This article covers teaching and learning in general upper secondary education for 16- to 18/19-year-olds, which is usually referred to as ‘post-16’ or ‘sixth form’ education.

Curriculum, subjects, number of hours 

There is no statutory national curriculum for this phase of education: the curriculum is characterised by subject specialisation and choice.

Under the Entitlement Framework, young people aged 16-18/19 must have access to a minimum of 21 courses and qualifications. A third of courses must be general (academic) and a third applied / vocational (i.e. employment-related). The final third of courses is left to the discretion of the individual school or college.

The Entitlement Framework aims to meet the needs of young people and the economy by offering them access to a broad and balanced range of courses, regardless of where they live and which school or college they attend.

The Entitlement Framework became statutory from September 2013 under Sections 18 to 22 of The Education (Northern Ireland) Order 2006. From 2015/16, schools / colleges had to provide access to a minimum of 27 courses for students aged 16-18/19. In September 2017, this was reduced to 21 courses, with a view to providing an element of flexibility for schools and to enabling them to manage their resources in the challenging economic climate. The Department of Education maintains its expectation that schools which are able to offer more than the specified number of courses will continue to do so.

As few schools are able to deliver the full offer themselves, schools and further education colleges collaborate as members of an ‘Area Learning Community’ (ALC) to deliver the range of courses. The Department of Education (DE) provides funding to facilitate this.

A Levels and AS Levels 

A Levels and AS Levels are the most common qualifications taken by young people aged 16 to 18/19 in full-time education, and A Levels are the most common qualification for entry to higher education.

They are single-subject qualifications available in a wide range of subjects; most are general (academic), although some applied subjects are available. (The wider range of vocational qualifications available in post-16 education is described in the articles on ‘Vocational Upper Secondary Education'.)

Students typically take three or four subjects at AS Level in Year 13 (age 16-17) and continue with two or three of these subjects to A Level in Year 14 (age 17-18).

Subjects selected by students depend on their preference and the qualifications on offer at their place of study.

Following a review in 2013, revised A Level and AS Level qualifications were introduced in Northern Ireland during the period 2015-2018. This coincided with the introduction of revised qualifications in England and Wales and the systems in all three countries have diverged. The changes in Northern Ireland aimed to ensure that assessment is more robust and that the qualifications remain high quality and reflect the needs of the economy.

Time allocation/number of hours 

Indicative teaching time for post-16 qualifications is specified on the Register of Regulated Qualifications. It is described in terms of guided learning hours (GLH) and total qualification time (TQT). Guided learning hours are hours under the guidance or supervision of a teacher, lecturer or supervisor, while total qualification time includes GLH and the hours a learner is expected to spend in preparation, individual study and assessment. The GLH for an A Level is 360 hours; for an AS Level it is 180 hours.

Teaching methods and materials 

Decisions about teaching methods and materials are a matter for individual schools, colleges and teachers / lecturers. They are, however, made in the context of national frameworks and guidance.

Teachers working in a school sixth form for example, are expected to demonstrate 27 Professional Competences (pages 13-15 of Teaching: The Reflective Profession, 2011) organised within three broad areas:

• professional values and practice
• professional knowledge and understanding
• professional skills and application, which is subdivided into planning and leading; teaching and learning; and assessment.

 There are also non-statutory Professional Standards (2009) to support teachers working in further education (FE) colleges. They cover the following six domains: 

• professional values and practice
• learning and teaching
• specialist learning and teaching
• planning for learning
• assessment for learning
• access and progression.

Textbooks and materials/equipment 

All teaching materials are selected by schools and colleges and there are no prescribed textbooks for students.

Textbooks are produced by commercial publishers and do not require government approval. Schools and colleges do, however, pay attention to qualification specifications set by awarding organisations.

Schools may not usually charge for the cost of materials, books, or any other equipment used by pupils.

There are no guidelines on homework or on the use of technology. Schools and colleges decide on the nature, frequency and amount of homework, reflecting the age and stage of students, their needs and the school’s / college’s ethos. All schools and colleges have a range of ICT tools available for use by teachers / lecturers and students.

Article last reviewed April 2021.