Education and learning - Choosing a school:

Choosing where to study at 16+

Researching local learning providers

Just as important as helping your 16 to 19 year old choose the right course is helping them choose the right place to study. Your child may find that several organisations including schools with sixth forms, further education and sixth form colleges, and training providers offer similar courses. Choosing one learning provider over another can be difficult. You and your child can make this decision easier by finding out which ones offer reputable courses in your child's area of interest.

Talk to career advisors
You and your child can start by talking to career advisors at your child's school. They will have a good idea about the range of learning providers in your area, as well as their strengths and weaknesses in particular courses of study. Your child can also speak to a Personal Adviser at your local Connexions Centre [External Site]. You can find your local centre on the Connexions Direct website. You or your child can contact a Connexions Direct Adviser by phone on 08080 013 219, by text on 07766 413 219, by textphone on 08000 968 336, online [External Site] or by email [External Site].
Visit learning providers
Once your child has drawn up a shortlist of possible learning providers, you or your child can arrange visits. Most places hold open days for prospective students or trainees. You can find out about open days from a career advisor at your child's school or your local newspaper. Open days are an opportunity to have a close look at an institution, ask questions and talk to current students and staff. For an idea of the types of questions to ask a learning provider, visit the Choosing the right place to study [External Site] page on the Connections Direct website.
Talk to current and former students or trainees
Even if your child can't visit every learning provider that interests them, they can still talk to current or recently graduated students or trainees. Current students and recent graduates can tell you about the actual experience of further education, something that open days and leaflets cannot easily provide.
Check the official inspection reports
Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education) [External Site] and the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) [External Site] are responsible for inspecting and publishing reports on colleges and training providers, similar to those done on primary and secondary schools. Inspection reports provide you with detailed information on the performance of individual institutions, pointing out strengths and weaknesses of each. Ofsted reports tell you about further education and sixth form colleges, as well as youth services and Connexions partnerships. ALI reports tell you about training providers.