Parents
Raising the Participation Age
All young people are required to continue in education or employment with training after the age of 16 for a further two years. This doesn’t have to mean staying in school. Students can choose to study or train in any of the following ways:
- Stay on full-time in a school, college or with a training provider (many young people also do a part time job alongside this).
- Work or volunteer full-time, together with part-time accredited education or training.
- Take up an apprenticeship or supported internship.
At Redborne, we understand the journey from starting in year 9 to finishing school post 18 can be bewildering, for both you and your child. There are choices to make, at the end of Key Stage 3 when making key stage 4 option choices, making post 16 decisions and finally supporting choices post 18 with your child
Parents advice for 14 – 16 year olds
14-16 Choices
Options should align with your child’s interests and enjoyment. If your child likes many subjects, then try to keep a broad range of options; an Art, a Technology, a Language, a Humanity. This keeps a wide range of options available post 16. If your child is interested in a particular career choice, then research what subjects might support this. Humanities (Geography, History, English, Religious Studies) all support career choices where there might be heavier emphasis on written work, research and comprehension. Languages are always a good choice for students who might want to work in a global marketplace. With the world of work being more global than it has ever been before, a language is always an attractive choice. Arts and Technology subjects, whilst more practical in nature, demonstrate creativity, problem solving and communication skills. Sport, Health and Dance subjects, support the sciences, health and wellbeing, team work, problem solving and creativity skills. Post 14, some subject choices will influence the subjects available to a student post 16.
If you require further advice on 14-16 course choices, please email Teresa.Farrow@redborne.com
Parents advice for 16-18 year olds.
If your child wishes to continue with a broad base of subjects and has sufficient GCSEs /level 2 qualifications, then it is a good option to continue onto level 3 qualifications. If your child knows exactly what they want to do, then studying a course or doing an apprenticeship which is going to lead directly into that field/industry, is also recommended. The danger is that at 16, some students do not know precisely what they want to do. In these circumstances keeping a broad base of level 3 qualifications, 3 or 4 A level/vocational subjects, enables them to spend two further years deciding what to do post 18.
We run a sixth form with a variety of level 3 courses and there are other local providers who offer similar courses.
Unifrog
Unifrog is a one-stop-shop where students can explore their interests, then find and successfully apply for their next step after school. The school has a licence for this with students given access via form codes. Parents can request their own log-ins by emailing Mrs Farrow on Teresa.Farrow@redborne.com
We encourage parents to access Unifrog, this website and others such as the National Careers Service, to help ensure that they have up-to-date information about the labour market, future study options and career paths.
Please see our listing of useful websites in our Useful Websites section. If you require further support please contact Mrs Farrow.
National Careers Service here
A Parents Guide to Apprenticeships – fact sheet
