Course Offer

At Oakes College we are committed to offering a wide range of subjects, so that students have a chance to experience and experiment with different areas of interest. Our standard offer is to study 3 subjects/qualifications, but there are circumstances where students will study 2 or 4 subjects, depending on their personal circumstances and prior qualifications. If you join Oakes College you will be on a full time study programme, which will consist of studying 3 qualifications (chosen from the courses listed on the left), a pastoral programme, work or other study experience and independent study.

All of our subjects are Level 3, which means that everything we offer is the equivalent of A-Level standard (with the exception of Maths and English GCSE retake). If you complete a study programme with us, you will be eligible to attend a UK university, apply for a degree level apprenticeship or apply for a level 4 entry job.

When choosing a course, it is really important to understand how the qualification will be assessed. Most A-Level courses will have the majority of the assessment at the end of the two year course and will have three 2 hour exams. If you are good at exams, final assessment A-Levels will be a good choice of course. However, to do final exams in 3 subjects is very difficult to manage and there is a lot of information to learn. You may decide to do 2 final assessed exams and a vocational qualification, which will space out the assessment pattern. When you come to your guidance meeting at Oakes, you will be able to discuss your options and construct a study programme which will suit your learning style and aspirations for future progression.

In addition to our main qualifications, it is possible to study additional qualifications namely, Core Maths or the Extended Project Qualification. Each of these is worth 40% of an A-Level and can be an excellent way to widen your educational experience. They are highly recommended but not compulsory.

Joining Oakes College

To join Oakes, we ask for evidence of a broad range of prior learning, so we expect a grade 4 or above in 7 subjects.  For some qualifications there will be a higher grade requirement in a GCSE, so for example, you will need a grade 6 in Chemistry and Maths as a minimum if you wish to study Chemistry A-Level.  This is so that students demonstrate a good prior knowledge to study at a higher level.  However, although these are our general rules, we understand that students may have all sorts of reasons for why they may have different qualifications or results and, therefore, if you are close to our entry requirements, we will consider each application on an individual basis.

GCSE English Language and Mathematics

Please note that students who have not achieved a Grade 4 or above in GCSE English Language or Mathematics will be required to take these alongside their other courses.