Nelson and Colne College Group will accept applicants based on school teachers’ GCSE grades

Nelson and Colne College Group,which includes Nelson and Colne College and Accrington and Rossendale College, made the urgent update to its entry criteria in recognition that the calculated GCSE grades that pupils will receive on Thursday are highly likely to be significantly different to teachers' Centre Assessed Grades.

The positive step means Nelson and Colne College and Accrington and Rossendale College applicants will not have to go through the anxiety that faced A-Level students last week.

It also acknowledges the significant work that teachers have gone to in assessing the abilities of their students, in what has been an unprecedented academic year.

Nelson and Colne College Group is now working with local secondary schools around the sharing of Centre Assessed Grades.

This year’s enrolment for Nelson and Colne College and Accrington and Rossendale College will be taking place online for the safety of staff and the wider community, and applicants and parents are being sent key communications about this process, to make the experience as smooth as possible.

Fionnuala Swann, assistant principal for Academic Curriculum at Nelson and Colne College Group, said: “Ahead of the release of GCSE results on Thursday, Nelson and Colne College Group has made the decision to accept applicants onto their college course based on grades submitted by their school teachers - where higher than official grades.

“We know that this has been an unprecedented year and we hope this decision provides reassurance for Year 11 pupils and parents.

“We are committed to ensuring that young people can be as successful as possible in the future following the significant disruption they have had to their education.

"We believe that our students will play a vital role in the recovery of the local and national economy and deserve the very best start to their college journey.”

Nelson and Colne College saw no change in its A-Level success in 2020, with a 99% pass rate. There was no dip in the number of A-Level students achieving A*-C grades at Nelson and Colne College, remaining at 80%, with 55% achieving A*-B grades and 25% achieving coveted A*-A grades.

The college has also gained an ALPS 2 score meaning it is in the top 10% of all A-Level providers nationally for the progress that students make. This is in line with the college’s status as the leading FE College in the country for A-Level progress.

Nelson and Colne College Group – incorporating Accrington and Rossendale College – also saw a 100% pass rate for students completing BTEC qualifications, with 85% of students achieving high grades.

Nelson and Colne College is one of the leading colleges nationally across a range of academic measures – 16-18 classroom learner achievement, 16-18 Advanced Apprenticeship timely achievement, A Level progress and GCSE Mathematics and English progress. The college is also the number one college in the country for student satisfaction.

Applicants looking to apply to Nelson and Colne College or Accrington and Rossendale College still have the time to do so. Visit www.nelson.ac.uk or www.accross.ac.uk or contact the admissions team on 01282 440272.