When preparing to apply for places in further or higher education, you need all the help you can get. The BAC is one of the first places you should turn to.

Beyond school, beyond university, beyond the World of Education As We Know It, there is a world that many people never see: a world of horse-riding and jewellery, of film and music, of dance and art; and many more things besides. This is the world of independent further and higher education, or FE and HE to the initiated. Join us now, as we lift the veil…

There are tutorial colleges, and there are specialist colleges offering A levels which are not widely available. There are vocational institutions, and those offering university foundation years. There are institutions for the study of everything that the human mind could devise - or so, sometimes, it seems.

In June 2009 the British Accreditation Council (BAC) will celebrate its 25th Anniversary as the principal non-EFL (English as a Foreign Language) regulatory body for the independent further and higher education sector. BAC accredited colleges in the UK now number more than 280 and offer everything from website design to yoga to equine dentistry, alongside more standard qualifications in subjects such as business and law.

One colourful and internationally-renowned example is the unique and very successful Istituto Marangoni in London, which is a branch of the long-established fashion design school in Milan. Istituto Marangoni offers courses ranging from one year to three years in fashion business, fashion design, fashion styling, graphic design, and interior design along with a Masters programme in brand management. By offering a range of courses covering both artistic and business aspects of the fashion industry the school is helping more students to access a very competitive industry.  The school itself is ideally placed in the centre of London, allowing students ample opportunity to source garments and accessories for projects (a requirement of the fashion styling course). Contrary to the common view of design or art schools, much work at Istituto Marangoni is carried out on computers and during a recent BAC inspection the lack of ‘messy’ activities such as painting was commented on; clearly the school is preparing students for the future world of work.

Chiltern College in Reading is also accredited by BAC, and specialises in childcare training; courses offered at the college include the Cache Level 3 diploma in childcare and education, the Cache NVQ Level 3 in children’s care, learning and development and the Stage II certificate in Montessori theory and methodology. The vast majority of students at Chiltern are UK students, some of whom are under 18. Those students carrying out full time study have accommodation and food provided by the college, and are able to train at the on-campus nursery and primary school. As well as providing a convenient and comfortable working environment, the college also maintains a high staff-to-student ratio and helps students to settle in with their own ‘freshers week’. Towards the end of training, individual careers support is provided.

It’s clear from examples such as these that high-quality study, both of a practical and academic nature, is no longer confined to the familiar world of schools and universities. Both of the colleges mentioned above provide a tailored and comfortable environment for study without compromising on standards; whilst the environment may be different from that of a school, it is no more lenient, with both colleges monitoring attendance rigorously and achieving good exam results. For anyone who is having doubts about taking on Post-16 education, it is worth considering the wealth and diversity of courses and institutions that are available, and the benefits that you may be missing out on.  

All institutions applying for BAC accreditation undergo a rigorous three-stage process of inspections and background checks which scrutinise their premises, the management and staffing of their organisation, their commitment to student welfare, the quality of the actual teaching and academic resources on offer, and how well they manage and monitor the quality of their own provision. Each college will repeat this process every four years and submits to additional annual monitoring by BAC to check that standards are being maintained. This comprehensive approach to accreditation helps BAC to remain the best and most respected mark of quality in the private FE and HE sectors.

A directory of BAC-accredited colleges can be found on our website at: www.the-bac.org 

If you would like to find out more about our work please email: info@the-bac.org or telephone: 020 7447 2584.

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