Put simply, you can’t imagine doing anything other than what you love, and, potentially, going on to make a living from it

That could mean acting, dancing, playing an instrument or performing in a band, or taking a more ‘behind the scenes’ approach, such as music production, set or costume design, lighting, sound design or stage management.

There will be as much variety in our student body as there are opportunities within the creative and performing arts. But don’t worry – you don’t necessarily need to know exactly what you want to be or do in the future. What matters is that you are dedicated and committed to working hard and can show us that you have the aptitude to succeed.

You may have noticed in the course outlines that we have not asked for any specific creative and/or performing arts subjects to have been studied at GCSE. This is deliberate. We know that not all applicants may have had the same opportunities – perhaps your school doesn’t offer Dance at GCSE, the only drama group is too far away or too expensive or you can’t afford the latest software that would make your recordings sound even better.

We don’t feel that a lack of previous opportunity should prevent applicants to LIPA Sixth Form College with real potential – even in its rawest form – from accessing and benefiting from our industry-experienced learning. This belief is reflected in our approach to applications.

Your natural ability, your fit with what and how we teach, your commitment to personal and discipline-related development and your potential are key factors in our admissions process. We can’t evaluate these based solely on your predicted grades at GCSE, so we also look for other ways to confirm your suitability for our courses.

In order to assess your commitment and potential, we have identified six attributes we feel our students need to give them the best chance of success on our courses. Go to Attributes for further information to help you identify how to address these in your application.

Minimum GCSE requirements

September 2021 entry to all our Level 3 Extended Diploma courses will require a predicted minimum of five GCSEs at grade A* to C/4 - ideally to include Maths and English. If you are made a conditional offer but still need to gain a grade C/4 or above in Maths and/or English Language - but still have five GCSEs at grade C/4 or above in other subjects - we can support you to retake these subjects alongside your Level 3 Extended Diploma studies. However, as retaking these GCSEs will be an additional demand on your time, it is in your interest to work to pass them the first time round – especially as you will be in competition for a place with other young people, who may achieve these grades first time round.