CIFE colleges come in all shapes and sizes. Nationwide we are united in our goal of attaining the best academic success and personal development for each and every one of our students. The twenty-four colleges in our professional organisation range from residential colleges sited in many acres to day colleges in the suburbs of our largest cities. CIFE colleges range in size from below 50 to over 400 students and all have very high teacher to pupil ratios. We all believe that in the new millennium teaching programmes designed for the individual coupled with teaching by experienced enthusiastic graduate teachers, many of whom examine in their subjects, is the only way that education will successfully move forward into the future.

Because we are an association of independent colleges we are able to take the best practices from both the maintained and independent sectors and then implement these for the benefit of both our students and our teachers. The concentration on teaching, both in quality and in quantity, is a fundamental ‘best practice’ which enables us to gain exceptional results, often for students whose GCSE grades are only average. It is this commitment to enthusiastic teaching that inspires our students, is our hallmark, and enables our students to gain both the grades and the self confidence necessary to take up places on prestigious courses at the very best UK Universities.

CIFE colleges have developed enormously since those days back in the sixties when students worked in a large room and were called up for individual tuition to the cubicle that housed the teacher. Nowadays we teach conventionally with whiteboards, OHPs and computers and then add parallel tutorials that give the individual contact that is so necessary for complete understanding of a particular topic or where homework can be fully discussed.

By using these and other methods CIFE colleges are becoming more and more sought after for their unique one-year A level courses. It is these courses that are most popular with many applicants from the big cities applying because of the success gained by their friends. Yes, the student grapevine is our best form of advertising and at the last count there were over 6000 students studying at CIFE colleges nationwide.

It would be very wrong, though, to think that CIFE colleges only taught one-year A level courses. Although we are all very different in our style and approach we are all united in responding to the needs of the students who apply to our colleges. Hence some colleges have developed into A level resit specialists for students who wish to enter competitive degree courses such as medicine, dentistry and law. These colleges have gained incredible successes with both grade improvements and numbers of A grades which are quite astonishing. Other colleges, some with boarding facilities on their campuses, have developed their two year A level courses, so to all intents and purposes they resemble our independent schools, in fact one of our former members has now become a public school. There are also colleges that have a large GCSE department which means that they are inspected by Ofsted and are in reality fifth and sixth form colleges.

All CIFE colleges are bound to the Association by both our code of conduct and the constitution. All CIFE colleges must undergo a rigorous three day inspection, every five years, by the British Accreditation Council (BAC) or by the ISJC. The BAC was founded in 1980, principally by British Council initiatives with the government of the time. The BAC have their own inspectors the majority of whom are experienced school or further education inspectors. Each College is re-inspected on mid five year cycle basis and can only publish examination statistics after BAC  accreditation has been granted.

Increasingly, numbers of young people are deciding to move school at the age of 16, not because they are unhappy with their school, but because they see the need for a change at this stage. They may well feel more comfortable in a more adult environment where there is the expectation of good manners and an enthusiastic attitude, and where they can, to some extent, be treated as equals by their teachers. They may wish to study subjects that their schools do not offer or they may wish to have a greater concentration on their academic studies. They certainly would be given a greater academic choice and then taught in small groups focused on the examination curriculum. Extracurricular activities tend to be centred around useful work experience more than the games field. That is not to say sporting, social and creative activities do not have a place at CIFE Colleges for they most certainly do.

Choosing the right college for you needs careful research. There is a CIFE handbook which describes in outline the ethos of each member college and is available from Dr Norma Ball, the Executive Secretary. When you have made your shortlist then ensure that you visit each college. You should have your interview with the Principal on a working day, for then you can look around the college. If you are impressed remember that many day colleges will allow you to ‘sit in on classes’. This is an invaluable way of meeting students and staff and will enable you to make a more informed choice. Although all CIFE colleges represent the vanguard of modern sixth form education they all have their own individual character. So make the right choice for you and you should enjoy the superb preparation for higher education that many thousands have enjoyed before you.

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