What are AAQs?
Alternative Academic Qualifications, or AAQs as they are commonly known, are Level 3 vocational qualifications for students who want to study a subject through a blend of academic knowledge and applied learning. They can complement A Levels as part of a mixed Sixth Form programme, or stand alone as a pathway of their own. Either way, they support progression to university, higher education, apprenticeships and employment.
Vocational qualifications combine academic study with practical, career-connected learning. Students build their subject knowledge, then apply it through examinations, assignments, projects, practical activities and workplace-related scenarios.
Why we offer them
Students have different strengths, ambitions and ways of learning. Our AAQ programme gives them access to high-quality pathways that go beyond a solely traditional academic programme.
These qualifications let students explore subjects through real-world scenarios while keeping the academic challenge expected at Level 3. They also strengthen the link between school, university, apprenticeships and the changing world of work.
What students gain
Students earn a nationally recognised qualification, alongside experience that supports their next step. They develop:
- – Secure subject knowledge
- – Independent study and research skills
- – Practical and technical capability
- – Communication, teamwork and leadership
- – Project planning and problem-solving
- – Experience of meeting professional expectations
- – Strong evidence for university, apprenticeship and employment applications
Most importantly, students learn how to turn knowledge into action.
