Student on laptop studying

What is the A-level Progression Programme?

This is a one-year full programme of study designed to prepare students to begin A-levels after the year. We help you to build academic and transferable skills as well as subject-specific knowledge to ensure that when you start your A-levels, you can hit the ground running.

What will I learn on the A-level Progression Programme?

Cirencester College A Level Progression Chart

Sciences OR Humanities

This is your main decision and the programme of study in these courses is designed to teach you the essential knowledge and skills you need for A-levels in those subjects.

Skills

We’re really excited about our skills programme, in which you’ll learn a range of academic and entrepreneurial skills to help you be the best version of you and the best student you can be.

GCSE Maths and/or English

This will depend on what grades you already have.

Tutor programme

To make sure you’re supported in being more independent

Higher Project Qualification

This is a chance for you to undertake your own research project with help from staff. You choose your own topic based on what you find interesting, and we give you the guidance to help you learn and communicate all you want to know about it.

Duke of Edinburgh Award

This is a fantastic opportunity to build your CV and grow as a person.

What’s in the Sciences programme?

The sciences programme is designed for students who want to go on to do A-levels in the traditional sciences, computer science, electronics, sport and exercise science, psychology or geology. There are six main topics, which are each about six weeks long and contain subtopics from a range of sciences:

  • What makes you unique?
    • What are you made of?
    • Why are you similar to your parents?
    • Our brains are unique, how do they work?
    • How we protect ourselves from invasion
  • What is needed for your phone to work?
    • Materials in your phone
    • Electricity
    • Communication
    • Software
  • Science in your kitchen
    • Nutrients in your food
    • How your food gets cooked
    • Chemistry in the kitchen
  • Where did we come from?
    • Where did the universe come from?
    • Where did the Earth come from?
    • Where did life come from?
  • Climate change
    • Where do we get most of our energy now?
    • What is global warming?
    • Why are we worried about climate change?
    • Moving forward
  • The science of exercise
    • What body systems are involved in exercise?
    • How can we measure performance?
    • How can we improve performance?

What’s in the Humanities programme?

The humanities programme will prepare you with the skills you need to access A-levels in history, ancient history, classics, history of art, geography, law, politics, philosophy and religion and economics. The topics are:

  • Culture of burial
  • Mythology
  • Civil Rights
  • How do we know what’s right and wrong?
  • What does the world believe?
  • What makes a criminal?
  • The Line City
  • Globalisation

Who is the A-level Progression Programme (APP) for?

This programme is particularly useful if you need an A-level route to progress in your career aim. APP is for students who have just missed the entry requirements for a full A-level programme and may need to improve their GCSE grades in English and Maths to progress to their chosen subject or career aim.

What are the entry requirements for the A-level Progression Programme?

There isn’t a particular set of grades you need for the APP, instead we’ll meet with you to discuss whether or not the programme suits you. In many cases, students on the APP will have had some sort of barrier to achievement in GCSEs – perhaps long-term sickness, or having only been on the course for one year. You might have a spikey GCSE grade profile which shows you are strong in a couple of subjects but do not yet have the grades to begin a full level 3 A-level programme.

Can I do an apprenticeship or T-level after APP?

You can do an apprenticeship after APP but we wouldn’t recommend this route. The APP is designed to help you to an A-level study programme. If you would like to do an apprenticeship next, we would suggest that you look at a level 2 programme, go straight to an apprenticeship or perhaps look at the T-level transition year and then a T-level or apprenticeship.

Apprenticeships at Cirencester CollegeWhat are T-levels?What is the Transition Programme?