Sending your child off to college is a key milestone both of your lives. In this section, we’ll inform you of our latest course, enrichment and events activity so you can keep track of your child's whereabouts while giving them their space.
Our Parents' Guide
Seeing the future: Supporting your child together
Making the decision to study at Franklin is an important step in your child’s future. We value the opportunity to work closely with you, supporting you as you support them. To help give you an idea of what this looks like day-to-day, we’ve outlined what to expect in the guide below.
If your child hasn’t yet made an application to Franklin they can do that here. Or, if they’ve applied and you’d like some information on next steps after their application or interview you can find that here.
The Admissions Team are always on hand if you need anything, please feel free get in contact if you have any questions.
Throughout the college year we will communicate with parents and carers.
Download Parents' Newsletters:
Our partnership with you
A close partnership between a college, student, and their support network encourages success. At Franklin, our students are empowered to take control of their learning, but we’ll keep you involved at all stages as the parent or carer.
Feel free to get in touch with staff at any point to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns. It’s good to talk, and we’re always open to an informal chat.
Our vision and values
We aim to provide an excellent learning experience in an inclusive and supportive environment. Beyond learning, we help to broaden our students' understanding of the skills and behaviours required to succeed in the workplace. Innovative, outward-looking and in partnership, we’ll raise the aspirations of your young person together.
Keeping you informed
You’ll be invited to a Welcome Evening at the start of your child’s time at Franklin, followed by Consultation Evenings throughout the year, allowing you to meet staff and discuss progress.
You can also choose to receive regular attendance updates and key performance indications termly and find the Principal’s termly newsletter at the top of this page.
We address concerns directly with our students, but if we deem it necessary to inform you, we’ll get in touch.
Aspire
All Franklin students attend Aspire, allowing them to explore options and plan a future beyond Franklin. They’ll be assigned a Progress Coach who’ll mentor them throughout their time at college. Your child will understand how their skills and personal qualities might be developed to help achieve their aspirations for the workplace or further education.
Our full-time, dedicated Careers Advisor offers one-to-one guidance sessions to students wishing to explore their career options. The team is closely linked to our Centre for Professional Development, Aspire, and Professionals’ Programmes, giving your aspiring professional the broadest range of support possible. This includes everything from applications to CV writing and interview preparation.
FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
They will be invited to attend a Taster Day before enrolling in the summer. It’s a great opportunity to try out their chosen subjects, ensuring they’ve made the right choice. It also gives insight into life at Franklin, from our state-of-the-art facilities, brilliant support staff, and enrichment opportunities to our tasty food!
You might hear your child speak about Level 3 study. Level 3 is the natural progression for many students completing Year 11. If students achieve predominantly Grade 4s or above, they will likely progress on to a Level 3 Study Programme which will comprise A Levels or Level 3 BTECs/CTECs or T-Level courses.
Some students may benefit from another year of GCSE/Level 2 study. This applies to students who didn’t quite achieve the grades needed for a Level 3 Study Programme. We offer a three-year Study Programme if your child falls into this category. For the first year, they will undertake a Level 2 package alongside their Maths and/or English GCSE (if they did not previously achieve a Grade 4) and move onto Level 3 upon completion.
Students undertaking a Level 3 Study Programme can take up to three courses (in a few exceptional cases, they may take an additional subject). However, they may choose one of the BTEC/CTEC courses that counts as a double option, reducing the number of different courses they study but still giving them a full programme. This equates to the same amount of study and UCAS Points. Level 2 students will normally take one BTEC/CTEC option alongside their English and/or Maths GCSE, with a view to moving onto a Level 3 course the year after.
You can view all of our courses here.
If you have any questions about our Study Programmes, please contact our friendly Admissions Team, who will be more than happy to advise you! Contact details are:
Email: Admissions@franklin.ac.uk
Phone: 01472 8758000
We hope that your child's guidance from our Admissions Team at their interview has resulted in a well-considered plan based on their predicted grades and career aspirations. But we appreciate that decision-making can be daunting, and sometimes we change our minds! If you still have questions about courses, don’t hesitate to get in touch for more guidance or reassurance. Taster Day is a great chance to test course choices, and changes can be made at that time.
Changes in education happen all the time, so it’s likely that even if you recognise the qualifications, they may have slightly different meanings to when you or your child’s older sibling studied them. Please find a quick recap below:
- A Level – Studied over two years and only constitute one of a student’s three options. A Levels are well-established qualifications examined at the end of a two-year study period. A Levels may have coursework elements, but there will be considerably more examination. A Levels can be taken alongside other A Levels or other Level 3 qualifications.
- BTEC/CTEC – BTECs and CTECs are two-year programmes that include some work experience and are a little more practical in their nature. They often apply learning to real-life situations and have more assessments throughout the two-year course. BTECs and CTECs are a combination of coursework and controlled assessments.
Changes in education happen all the time, so it’s likely that even if you recognise the qualifications, they may have slightly different meanings to when you or your child’s older sibling studied them. Please find a quick recap below:
- A Level – Studied over two years and only constitute one of a student’s three options. A Levels are well-established qualifications examined at the end of a two-year study period. A Levels may have coursework elements, but there will be considerably more examination. A Levels can be taken alongside other A Levels or other Level 3 qualifications.
- BTEC/CTEC – BTECs and CTECs are two-year programmes that include some work experience and are a little more practical in their nature. They often apply learning to real-life situations and have more assessments throughout the two-year course. BTECs and CTECs are a combination of coursework and controlled assessments.
Every student will receive support and guidance from their academic tutors both in and out of the classroom. Parents and Carers can contact staff if they have a concern or query.
Every student is allocated a Progress Coach to support them with additional aspects of their Study Programme and in planning for their future. Their Progress Coach will support them with everything from applications for university, apprenticeships or employment, alongside tips on supplementing their studies with additional activities and opportunities. Students also have access to our Study Support Team to help with any specific study needs and access to our Careers Advisor for one-to-one interviews and guidance sessions.
If, as a parent, you have any questions, then please do get in touch with us by emailing: admissions@franklin.ac.uk
All parents/carers of new students receive an email about the career-related activities their son/daughter can take advantage of. Parents/carers are welcome to join a one-to-one guidance interview with their child. These can be made outside of the usual times if necessary. Please email Zofia.ciopcinski@franklin.ac.uk if you wish to make an appointment with Zofia, our Level 6 qualified Careers Guidance Officer. For general information, please view the Careers Team page on our website.
To find out more about our Careers Service please click here
If your son or daughter has any questions, they may find it helpful to view our FAQs section here.
