The college offers a wide range of advanced and pre-advanced courses, which are available in almost any combination to suit your ambitions and abilities.

You can find out more about all of these courses by attending an Open Evening or calling the Admissions Team on 0151 652 5575.

Advanced Courses
To study at Advanced Level, you must gain at least 5 A* - C grades at GCSE, including Maths or English Language. There are also additional entry criteria for some subjects, please see subject leaflets or details.

There are a number of options to study at Advanced Level. All Advanced Level courses are full-time for 2 years.

AS and A Level (Level 3)
We offer a wide range of subjects at AS and A Level. The AS (Advanced Subsidiary) qualification is completed in the first year of study. Students may continue with the subject in the second year to complete a full A Level. Students choose 4 AS Levels to study in the first year and continue with 3 to A Level in the second year.

AS and A Levels can be combined with Level 3 BTEC qualifications or GCSE re-sits to create a programme of study tailor-made to your requirements.

A Levels that are more vocational are labelled "Applied". See below for specific information on all of our AS and A Level courses.


BTEC Level 3 Courses

BTEC Level 3 qualifications are equivalent to A Levels and can form all or part of your programme of study, depending on their weighting.

~ Level 3 BTEC Extended Diplomas are equivalent to 3 A Levels (formerly known as BTEC National Diploma)
~ Level 3 BTEC Diplomas are equivalent to 2 A Levels and can be studied alongside 1 or 2 AS Levels (formerly known as BTEC National Certificate)
~ Level 3 BTEC Subsidiary Diplomas are equivalent to 1 A Level and can be studied alongside 3 AS Levels (formerly known as BTEC National Award)

BTEC qualifications are more vocational than A Levels and often involve work experience or work placements and have no written exams.

See below for specific information on all of our Level 3 BTEC courses:

Childcare Courses (Level 3 and 2)
The CACHE diploma is a widely accepted vocational qualification in Childcare. It provides a full programme of study for students, including work placements. It can be studied at Advanced Level (Level 3) or Pre-Advanced Level (Level 2)

Find our more about the CACHE Diploma below.

Pre-Advanced Courses (Level 2)
Students who gain less than 5 GCSE grades at C or above, or who gain below a grade C in both Maths and English Language, will study at Pre-Advanced Level (GCSE or BTEC Level 2) for one year. We offer a range of programmes in a variety of combinations to suit your ambitions and abilities. For more information, see our Entry Criteria.

Maths & English (Level 2)
The College offers Maths and English at Level 2 which includes GCSE.  Level 2 qualifications last one year and can be studied alongside BTEC Level 2 qualifications.  Students will be assessed at the start of the year to determine whether they will study GCSE or an alternative Level 2 qualification.

See below for information on our Maths and English Level 2 courses. 

BTEC Level 2 Courses
We offer a range of BTEC Level 2 qualifications (click here for our entry requirements).

BTEC courses are vocational qualifications which have no exams and can be combined with GCSE or skills qualifications.

See below for specific information on all of our Level 2 BTEC courses.

Level 1

If you have achieved, or are predicted to achieve, mainly Es and Fs at GCSE then our Level 1 programme may be most suitable. Please contact the Admissions Team on 0151 652 5575 for further information.