What is further education??
Further Education (sometimes referred to as FE) is the study after Secondary Education. This could be studying A Levels or a B-TEC at a College or Sixth Form, or doing an apprenticeship which combines on the job training with studying once a week at college. It is compulsory for students leaving school to continue their studies in Further Education until they are 18 years old. Once Further Education has been completed, students are able to make a decision as to whether they would like to continue their studies at Higher Education (HE) Degree Level offered at Universities.
Sixth Form
Please check out the Further Education establishments in the local area. For more information on the courses that are available in each, please check the individual schools’ websites.
Appleton School
Belfairs Academy
Cecil Jones Academy
Chase High School
King Edmund School
King John School
Shoeburyness High School
Southend High School For Boys
Southend High School For Girls
Southend Community & Educational Trust
St Bernards School
St Thomas More School
Sweyne Park School
Westcliff High School For Boys
Westcliff High School For Girls
College
- Colleges offer a whole range of different courses and study programmes from those that do not need any specific GCSE grades such as Entry Level courses through to apprenticeships, A Levels, Higher Education degrees, and professional or technical qualifications.
- Most full time college courses are attended by 16–19 year olds, but you will find plenty of adults studying in a college on a range of short, part-time, professional or Higher Education courses.
- Some large colleges in big towns and cities may offer up to 80 different courses while some colleges like to specialise, for example, in Devon, Bicton College is a ‘College of the Countryside’ specialising in courses such as agriculture, horticulture and equine studies. Strode College offers 36 different A Level subjects and they have more 16 year olds studying there than most sixth forms.
- At some colleges post 16 students doing an A Level programme are integrated with all the other departments but sometimes they might be in a separate building or campus of the college. It is important you visit to see what sort of environment is right for you.
View the types of courses available at college View the course and colleges available locally Sixth Form or College – what’s the difference?