Eligibility

We accept the following documents as proof of the right to work in the UK:

• A British or Irish passport (valid or expired)

An EU/EEA/Swiss passport along with proof of settled/pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

A full UK birth or adoption certificate, together with an official document which provides your permanent national insurance number issued by a government agency or previous employer (e.g. a P45 or P60 – we will not accept national insurance cards)

A certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen, together with an official document which provides your permanent national insurance number issued by a government agency or previous employer (e.g. a P45 or P60 – we will not accept national insurance cards)

A non-UK/EEA/Swiss passport, together with a Permanent Residence Card/Indefinite Leave to Remain visa

We highly encourage applicants to check their documentation before submitting an application as you will be unable to attend an assessment centre without this. Please note that failure to provide requested documentation within specified time frames may result in your application being withdrawn.

If you have changed your name and the name on any of your documents do not match your current legal name, you will need to provide name change documentation in the form of one or more of the following accepted documents:

• Marriage or civil partnership certificate
• Deed poll certificate
• Adoption order/certificate
• Gender recognition certificate
• Statutory declaration/affidavit
• Full birth certificate

If you have changed your name more than once, you may be asked to provide evidence of all changes. Please note your official name on your records will be registered as per your legal name.

Applicants who are in the UK on a visa, must have the right to work and study in the UK (including access to public funds) until the end of the programme (i.e. September 2028)) at the point of application. Applicants will need to provide both their passport and their visa. Applicants will also be required to provide a share code, obtained from the Government website, at the assessment centre.

As our programme is funded, we unfortunately cannot accept applicants who are in the UK on a student route visa.

Applicants who are successful at the assessment centre will need to provide proof of their settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme before they can be made a formal offer. Passports must be provided before applicants can attend an assessment centre.

Applicants will also be required to provide a share code, obtained from the Government website, at the assessment centre.

I have a UK passport but it’s expired, what evidence shall I provide?​

We accept expired UK passports. This should be provided along with your other documents when requested.​

My visa will expire during the programme but I’m likely to have it renewed, can I apply?​

Unfortunately, you need to have the right to work and study in the UK until September 2028 in order for you to apply therefore we cannot accept applicants who cannot evidence this at the point of application.

I no longer have documentation that shows my name change/s, is this a problem?​

You will need to provide evidence of your name change where your documents do not match each other (or do not match your current name). We would therefore advise you request replacements of the relevant documentation ahead of submitting your application as these will be need to be presented when requested. 

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There are a number of approved UK qualifications that Frontline will accept as meeting the GCSE grade C criteria. These are:​

• ​GCSE Grade C/4 or above
• GCE O Level Grade C or above
• CSE Grade 1
• IGCSE Grade C or above
• Scottish Certificate of Education Standard Grade Grade C/2 or above
• Scottish Certificate of Education Higher Grade Grade D or above
• Irish Leaving Certificate Ordinary/Standard Grade O1-O4/A1-C3
• Irish Leaving Certificate Higher Grade H1-H7/A1-D3
• Essential Skills Wales Application of Number Level 2
• Functional Skills Level 2
• Key Skills Level 2
• Adult Literacy Level 2 at grade pass
• Access to HE Diploma with GCSE Equivalences
• Level 1/2 Certificate in English Language at grade C/6 or above

Frontline will accept international secondary qualifications providing they are confirmed as being equivalent to GCSE English grade C by the UK National Information Centre for the recognition and evaluation of international qualifications and skills (UK ENIC). Please note, English must have been studied as a first language. Frontline does not accept qualifications where English is studied as a second language.

If you are unsure if your international qualification is considered equivalent, we recommend you check your certificates with UK ENIC to clarify this before submitting your application.​

​Frontline will also accept the international qualifications listed in the approved equivalent qualifications.​

We accept final certificates only as proof of GCSE evidence. Please note that we do not accept provisional statements of results or letters from schools. 

We highly encourage applicants to check their documentation before submitting an application as you will be unable to attend an assessment centre without this. Please note that failure to provide requested documentation within specified time frames may result in your application being withdrawn.

I received a grade D in my GCSEs but I have a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, is this not sufficient? ​

Unfortunately, no. Applicants must meet all of the eligibility requirements in order to submit an application for Approach Social Work. The GCSE academic criteria is standard practice across many graduate programmes and, as a training provider, we need to ensure we meet the necessary regulatory requirements. ​

I studied my GCSEs several years and no longer have copies of my GCSEs, will this be a problem?​

All applicants are required to provide official certificates showing they’ve obtained GCSE English grade C. If you no longer have copies of your certificates, you will need to request replacements and will need to do this before submitting your application. Further guidance.

Should you be unable to obtain the necessary certificates, you would need to sit an equivalent qualification, in order to meet the requirements (your qualification and official certificate would need to be awarded before you can submit an application). 

I don’t yet meet the GCSE criteria but I’ve booked onto a course and will complete this before the programme starts in the summer, can I apply?​

All applicants need to have met the GCSE criteria at the point of application as this will need to be evidenced by the time you attend the assessment centre. If you have not completed your qualification by the time applications closed, we would advise you to apply for next year’s cohort. 

I’m ordering my replacement certificates, can Frontline cover the cost of this?

Applicants are responsible for all costs associated with obtaining official evidence of eligibility documentation.

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Frontline will accept official final degree certificates only. Your documentation must show your full name, details of your final awarded classification and the date obtained. Letters from institutions, transcripts and screenshots from student profiles will not be accepted.

We highly encourage applicants to check their documentation before submitting an application as you will be unable to attend an assessment centre without this. Please note that failure to provide requested documentation within specified time frames may result in your application being withdrawn. 

If you are in your final year of your undergraduate degree, you are eligible to apply providing you are on course to obtain at least a 2.2 in the Summer of 2025. You will not need to provide any transcripts as part of the application process but should you pass the assessment centre stage, we will need to obtain a reference from your academic tutor confirming you are predicted at least a 2.2.

Frontline will accept international qualifications providing they are confirmed as being equivalent to a UK Bachelors Degree (Honours) by the UK National Information Centre for the recognition and evaluation of international qualifications and skills (UK ENIC) and grades obtained meet the minimum requirements set by our university partner. If you are unsure if your international qualification is considered equivalent to a Bachelors with honours degree, we encourage you to liaise with UK ENIC before submitting your application as Frontline are unable to assess academic documents of applicants who have yet to submit an application.

Evidence of international documents provided must be the original certificates/transcripts and not translated versions. 

I have a level 6 qualification, which is the same level as a Bachelors degree, can I apply? ​

Applicants must hold an undergraduate honours degree specifically therefore, unfortunately, other level 6 qualifications will not be accepted. 

Due to extenuating circumstances, I was a few marks off from a 2.2, will you consider my application?​

We are unable to accept applications from those who do not meet all of the eligibility requirements so unfortunately mitigating/extenuating circumstances will not be considered for applicants who do not meet these. 

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Frontline will accept official certificates/transcripts. Your documentation must show your full name, details of your final awarded classification and the date obtained. Letters from institutions and screenshots from student profiles will not be accepted.

Certificates/transcripts provided provided must be the original certificates/transcripts and not translated versions. 

We highly encourage applicants to check their documentation before submitting an application as you will be unable to attend an assessment centre without this. Please note that failure to provide requested documentation within specified time frames may result in your application being withdrawn. 

I have translated copies of my qualifications but no longer have my original certificate/transcripts, can I just provide the translations?

We will require your official certificate/transcripts that were provided by the awarding institution. If you do not have these, you will need to obtain these before submitting your application. 

My international degree isn’t considered comparable to an undergraduate honours degree, but I have experience working with children, can I still apply?

Unfortunately, we cannot accept applications from applicants who do not meet our eligibility criteria and we are unable to consider work experience in lieu of the academic qualifications. 

My UK university saw and accepted my international school qualifications for entry onto my degree programme. Can you accept a letter from my university as proof of me meeting the GCSE grade C criteria? 

Frontline are required to see your original qualification certificate/transcripts, we therefore cannot accept letters from universities or schools as proof of you meeting the academic criteria.  

I can’t locate my documentation but I’ll be able to do so before I attend an assessment centre, can I still apply?

Applicants are highly encouraged not to submit their application until they have confirmed they possess all the relevant documentation required to meet our eligibility criteria. Evidence will be requested as part of the application process and failure to provide requested documentation within specified time frames may result in your application being withdrawn.

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