Student FAQ
How will the Partnership affect me (Post 16)?
For many students life will continue much the same as before. It may well be that your current school can offer you all the Post 16 courses you wish to study and so you will simply progress from Year 11 to Year 12. However, for some students, their home centre will not be able to offer the exact combination of courses they wish to study. For those students, the Partnership makes it possible to study one or two courses at another centre. Each advanced course entails a morning and an afternoon of study, so doing one course at another centre means doing the equivalent of one day’s lessons elsewhere. It is not advisable to consider doing more than two courses at another centre because this would mean spending more than half of your week away from your home centre. Also, some college courses take up most of the week. In these cases it would be better to transfer completely to another school or the college.
Whether or not you study a course at another centre, it is likely that you will meet with students from other centres at some time or other. It may be that they join you for lessons at your own school or it may be that you get involved in the increasing number of Partnership extra-curricular activities or social events.
What will it feel like to study a course in another centre (Years 10 and 11)?
The first few lessons will inevitably feel strange. The first change will be travelling to another school or the college, usually in a coach or minibus. Your home centre Key Worker will ensure you get on the correct transport. Once there, you will be met by the Off-Site Key Worker and shown to your teaching room where all the students studying will no doubt feel just as nervous as you do.
If all this seems a bit daunting, don't worry: the experience of most students who travel to another centre is that it is a big change at first but you soon get used to it. In fact, most students welcome the change from routine that studying in this way brings and many comment on how the experience has helped to prepare them for the bigger changes of staying on for Post 16 education either in school or college or starting full-time employment.
What will help you cope with studying in another school or the college?
After you have made your options we do not expect you to start your course without having lots of preparation and most of this will happen in term 6. The Off-Site Student Support Manager plus your Key Worker will organise a Students / Parents / Carers preparation evening which is important for you to attend it also gives you chance to ask questions. You will then have an induction session at the centre you will be studying at, meeting the other students and tutors who you will be working with. Just before the end of the term The Off-Site Student Support Manager & your key worker will meet you in school to complete your preparation. Nearly 600 students studied courses in other centres last year so it can't be that difficult!
