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Introduction to Qualifications |
Towards the end of year 9 the school presents the options available to pupils the following year by inviting all parents of these children into the school for an evening. Comprehensive information is provided and this is followed up with individual consultation sessions between the pupil, parents and staff. The qualifications offered every year are subject to change but the following are the types of qualifications offered.
Entry level certificates
GCSEs
General Certificate for Secondary Education (GCSE) courses generally last two years.
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These are the main way to get your Key Stage 4 qualifications.
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There are more and more subjects available, including vocational ones. These are designed to give you more choices later in life.
GCSE short courses
Religious Studies (RS) is taken in year 10 as a short course GCSE. It is worth half a GCSE.
GNVQs
General National Vocational Qualifications are about work, but they don't train pupils for a specific job.
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Courses where broad work areas are studied - like business, engineering and health and social care
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Available at foundation and intermediate level or as a part award
NVQs
National Vocational Qualifications are designed to assess adults doing particular jobs in specific areas (for example 'retail operation' or 'preparing and serving food').
NVQs are helpful for pupils who want to:
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Do a work-based placement course (unlike vocational GCSEs, in NVQs pupils actually do the work in the workplace)
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Demonstrate that they are good at a particular job
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Get qualifications that recognise work they are already doing
VQs
Vocational qualifications are helpful for pupils who want to:
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Gain a qualification through a more practical work-based placement course. (This is unlike vocational GCSEs, in VQs pupils actually do the work in the workplace usually half or one day a week)
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Demonstrate that they are good at a particular job
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Get qualifications that recognise work they are already doing
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