Shropshire Youth Post 16 information for parents

GCSEs and funding

It used to be possible for year 12 and 13s to do part time GCSEs at a local college, however this is no longer the case as funding has changed in the last few years. GCSEs (Maths and English only) can only be done in year 12 and 13 if they are enrolled on a full time course (3 days a week). Maths and English GCSEs or functional skills can be run alongside the full time course. If someone isn’t doing a full time course they can't do PT functional skills or GCSEs until they are in year 14, or reach 19 years of age (whichever comes first). You would need to check exact details with each college as to what courses they are offering. 

The only way of doing any additional GCSE subjects in year 12 and 13, other than Maths and English, is via online provision – averaging £450 per subject plus additional costs for each exam and travelling to an exam centre (often in Birmingham or another large city). You may also need to factor in the cost of a tutor and the additional issue of finding the tutor in the first place.

Foundation level programmes

There used to be training providers in Shropshire that offered Foundation Level programmes to year 12 and 13s, providing the opportunity to learn in a small centre with small numbers of young people attending. At these centres, they could retake Maths and English GCSEs or do functional skills in these subjects plus learn employability skills and attend a work placement on an ongoing basis often leading to employment in that organisation or at least within that sector.

Please be aware these centres/programmes barely exist in Shropshire currently and there is no indication there will be funding in the future for these to return (correct at time of printing April 2024). Training providers are now only based in Wellington. There are other centres based in Telford and Hereford. Enrolment on these courses is usually September through to February approximately.

There are two foundation level courses run by colleges in Shropshire (full time is 3 days a week):

  • 'College Ready' at Shrewsbury College London Road (flexible enrolment September-February approximately)
  • 'The Advance Programme' - a full time employability programme based at North Shropshire College, Oswestry Campus (September enrolment only)

These courses include English and Maths GCSE/functional skills plus employability skills or block tasters of subject courses.

Enrolment for most courses (except the 'College Ready' course) is only in September. Typically, there'll be no other intake for the rest of the academic year. Applications for courses starting in September will start to be received by colleges from December in the previous year through to March/April of the same year. This seems early but an application will ideally be submitted during this time period. If submitted any later, there is a risk the courses will be full. A level applications need to be completed in December of the previous year or January/February, before the September start.

Attendance and building confidence
  • When a year 11 hasn’t been attending school it may be due to many reasons, including social anxiety, anxiety, depression, bullying, dysregulated behaviour etc. During this period of non-attendance, confidence can decrease and social isolation can increase. Often a manageable first step is to attend a smaller place with fewer people eg a training provider. These are all now quite some distance to travel to. Parents and extended family can help prepare their young person by doing some travel training; its worth getting prepared so that in September they are confident enough to travel to the training provider
  • If confidence and anxiety are the major barriers, it's worth asking your GP about a social prescriber. They will explain the application process and the criteria. Whilst not all applications meet the threshold to qualify for getting a social prescriber, it is still worth asking. A social prescriber (if one is allocated) acts as a 1:1 ‘buddy’; they will visit the young person, chat, listen to their concerns, text, support and encourage the young person to go for local walks or a drink at a local café. Activities can be guided by other professionals and/or by parents, and the young person if there are particular goals in mind
  • Voluntary work can be used as work experience and it helps young people build confidence, get into a routine and can be added to CVs. It can act as good preparation for their next step 
  • Often parents may think that their child will thrive in an apprenticeship if they didn’t enjoy school and left early, or is not taking any GCSEs. In general terms this is understandable. The reality now is that 99% of apprenticeships have entry requirements of grade 4 English and Maths and without these the application won't be considered. This is very different to what apprenticeships were like a few years ago, therefore it's important to be aware of this change
  • If young people think they'll opt for a full-time job, they need to be aware that they'll be competing against adults with years of experience
  • There are foundation level courses available to young people with EHCP to help them gain functional skills in year 12 and 13. Options include several courses based in Shrewsbury, Ludlow and Oswestry. You'll need to liaise with our SEN department or your SEN case worker to discuss and consider options. It's best to begin these discussions within year 11 as early as possible, so consider contacting them now

Practical points for parents/carers to do before school finishes

If your teenager wants a part-time or full-time job, it's essential they have the following:

Once you have these in place, you should set up a bank account, they'll request ID in order to set up an account. The easiest way to set up a new account is to visit a local branch, taking along the above forms of ID.

This should be done as early in year 11 as possible to ensure everything is in place and ready for any wages to be paid in to. Don’t be tempted to leave it as these processes can take a while.

Extra advice for parents/carers

GCSE results

Keep all records of GCSE results ie save any emails showing results and keep certificates in a safe place. You can also take photos of certificates on your phone or scan the documents. No matter how you feel about the results, make sure you keep these certificates safe as the results will be needed when applying for college, training or jobs, without them it makes things very difficult.

Applications

Whether applying for apprenticeships, college or training, make sure you are proactive. If you haven’t received a reply within a couple of weeks, contact the relevant organisation and confirm the application has been received and is being processed. The main advice is pick up the phone and check what’s happening to the application.