Courses
A Levels
- Accounting
- Ancient History
- Art & Design
- Biology
- Business Studies
- Chemistry
- Computing
- Critical Thinking
- Economics
- English Language
- English Literature
- French
- Geography
- German
- Graphic Products
- History
- ICT Applied (Information Communication Technology)
- Law
- Mathematics
- Media Studies
- Music
- Philosophy and Ethics
- Photography
- Physics
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Sports Studies
- Textile Design
- Theatre Studies
Other available A - Level cluster courses through Concorde Partnership
- Film Studies
- French
- Graphics
- Textiles
The AQA Bacc
We are pleased to announce that we will be giving our students the opportunity to improve on their A levels by offering the opportunity to study for the AQA Baccalaureate
qualification. The AQA Baccalaureate, known as the AQA Bacc celebrates the achievements of well rounded post 16 students. as well as your 3 or 4 A levels you will
have to demonstrate that you have participated in enrichment activities, completed
the new Extended Project Qualification and completed AS General Studies or Critical
Thinking on top of your 3 or 4 A level choices.
The new AQA Bacc will give you not only extra UCAS points but also a vital edge over other students applying for popular courses at universities throughout the country. The AQA Bacc is purely optional and if you want to concentrate on your 3 or 4 A levels that is fine by us. You can find out more about the AQA Bacc when you come for an A level interview or by going to the following website www. aqa.org.uk/qual/bacc.php. We will also be offering the possibility of studying for the new Extended Project Qualification as a stand alone qualification.
Aspire to be the best at the leading A-Level College in the area
The new Filton College A-Level Centre
Dedicated A-Level student facilities include:
- Tutorial rooms
- Quiet study area
- PC resource area
- Free Internet and email access
- Student Cafe/Coffee Bar
You and your future
You and the Filton College A-Level Centre
Filton College is one of the fastest-growing colleges in the region. We are extremely responsive in all we do. Students locally, and from over 40 different countries, choose to study at Filton College because they want the best preparation available for entry into university or professional employment. Filton College has been providing high quality further education for nearly 50 years. As part of the College’s capital investment programme to improve teaching and learning facilities, a new dedicated A-Level centre was recently opened for A-Level Students.
Where else can A-Level students do extra-curricular activities?
Filton College A-Level Centre aims to maximise individual success and ensure that students receive the very best education – a place to study, learn and relax. As a student, you can expect the College to support you in your academic and personal development by providing a purposeful working atmosphere, and tutors who care about your progress, success and future.
We encourage all of our students to take ownership of their study programmes and challenge their own learning aspirations. We will support you in your quest to exceed your personal expectations and academic goals. As a student, you will experience a broad and balanced curriculum.
Students at the A-Level Centre also have access to and can join:
- The Bristol Academy of Sport
- The 40-station Bodywise gym (a membership fee of £100 per annum applies to students)
- Our music studios @ WISE
- The Duke of Edinburgh Award Programme
- A full and diverse enrichment programme
- Cadets
Enrichment Activities
Enjoy and Achieve
Basketball:
This is your opportunity to get involved with basketball. Practice
and show off your basketball skills with a professional member
of the Division 1 Bristol Academy Flyers basketball team.
Languages:
Bonjour! Guten Abend!! Want to learn French? Or maybe
German? Classes for conversation, holiday, travelling and
improving your skills with a native speaker.
There is even Chinese Mandarin, Korean and Latin for
beginners on offer for the more adventurous, not only the
language, but also the culture behind it.
5-A-Side Football:
Fancy yourself as a pro? Or want to get a regular game in with
your mates? Get a team together and play each week (at the
WISE campus) for your place on the leader board.
College Band / Singing / Jazz Impro:
Play an instrument? Have a great voice? Why not join together
with other students to share your talents and create something
awesome?
Drama Improvisation Workshop:
Improvisational theatre (also known as improve or impro) is
a form of theatre in which actors use improvisational acting
techniques to perform spontaneously. Improvisation is fun and
develops communication skills, creativity and confidence.
Cadets:
Encourages young people to develop one-on-one interpersonal
skills by putting them through a structured, demanding and
rewarding programme. This is run off site at the Horfield
TA Centre. The Cadets follow The Army Cadet Proficiency
Certificate, which includes Drill & Turnout, Military Knowledge, Skill at Arms, Shooting, Field Craft & Physical Recreation. The
activity would be an ideal opportunity for those students who
have applied for the Army Further Education Bursary Scheme
but who have never been a member of a cadet organisation
before. Similarly it would also be suitable for those who are
interested in the military but would like to know more before
they make a commitment.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award:
This is a voluntary, non-competitive programme of activities
for anyone aged 14-25. It offers an individual challenge and
encourages young people to undertake exciting, constructive,
challenging and enjoyable activities in their free time. The
Award is a four section programme with three progressive
levels, Bronze, Silver and Gold. The sections involve: Service
(helping the community); Skills (a hobby, skill or interest);
Physical Recreation (sports, dance, fitness); Expeditions (on
foot, cycle, horseback or water); Residential Project – Gold only.
The Filton College Magazine:
Interested in a career in print or online journalism? Like to have
a go at writing reviews of your favourite band, film or computer
game? Like to gain skills in building a website?
If the answer to any of these is yes, then the Filton College student magazine might be right up your street. For two hours on a Wednesday afternoon, you’ll be working as part of an editorial team to create the college’s first online and print magazine for students. You decide the design and concept and we provide the equipment and technical support. The project can offer a variety of experiences, from writing reviews, profiles and other journalistic activity, to page design, layout and website construction. The aim is for the magazine to exist in print form and to be published online.
Top of pageUniversity Entrance
We aim for 4 out of 5 A level students to go to university. Each year at least 2 Filton students gain places at Oxbridge. There is special help for students to complete their UCAS application. We arrange visits to universities, including Oxford and Cambridge.
The Learning Experience
Your choice of subjects will give you an individual timetable, central to which will be the support from tutorials. There are usually ten to twenty students in a class and the teaching and learning styles vary widely across and within subjects, from the formal lecture through to group work. A wide variety of visits, field courses and study tours exist to enrich the learning programme and you will be given every encouragement to experience these.
Ofsted
Filton College’s winning ways have earned it an excellent report from an education inspection service Ofsted. The college was rated good in nine out of eleven categories in a recent inspection. It was judged to be outstanding for its provision and resources in sport, leisure, travel and tourism. The college has invested heavily in sport academies at its WISE campus in Stoke Gifford and it is now ranked as one of the most successful sport colleges in the country. “Learners’ practical skills are outstanding. Many of the sports academy students perform at county, national and international level and produce outstanding competitive performances” (Ofsted 08).
Facilities
Entry Requirements
Our general requirement for admission to the A Level programme is a minimum of 5 GCSEs grade A* to C including
English or Mathematics. In addition there are also some ‘subject specific entry criteria’ which are detailed below. We
prefer the GCSEs to have been gained at one sitting. We discuss the best course for you at interview and then make
an appropriate conditional offer. In particular circumstances, the general requirements may be modified.
Value Added
The most recently published tables (LSC, Feb 08) show positive value added at both AS and A2, for Filton students.
Subject Choices
Advanced Subsidiary (AS) provides a one-year course to gain the foundations for A Level. The AS counts as a
qualification in its own right, but the second (A2) year adds to the AS Level work and leads to a full A Level. Most
students take three subjects. The system is very flexible and a second year of study may mix AS and A2 courses.
Extra Subject Choices
Filton College is a member of the Concorde Partnership; we work with Filton High School and Patchway Community College to provide a broader A-Level curriculum. Through the Partnership it is possible for students to take subjects
which are not on offer at Filton College (for example German or Design Technology) at a local school. Timetables are
co-ordinated, and transport runs between the institutions.
'What you can study'
• Accounting
• Ancient History
• Applied ICT (Information
Communication Technology)
• Archaeology
• Art & Design
• Business Studies
• Chemistry
• Critical Thinking
• Computing
• English Language
• English Literature
• Economics
• Geography
• History
• Biology
• Law
• Mathematics
• Media Studies
• Photography
• Physics
• Psychology
• Sociology
• Sports Studies
• Theatre Studies
Plus at local schools through the
Concorde Cluster:
• Design Technology
• Food Technology
• French
• German
• Music
• Philosophy & Ethics
• Textiles
For further information email info@filton.ac.uk
Performance Tables Confirm That Filton College Is Bristol's Best!
Staff and students at Filton College are celebrating after the publication of the recent league tables for A2 achievement for students who completed in July 07. The results show a continued improvement of the College’s A Level performance when the best school / college comparative statistic is used which views the average point score per entry.
Filton College scored 208.1 points per
entry, beating all of the colleges within the
Bristol region and exceeding the national
average for points per entry. The College
was the second highest performing
institution in South Gloucestershire,
just behind Castle School. The College
is considerably above average for A-level point scores when compared with
institutions in South Gloucestershire,
within the West of England and also
nationally.
Kevin Hamblin, Principal and Chief Executive comments ‘Our overall results for our core 16-19 A Level programme for last year shows continued improvement and we should all be proud of the direction of travel. I certainly recognise that this doesn’t just happen, it is the result of a lot of hard work from everyone– students and staff, both teaching and non-teaching. Politically the quality of our Institution is seen by some as our ability to provide quality level 3 academic programmes (A-Levels) - this does not actually reflect the true state of our institution as it accounts only for a small proportion of a general Further Education College’s provision, but it does attract the greatest focus of publicity. I am extremely pleased therefore that this result reflects the dedication and achievement of all students across the College’.
These outstanding results have also
been reflected across the College where,
the College for the last academic year
has moved into the top 100 of Colleges
nationally based on success rates. As
well as achieving record A level pass
rates, value added results show that our
students make better progress at Filton
College than the national average. The
College overall success rate (full and
part-time learners) has now reached
over 79%, putting Filton College in the
top league of all colleges. Success at the
college has improved over 15% in the
last three years, which is double
the rate of improvement (latest national
benchmark figures are for academic year
05/06). Our student satisfaction surveys
also improved greatly in 06/07.
Our full-time learners have also done very well in their own right; the success rates of our learners is now 5% above national benchmarks. This shows a 9% year on year increase (latest national benchmark figures are for academic year 05/06). Filton College offers 24 A level programmes and is one of the most comprehensive providers within the West of England, working in partnership with a number of secondary schools within the Concorde Cluster to ensure a large range of A level provision is delivered within the region. The new A level centre provides state-of-the-art learning facilities for students, a dedicated common room, tutorial suite, IT facilities and a coffee shop. Students studying A -Levels at Filton College also can participate in the Bristol Academy of Sport and the South West Academy of Dramatic Arts and other complementary activities to provide a wide-ranging learning experience.
Some of our Students
Some of our Lecturers
What you need to apply
Have you got everything?
Our general requirements for admission to the A Level programme are:
- either 5 GCSEs grade A*-C including English or Mathematics
- or 4 GCSEs grade A*-C including both English and Mathematics (for a more limited choice of A Level subjects)
In addition, there are some extra subject specific entry requirements.
Apply…
Application forms can be downloaded as a PDF document from our website at www.filton.ac.uk. Please complete the form and bring it in person to the College or send it via post to the following address:
Admissions Office, Filton College, Filton Avenue, Bristol, BS34 7AT
Contact the A Level Centre on 0117 9152 436 if you have any questions.
Interview…
You will be invited to come for an informal interview with parents/guardians and friends who are very welcome to:
- Discuss the possibilities open to you
- Find out about the College and its facilities
- Discuss your interests and career plans
Your offer of a place on a course will probably be conditional on you achieving certain entry qualifications. There will be staff available to discuss this and further options if you are still not sure what you want to do.
Acceptance…
You will receive an acceptance form from the College, to say you have been accepted at interview. This form should be returned to Filton College Admissions Office to secure your place or given back to the tutor at interview. A letter confirming your acceptance will then be mailed to you.
Come and visit...
Before you apply, you may wish to attend a Filton College open event. These offer the perfect opportunity to visit the College and to meet with subject specialists, who will advise you about courses and what is right for you.
We look forward to you being with us!
For more information please send an e-mail to info@filton.ac.uk.
Top of page