour to establish where students go to once they have completed their further education. We focus more on the sustained data analysis available from the following March and carry out our own research to establish if students have remained in the same setting since September. Students who are no longer in post 16 provision we endeavour to follow up will telephone calls and careers advice to support them returning to post 16 education. All this information helps us to monitor the impact of our CEIAG programme and tailor information to the needs of our students. Our destinations data can be viewed below:
2018 leavers
2019 leavers
2020 leavers
2021 leavers
2022 leavers
2023 leavers
