Back to search results

Textiles GCE A level

Paston College

Grammar School Road, North Walsham, Norfolk, NR28 9JL

GCE A/AS Level or Equivalent
Level 3
Arts, Media and Publishing

Available start dates

Available start dates

Tuesday, 01 September 2026
Paston College
2 Year(s)
Full time
Daytime/working hours

Application Instructions

Step 1: Apply

Step 2: Interviews and taster events

As part of your application you will be invited to book an interview, to discuss your chosen course, where you will meet with an academic tutor from your chosen area of study for an informal discussion about your course choices, to ensure you have chosen the best course for your future ambitions.

This will give you the opportunity to ask questions and discuss anything about the course that you are unsure about. Please ensure you check your confirmation email for full details, so you do not miss your appointment.

You are initially only able to book an interview for your first choice course, please let us know if you would subsequently like to be able to book interviews for other courses by emailing admissions@paston.ac.uk

Step 3: Offer

This stage provides you with an outcome of your recent interview, which will confirm if you have been made an offer of a place on your chosen course.

All offers are provisional until the point of enrolment and most of our course offers are conditional, meaning there is entry criteria you need to meet before enrolling. This will be outlined in your offer letter.

Sometimes we are unable to offer you a place on your chosen course. If this happens the reasons will be discussed with you at your appointment and we will look at alternative options with you. We will be in contact to confirm the outcome and what to do next. We also have a team of specialist Course Advisers who are more than happy to look at alternative options with you and answer any questions you may have.

Step 4: Enrolment

Enrolment is the final stage before starting your course with us and takes place within the last two weeks of August. We require you to be available to attend your appointment in person at college, so we can complete all the required steps to enrolling you on your chosen course.

We may ask you to bring some documents with you so please read your enrolment invitation carefully.


Course Details

If you love making textured surfaces or are interested in fashion or interior design, then this course is for you. Textiles is taught in a completely refurbished studio with access to great resources to help you explore different areas and be ambitious with your projects. In year 1, you will take part in workshops to build up your skills and knowledge and explore ways of manipulating and creating textile surfaces. You will work on your own personal investigation with one to one assistance from teachers and technicians. In year 2, you build upon and use the skills and techniques developed in year 1 of the course. You will write a 1,000+ word critical assignment linked to your personal project which will be based on an element of design that interests you. You will also carry out a research project that will be based on your own choice of starting points. This will include analytical research, experimentation with different samples and the production of an ambitious and sophisticated final piece which will be displayed in the end of year show. We frequently visit London to see the work of designers and artists relevant to your own work. We also visit exhibits such as the New Designer Show. As part of the course, you can showcase your work on the catwalk at the Annual Paston Fashion Show and in the Paston Art Show. If you’re interested in applying to study a degree level textiles course, there will be one to one portfolio sessions that will help you select the best work to show at interviews. Norwich University of the Arts also come in to discuss portfolios and interviews to ensure that you are well prepared for your next step. Textiles will appeal to you if you want to express your creativity in ways that can be applied to areas such as surface design, fashion and constructed textiles. It will also particularly appeal to you if you’re considering further study or careers in these areas. You may want to study Textiles alongside any of the other A Level subjects that we offer at Paston College.

You will be assessed through a variety of coursework and will be asked to complete preparatory studies to complete a finished piece of work completed under exam conditions.

Entry requirements

3 A Level Programme

Minimum of 66444 at GCSE

You must also study English/Maths GCSE if you have not already achieved grade 4 in these subjects.

If you achieve a minimum of 3 GCSE's at grade 8 plus 5 at grade 7 and your English Language and Maths are at minimum grade 4, you will have the option to join the A Plus programme.

Please note that A Plus is designed for applicants to academic courses at Oxford, Cambridge or Russel Group.

Your next steps...

The course helps you to prepare for the next step in your creative career. Many students go directly on to degree courses at university to study Textiles and other visual art disciplines such as decorative arts, knitwear design, fashion, fashion management and textiles.


For more courses like this, check our courses page.