This section is full of information about your choices in education and learning, ranging from how qualifications have changed, further and higher education, local provision, apprenticeships and other avenues you may be considering.
Wiltshire Secondary Schools
Learning is a huge part of all young people’s lives, you will spend most of your time at school (apart from home) and schools are also places where you can take part in activities like sports, arts and more. For more information on Wiltshire schools see Schools and colleges – Wiltshire Council.
There is information on how to apply for a child place on the Wiltshire Council website – Applying for a school place – Wiltshire Council. Wiltshire Council use a parent portal – Admissions (wiltshire.gov.uk)
Wiltshire school term dates – Term dates and holidays – Wiltshire Council
Alternative Provision
The school or Wiltshire Council must tell you about any alternative education they arrange. For more information see Schools and colleges – Wiltshire Council.
Home Education
All children between the ages of five and 16 have to be in education. Between 16-18 you should be in education, employment, or training. Not all children receive their education at school. Some parents or carers choose to teach their children at home. This is called Elective Home Education. You can find out more on the Wiltshire Council website Home education – Wiltshire Council.
Children who are home educated should receive as much high-quality education as those who attend school. A normal school year is 22 to 25 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year. A home curriculum should give you just as much learning, but there are no rules about timetables or a set curriculum. How learning is delivered is entirely up to your parents. You can still take examinations, and are encouraged to do so. Most employers will want you to have qualifications like GCSEs when applying for jobs.
For enquiries about Elective Home Education please contact Wiltshire Council on 0300 4560108.
Your Choices at 16
You need to stay in education or training after you’re 16, but how you do this is up to you. Further Education includes any study after secondary education that is not part of higher education (i.e. is not studied as part of an undergraduate or graduate degree). Courses range from GCSEs to Higher National Diplomas (HNDs) and now include T Levels, see below for more information.
There are lots of choices and you need to pick the one that will help you get the future you want.
Apprenticeships
If you have a career sector or path in mind and want to start earning money as you learn, an apprenticeship could be for you. You’ll do a real job for a real employer; training on the job and working towards an industry-standard qualification.
An apprenticeship combines hands-on work with the opportunity to train and obtain qualifications. Apprenticeships, which must last for a minimum of 12 months are open to anyone aged 16 and over who is not in full-time education, there is no upper age limit!
As an apprentice you’ll be employed and will study for a qualification with the full support and commitment of your employer, at least 20% of your working hours are set aside for learning, often at a college, university or training provider, however there are lots of ways to undertake learning depending on your organisation and job role.
Visit our apprenticeship page for more information.
Additional information on Apprenticeships can be found on the UCAS website and the Amazing Apprenticeships websites
People are encouraged to find and apply for apprentices using the Find and Apprenticeship Service
T-Levels
T Levels are a 2-year qualification designed to give you a head start towards the career you want. A nationally-recognised qualification that is worth the same number of UCAS points as 3 A levels. This is another option once you have completed your GCSE’s, it is 80% classroom and 20% industry placement allowing you to have a real experience of the workplace alongside your studies.
Visit our T-Level page to find out more.
College
Colleges are often larger and more informal than sixth forms, and they offer a wider variety of courses including apprenticeships, but they will expect you to be able to manage your own work and time effectively.
You need to find a school or college that offers the courses or subjects you are interested in studying, or the best route to the career you are interested in. If you have specialist educational needs or other support needs, you will need to talk to your chosen provider to ensure they can support your needs.
Wiltshire College has a campus in Trowbridge, Chippenham, Lackham and Salisbury.
There is also a 6th Form College in Salisbury – Salisbury 6th Form College
In Swindon there is:
- New College Swindon
- Swindon and Wiltshire Institute of Technology
The IoT is a high quality employer-led training facility delivering high level technical and digital skills training for young people and to those already in employment. The IoT specialises in delivering higher technical education, providing students with a clear route to technical employment, and employers with a skilled workforce.
For more information on other further education courses visit www.gov.uk/further-education-courses
Sixth Form
The term ‘Sixth Form’ describes the school years numbered 12 and 13. Lots of schools have sixth forms and you can stay at your current school or move to a new one. Sixth forms tend to be smaller and can offer more teaching structure and student support than colleges.
Wiltshire has 21 schools with sixth forms which are able to provide education for 16-18 year olds in years 12 and 13. The provision offered will depend on the Sixth Form.
Andover
Bradford on Avon
Calne
Chippenham
Corsham
Devizes
Malmesbury
Marlborough
Melksham
Salisbury
Royal Wootton Bassett
Trowbridge
Warminster
Westbury
Traineeships
A traineeship is a flexible training programme for young people aged 16 to 24 years.
Traineeships allow you to learn employability skills, improve your maths and English qualifications if you need to, as well as getting some valuable work experience. They will help to build skills to progress onto a job or apprenticeship.
The programme can last from 6 weeks up to 1 year and includes a work placement.
For more information on Traineeships and how to find a provider see our Traineeship page.
University Technical College
UTCs are technical academies for 14- to 19-year-olds. They have university and employer sponsors and combine practical and academic studies. UTCs specialise in subjects that need modern, technical, industry-standard equipment – such as engineering and construction and science – which are taught alongside business skills and the use of ICT.
There is a UTC in Swindon
Volunteering
If you want to work as a volunteer, this will need to be for more than 20 hours a week and you will also need to combine this with part-time study or training.
For more information on volunteering click on the Earn button.
Working with part-time education or training
You may prefer to find full time employment (this needs to be for more than 20 hours a week to be counted as full time) and combine this with part-time study or training. You could work towards a nationally recognised qualification as well as being employed, self-employed or volunteering.
For more information on finding employment click on the Earn button.
16+ Choices: Department for Education resources
The Department for Education has put together a couple of simple and handy guides to inform young people about all of the post-16 options open to them.
Here you will find:
- A route comparison grid which shows all of the routes available after GCSEs, along with additional information on each route such as the level of study, entry requirements, duration of the course, where it can lead etc.
- Explore your choices whether you know where you’re headed in the future or not, knowing the work and study choices available to you is a great place to start, visit the Gov website to explore all options.
Local programmes for young people
There are lots of free courses and opportunities on offer with organisations across the county that will support you into education, employment and training. Tng support.