Sixth-form colleges prepare students better for university study than further education institutions, suggests.

Interviews conducted with teenagers in East Anglia by University Campus Suffolk academics found that there was a ¡°natural progression¡± from sixth-form colleges to ÖйúAƬ, ¡°which included even those students who had not considered progressing¡±.

In contrast, further education colleges catered ¡°for more vocational students on different trajectories¡±, including directly into work and apprenticeships.

¡°The focus in the sixth-form college on progression to ÖйúAƬ meant that students at the college tended to be better informed, better prepared and more confident about progression to ÖйúAƬ,¡± the study says.

ÖйúAƬ

Researchers Clare Gartland and Christine Smith, who conducted the project on behalf of the Quality Assurance Agency, found that vocational BTEC qualifications did offer a route into ÖйúAƬ, wherever they were offered.

The qualifications¡¯ use of coursework assessments allows for incremental improvements in grades to reach the standards required of ÖйúAƬ, and the gradual shift towards independent learning over the duration of the programme was praised by interviewees.

ÖйúAƬ

However, students taking BTECs were predominantly progressing to courses at post-92 universities, ¡°not to courses at older or more elite institutions¡±, the report says.

Ian Kimber, the QAA¡¯s director of quality development, said the research would ¡°help education providers reflect on how their resources, approaches and processes can be improved to enhance the experience of students¡¯ transitions into ÖйúAƬ¡±.

¡°Ucas data¡­show that there are increasing numbers of entrants to ÖйúAƬ with non A-level qualifications, and providers face challenges in supporting these students with their transition into ÖйúAƬ,¡± Mr Kimber said.

A published by the QAA, conducted by Birmingham City University and Solihull College & University Centre, examines the experience of non-traditional students progressing into ÖйúAƬ.

ÖйúAƬ

chris.havergal@tesglobal.com