Range of Courses

We offer an extensive range of over 20 courses and qualifications. As well as A Level courses and Level 3 Vocational qualifications, we also offer a variety of enrichment opportunities, and the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ).

A-Levels

Students starting at SJBC will normally choose three subjects to be studied throughout the two years, leading to a final examination at the end of the course. This is in line with the government reform, where A Levels are studied in a linear fashion.

A minority of students may be given the opportunity to start with four A Levels with a view to reducing to three after one of two assessment points throughout Year 12. Linear A Levels do not have modular coursework components except in a small number of practical subjects.

BTEC Nationals

BTECs are more practical, work-related courses and are normally taken Subsidiary Diploma (equivalent to one A Level). Assessments consist of a mixture of coursework and exams. Each course is nationally recognised and offers an excellent route of progression to either higher education, employment or apprenticeships.

Students are offered the opportunity to study all BTEC courses or a combination of BTEC and A Level. The emphasis is on finding the right course where students will be successful and happy.

The Pathways: What Do We Offer?

At SJBC we try to cater for all students and have developed three pathways depending on the needs of the individual.

Pathway One

Stepping Stone – 1 Year Programme

This comprises resitting one or both GCSE English and Maths (if needed) along with ICT as the core programme. Then you can choose between either Creative Media or Health and Social Care to study alongside them. Students will also be able to gain work experience on the days they are not in school – which is Thursday and Friday.

The idea of this pathway is to hopefully gain the qualifications to ‘step onto’ the Vocational Pathway and provide students with the opportunity to gain work experience.

Bridge 1	Bridge 2	Bridge 3	Bridge 4	Bridge 5
BTEC Information Technology	BTEC Creative media	BTEC Health & social care	Work Experience 1	Work Experience 2

Pathway Two

Vocational Studies – 2 Year Programme

This pathway is the natural progression from pathway 1 and comprises of a mixture of BTEC courses. Students can also combine two BTEC courses with an A-level to complete a programme of study. Discussion with all students are carried out to make sure the correct pathway has been chosen by the individual.

Pathway Three

A Levels – 2 Year Programme

This pathway is the most popular route and students normally choose a minimum of three A-levels to study over 2 years. The A-level choices will be dependent on the GCSE grades obtained in those subjects.

A-Level Route

Block A	Block B	Block C	Block D	EP	English retake (optional)	Maths retake (optional)
Biology	Business	Physics	Mathematics	EPQ	GCSE English	GCSE Maths
BTEC Science	Chemistry	IT	English Literature
History	Media	Spanish	BTEC Sport
Religious Education	Psychology	Sociology	Product Design
Gaming/Computing		BTEC Health & Social Care	Travel & Tourism