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Destination Options
Your destination is about what you intend to do once you leave compulsory education and is very important. You may not have a clear idea of what you would like to do or what pathway to take, or you may know where you want to be at the end of Year 11 but need more information about your decision. In order for us to support you, you will be asked to complete an online destination form which will be available on your desktop. You will be told when this is ready.
There are four distinct pathways open to students when they reach the end of Year 11. They are:
1. Sixth Form
This can be at The Marlborough School Sixth Form or at another school’s Sixth Form. For almost all students this means studying 3 or 4 A levels with a view to applying for University or higher level apprenticeships. All Sixth Forms will have minimum GCSE entry requirements, details of which can be found in the prospectus.
2. College
There are a number of colleges in the local area including Activate Learning in Oxford City, Banbury and Bicester colleges or Abingdon and Witney College including Common Leys Farm and newly opened, A&W Construction Skills Centre Bicester. There are also technical colleges which specialise in a particular area of industry, for example Engineering or Space. Some pupils go further afield depending on their course choices and where they live. At college you can study a wide range of courses from A levels and BTEC’s to vocational and applied courses. The courses available to you depend on your GCSE results. Students who have not gained a pass in English and Mathematics would be expected to take further courses in these core subjects.
3. Apprenticeships or work-based training
Apprenticeships are a valid alternative to the other two options. They cover a large variety of careers where you will earn and learn. Apprenticeship qualifications level 1 and 2 (GCSE), level 3 (A Level) and increasingly degree level can be found locally and nationally. There are also traineeships which lead into apprenticeship level 1. Some apprenticeships you need to apply via the training provider such as ACE training for construction, or through college providers where an apprenticeship is part of the course, or through the employer direct. Apprenticeships can be found on the Find an Apprenticeship website. Plus the school website and Oxfordshire Young People website oxme.info.
4. T-Levels – What are they?
T-Levels are new courses which follow GCSEs and are equivalent to 3 A levels. These 2-year courses, which launched September 2020, have been developed in collaboration with employers and businesses so that the content meets the needs of industry and prepares students for work, further training or study.
T-Levels offer students a mixture of classroom learning (80%) and ‘on-the-job’ experience (20%) during an industry placement of at least 315 hours (approximately 45 days). In time, students will be able to take a T-Level in the following subject areas:
