From September 2017, the way A Levels are taught and assessed is changing. Here at Weston College we want to make these changes as simple as possible for you to understand, so if you’re thinking about taking A Levels next year, read on...

No more AS Levels

A Levels will now be linear, two-year courses, which means you can no longer get an AS Level after one year. To get an A Level qualification, you must study for the full two years.

Less coursework

Coursework has been removed altogether from courses where it’s not necessary and  reduced to 20% of the final mark in exceptional cases. For science subjects, assessment of practical work no longer contributes to the final A Level grade but will earn a separate certificate of endorsement.

What about exams?

Exams will now be a final assessment at the end of the two-year course. This means that re-takes can’t be guaranteed as students will now have to re-sit as external students. Any re-takes are also likely to incur fees from the exam boards.

We can help

These changes mean that when it comes to choosing the A Level provider you want to study with, you’ll need to make sure that the teaching and support on offer is suitable for your learning style. At the Sixth Form at Weston College, 99% of our students pass their A Levels and we have a wide range of services you can use to gain the support you need.

We offer more A Level variety than your local school to make sure you’re on a course that you want to study and are able to complete. Plus, most of our lectures come from successful careers in the subject they teach about and can offer a lot of guidance when it comes to applying for jobs or planning your next educational steps.

We’re always on hand to offer advice, and if you need more information or would like to talk to a member of our team about the changes you can fill in the enquiry form below or call us on 01934 411 411.

For anyone over the age of 19 and looking to return to education, financing your course can seem like a huge hurdle. However, there are a variety of options when it comes to helping you pay for your course – some people may even find that they are eligible to take a course for free.

We’ve broken down how to pay for your course, along with which icons and symbols to look out for on the course pages.

Full fees and supported fees

On the left of our course pages there is a box labelled ‘financial information’ which is where you will see the course fees and any relevant icons and symbols. The fee listed here, whether supported or full, is the absolute maximum fee anyone will pay for that course.

‘Full’ fees are exactly what they sound like – the full fee for the course. If something is listed as a ‘supported’ fee, this means that funding is available to the College to discount the course’s ‘full’ fee. Therefore, if a course says it has a ‘supported’ fee, this means that the full fee has been discounted for all people taking the course and you will only have to pay the final supported fee.

Although not all of our courses have a supported fee, the amount you see is the maximum you will have to pay.

Free* courses

Some courses have the above symbol in their financial information, which means some people qualify for free tuition and won’t have to pay anything for that particular course.

In order to get courses with this symbol for free, you will need to meet certain conditions. Although these conditions may differ depending on the course, if you click on the symbol a screen will pop-up that will tell you which specific conditions you have to meet.

When you click the symbol, it might say this:

“The qualification you have chosen to study is part of the Legal Entitlements list and you are aged 19-23 at the start of your course and you do not already have a qualification at Level 3 or higher.”

This condition means that if you don’t already have a Level 3 qualification (such as AS/A Levels, NVQ Level 3, BTEC Extended Diploma, Advanced Apprenticeship etc.) and are aged 19-23 when you start the course, you will not have to pay any fees. However, if you do have a Level 3 qualification or are aged 24+, you will have to pay the full or supported fee displayed.

When you click the symbol, it might say something a bit different, such as:

“This course is Free* if you are:

Receiving Universal Credit, earn less than 16 times the national minimum wage a week or less than £330 a month and are determined by JCP as being in one of the following groups:  All Work Related Requirement Group, Work Preparation Group, Work Focused Interview Group

Unemployed and receiving JSA/ESA or wider benefits.

Or

Aged 19-23 at the start of your course and you do not already have any qualifications at Level 2 or higher and you intend to study at this level in the future.”

When you this message, it is clearly stating the conditions that must be met in order to complete the course for free.  In the first part, you must meet all of the listed conditions in order to qualify for free tuition.

However, if you don’t meet the conditions listed in the first part, you may still qualify for free tuition in the next condition which again clearly lists all the conditions you must meet to be eligible.

Remember, you must meet everything listed in the first condition, or everythinglisted in the second condition. Otherwise, you must pay the full or supported fee listed.

24+

If you see this symbol and you do not qualify for free tuition/there is no Free* symbol, then you might be able to apply for an advanced learner loan to finance the course.

Advanced Learner Loans are available to anyone aged 19 or over (this used to be 24, however was reduced to 19), and is not means tested or based on your income or current financial situation. Also, your current qualifications will not stop you from taking out a loan regardless of the level.

These loans can be used to pay for qualifications at Level 3 or above.

For more information on Advanced Learner Loans, see our information page here.

ELC

Enhanced Learning Credits (ELC) are available to serving members of the British Armed Forces, or those who have recently left. To be eligible, you must meet certain criteria according to the ELC scheme, and there are two tiers of funding available depending on length of service.

For more information about the ELC scheme, visit www.enhancedlearningcredits.com.

Weston College’s Hair and Beauty students have had a busy weekend at a charity event in Weston-super-Mare and an opera production in Bath.

On Saturday, 30 learners from the College’s Hair and Beauty Centre gave up their afternoon and evening to do all hair and makeup at the Weston Hospicecare Strictly Fun Dancing event. They spent a long afternoon at the Winter Gardens Pavilion, doing hair and makeup for 24 contestants at an event that raised £18,000 for the charity. 

Meanwhile, a team of 16 FdA Hair, Beauty and Prosthetics Production students were collaborating with Bath Spa learners. They completed hair and makeup for an opera production of Cosi fan Tutti at the Michael Tippett Centre in Bath. 

The project collaborating with Bath Spa Production learners has been a week long, evening commitment for the College’s FdA learners, who all spent their evenings working on the project. 

Sandra Bull, Area Manager of Hair, Beauty, Hospitality and Catering at Weston College, said: “It has been a really busy weekend for our learners and staff, six of whom also gave up their Saturday to support our learners. 

“We’re incredibly proud of the commitment and dedication all of our learners show, whether they are the Hair and Beauty Centre team or our FdA learners. Not only have these events really helped them develop their skills, but they’ve also been given an opportunity to get involved with the community and help a fantastic local charity.”