At The Beacon Centre, we strike to ensure that every Young Person who attends will transition with a qualification. For many Young People the traditional GCSE route isn’t the most appropriate model of education. For that reason, The Beacon Centre offers a range of educational qualification routes, as outlined below. This allows staff and Young People to cherry-pick the best possible options for them, giving the Young People the greatest possible chance of achieving their full potential.
AQA – Unit Award Scheme
At the base level, the AQA UAS is a fantastic programme of study that gives Young People the opportunity to earn a huge range of certificates (approximately 15,000) in all kinds of subjects from Basic Culinary Skills to Crime and Punishment in the Medieval Period. There really is something for every Young Person to engage with.
Entry Level Certificates
Entry Level Certificates are an accredited qualification aimed at 14-16 year olds. There are three levels of ELC based on difficulty, ranging from Entry Level 1 to Entry Level 3. The ELC is a great tool for building confidence in Young People and giving them a sense of achievement before moving onto more challenging routes of qualification. Currently, it is possible to complete Entry Level Certificates in English, Maths, Science, PE and History.
Functional Skills
Functional Skills qualifications are the first of our GCSE alternative qualifications. They are available in English and Maths and run at Level 1 (equivalent to GCSE Grade) and Level 2 (Equivalent to GCSE Grade 4). It is our aim that every Young Person Leaving The Beacon Centre will have achieved a Functional Skills Qualification in English and Maths, giving them the opportunity to access further education, training, or employment.
BTEC – MySkills
BTEC’s are a qualification aimed at those Young People and those subjects more suited to a more Vocational model of study, for instance Food Technology. BTEC given our Young People the opportunity to explore the range of work like practices which are available to them which gaining real world skills valued by employers and at the same time gaining a qualification.
ASDAN
ASDAN offers a range of qualifications at a variety of levels to Young People for whom traditional educational models are not appropriate. They allow Young People to work on a variety of skills, building their interpersonal, self-determinism, self-motivation, confidence, self-esteem and
independence. The qualifications give Young People the opportunity to explore their own educational paths and engage in the aspects of learning that best suit their individual needs. This allows the Young People to see the value in their education and in the process push themselves on to bigger and greater things.
NCFE
NCFE is an organisation that offers a range of qualification from Entry Level 1 to GCSE alternatives. Following a model that breaks qualifications down into easy to manage sections, allowing the Young People the to achieve their full potential.
GCSE
GCSE’s are the most traditional route of education on offer at The Beacon Centre, they are an academic qualification in which a Young Person completes a mixture of Controlled Assessment and Summative Examination at the end of a two-year cycle. GCSEs are the more taxing and time-consuming of the qualifications on offer at The Beacon Centre.
We are currently in the position to offer GCSE’s in the following Subject areas:
English
Maths
Combined Science: Synergy (old Dual Award)
Citizenship
Home Cooking (BTEC)
This list is not exhaustive, and it is always possible that a Young Person could continue a programme of study they had started at a previous establishment, following a discussion with staff.
Queries or Comments
If you have any queries of comments about the Qualification Offer at The Beacon Centre – Please Contact Miss Payne – Deputy Head – [email protected]