What Education do you want?
From GCSEs to degrees, there are educational opportunites out there to cover all your needs!
If you're looking at further education it's important to understand what you are doing it for and what you really need to do to succeed.
For example, you may set your sights on a degree to enter teacher training but do you have the GCSE Maths that you also need?
Read on and learn about some of the many routes to acheiving the qualifications you desire...
Adult Education Centres
For those of you who need to go back to get those essential GSCE's your first port of call is your local 'adult education centre'. These centre's are popping up all over the UK and offer a great service, not just GCSE's but vocational courses too. They try to provide courses that are needed within the community so if it's not on the list then just ask and they may have a list of others who also want the same course once the required numbers are met.basic education courses
I've talked to a few mum's who have retaken their English and Math's GCSE's and they are so proud of themselves. One of the main things they were really relieved about was that they weren't treated as inadequate or like a school child but as an adult who has the guts, commitment and confidence to try again. The pass rate within adult education is far higher, as those sitting the exams have choosen to do it unlike at school. The mum's I know who have done this course have now gone on to do further courses in accountancy and book keeping and IT courses...plus one went on to do soft furnishings and now has her own successful business. For funding options click here. careers advice
Long distance Learning
If you have been away from education for several years and want to opt for a degree or a professional qualification one of the best ways to check that home studying (or studying at all) is right for you is to start off with an access or openings course.
The Open University have several courses that offer a taster of things to come. I did an introductory course when I had my first daughter and really enjoyed the challenge of essay writing and reading course work and generally making time to study. Not only does this course help to boost your confidence but it also helps you to decide if home learning is right for you and what course you want to take next.
It doesn't necessarily have to be with the Open university there are several other very good colleges that offer distance learning courses.
There are lots of ways of gaining funding or financial help see adult learning grant
Local Colleges
Visit your local college, request prospectives or look on their website. Colleges all offer part time courses that are not only vocational but academic. You could study to be come a solicitor or a brick layer. hotcourses yell
NVQ's (National Vocational Qualification's)
NVQ's are occupational qualifications. If you are going back to work but want to further your career and there are NVQ's or similar that relate to your career most employers are more than happy to release you for this training. Some may fund it depending on the size of the organisation. Assessment of NVQ's generally is carried out in the workplace through observation and questions/interviews along with workbooks.
For instance if you work in a nursery but want to gain your NVQ1 this is a free course as long as you are working over 10 hours per week.
Vocational Training
For those of you who want to get into work such as teaching, nursing there are specific colleges that offer this training.
For instance you want to go into nursing. Your are more likely to be offered a place if you have already shown some commitment to gaining experience. Some friends of mine worked as support staff/auxillaries in hospitals or have done bank work with an agency. This can be more flexible although a little unsociable. Other ways of gaining experience are to become a specialist worker with the NCT - this involves study and training but does look very good if you aim to go into midwifery. The thing you need to remember is that once you are a trained NCT antenatal teacher you need to stay committed to this as well as studying midwifery as you are contracted to remain a teacher for at least three years in order to recoup your training costs.
Whatever you decide it is hard work and you will need your family to be behind you
Education & Family from BBC NEWS
Work contacts 'cut dropout rate'
The more young people come into contact with employers the less likely they are to drop out of school and become unemployed, research suggests.
Pupils learn how to 'fail well'
A top girls' school is planning a "failure week" to teach pupils to embrace risk, build resilience and learn from their mistakes.
Dickens 'beyond' modern children
Charles Dickens biographer Claire Tomalin says children are not being taught to read with the attention span necessary to appreciate the novelist's works.
Universities warned over access
The incoming fair access watchdog says universities will be fined for failing to recruit more students from poorer backgrounds.
Academy school results 'inflated'
The results of England's academy schools are being inflated by the over-use of vocational equivalents, analysis suggests.
Children's access rights pledge
Children are to get legal rights to maintain relationships with both their parents, as part of a shake-up of the family justice system.
Union plea to delay exams change
Schools should be allowed to delay a new exam system if they are not ready to implement it, Scotland's largest teaching union says.
Loans boss 'to pay tax at source'
The head of the Student Loans Company will have tax and National Insurance payments deducted from his £182,000 pay package in future, ministers say.
University places go to colleges
Further education colleges are going to offer thousands more degree places, previously provided by universities.
Shouting out 'helps pupils learn'
Pupils who shout out in class achieve better results than their counterparts who appear to be better behaved and quiet, suggests research.
Asbestos in schools a 'scandal'
The presence of killer fibre asbestos in most UK state schools constitutes a "national scandal", says an all-party group of parliamentarians.
Dinner ladies win equal pay row
Nearly 1,000 female workers, including dinner ladies, cleaners and carers, are to receive five years' back pay in a conclusion to an equality dispute with Bury Council.
Most new apprentices are over 25
More than two-thirds of the apprenticeships created in England in the past five years have gone to the over 25s, a report from spending watchdog shows.
Governors 'blamed over schools'
As two councils apply to dismiss their school governors, the Liberal Democrats warn they may be blamed for falling standards.
Special education change defended
Northern Ireland's Department of Education is planning to scrap the statements which guarantee extra help to pupils with special education needs.
Gove: Academy opponents 'Trots'
Education Secretary Michael Gove, facing questions from MPs and Twitter, says academy opponents are "Trots", promises a new measure for schools and chooses his favourite Bond villain.
Vocational exams cut from tables
Ministers cut the GCSE-equivalent value of 3,100 vocational qualifications, such as hair services and horse care, ending their recognition in school league tables.
Literacy of young 'must improve'
Wales' schools inspection service raises concerns about literacy levels and says exam results are not improving as quickly as other parts of the UK.
University applications down 9%
University applications have fallen more sharply in England than in Scotland, as admissions service figures reveal the impact of higher tuition fees.
'Biggest classroom in the world'
Looking at the biggest classroom in the world
New York schools enter the iZone
New York's pioneering plan to re-invent the school
How China is winning the school race
How China has overtaken everyone in the school race
Digital textbooks open a new chapter
Switch on your textbooks - they're going digital
Fairness challenge from first global education 'laureate'
First global education laureate's fairness challenge
Knowledge economy: Global best school buildings
What difference can building design make to the quality of education?
Disabled children excluded from education
One in three of the children around the world who do not have access to primary education have a disability, suggests research from the Sightsavers charity.
Battle of the knowledge superpowers
Knowledge is power - economic power - and there's a scramble for that power taking place around the globe.
'IPhoneography' course launched
A college plans a new course devoted entirely to taking photographs on the iPhone
Botanic Garden's stuck books plea
The Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh is appealing to the government of Pakistan to get 4,000 botany books destined for Afghanistan released after a year's hold-up.
Teaching union backs pension deal
The ATL teachers' union backs the government's revised deal on pensions in a ballot.
Tuition fees commission set up
An independent commission has been set up to examine the impact of increased tuition fees in England.
Lagging pupils 'don't catch up'
Just one in 15 pupils in England starting secondary school "behind" for their age, gets five good GCSEs, official data shows.
Two grammars top league tables
Two grammar schools are at the top of this year's secondary school league tables.
Failure in sex abuse teacher case
A teacher was able to film himself abusing young girls because of a "lamentable failure" by school management, a review finds.
Jubilee cooking contest 'illegal'
The anti-monarchy group Republic warns schools they may break the law if they take part in a cooking competition to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
Child protection scrutiny boosted
From May all inspections of child protection services will be unannounced and last two weeks.
Babies' brains 'show autism risk'
It may be possible to detect autism at a much earlier age than previously thought, say researchers.
Lammy: Axe current smacking law
David Lammy, MP for Tottenham, tells website Mumsnet parents should be allowed to smack their children without the fear of facing jail.
Foster system 'hampered by fear'
A culture of fear has led to some councils protecting themselves more than the children in their care, according to the government's child protection adviser.
Lords reject child support plans
The coalition suffers its biggest defeat in the Lords since being elected over plans to charge single parents to use the Child Support Agency.
Rising prices 'pressure elderly'
Elderly people are finding it harder to make ends meet as prices rise, says a report from Age UK.
VIDEO: Twigg on Labour's mistakes in office
Shadow Education Secretary Stephen Twigg says Labour made a mistake in not putting enough emphasis on the 50% of young people who do not plan to go to university.
AUDIO: Why are Wales's schools falling behind?
Welsh schools do not appear to be achieving results as good as those in England - on several measures the gap is widening.
AUDIO: 'Bonfire' of vocational qualifications
The Today programme's Sanchia Berg reports from a further education college in Stockport as the government announces it's to reduce the number of vocational subjects from GCSEs.
VIDEO: How to find extra primary school places
A rise in the number of pupils and a shortage of primary school places has led some councils to consider turning empty shops and playing fields into classrooms.
Mums launch student swap scheme
The parents looking to exchange their student child for yours
Wales facing literacy challenge
The BBC's Nicola Smith looks at how literacy levels can be raised
Boys' ballet free school planned
Free school plans for budding Billy Elliots
The 'toughest job' in the country
Turning round England's worst performing school
Without Wikipedia, where can you get your facts?
Where can you get facts during a Wiki-blackout?
How are poor teachers dealt with?
How heads deal with struggling teachers
ICT teachers welcome new lessons
ICT teachers look forward to curriculum shake-up