Higher Education

There is a wide selection of literature on careers and all forms of higher and further education and gap years available to the students. Throughout the year, post-16 students have university lecturers, admissions staff and graduated students come in to give information and advice to our Sixth Formers.

The UCAS Procedure: Beginning in the Summer term of Year 12, the students are introduced, through a series of seminars and talks, to the UCAS process.  Advice is given on the procedures and how to make an effective application.  At the end of the Summer term there is a programme covering student finance, personal statement writing, gap years and how to make a success of university life.  As the students move into Year 13, they are given full support through the application process from filling in the UCAS form to accepting offers and attending university.

Gifted and Talented Provision: In addition to the many specific gifted and talented enrichment activities that various departments run, we offer support for those considering Oxbridge and/or Russell Group University applications.

The Extended Project Qualification: We are delighted to offer the successful and highly valued EPQ: a qualification which equates to half an A Level. Students undertake an independent project of their choice and present their findings to a panel of assessors. This qualification is much respected by Russell Group universities and enables students applying for highly competitive universities to add another dimension to their application.

Work Shadowing: During the holidays Year 12 students are encouraged to spend time doing work shadowing. This plays an increasingly important part in university admissions and, whilst it is a good idea to try to find a placement which is pertinent to your preferred university subject, it is by no means necessary.  All work shadowing is valuable.

Gap Years: Gap years are increasingly popular and opportunities and advice are offered to students throughout the Sixth Form. Opportunities for voluntary work, teaching, working and travelling are advertised to students throughout the year by the Director of Learning - Sixth Form, and by the Careers Adviser.

Apprenticeships: These are becoming increasingly popular with young adults and are seen as an excellent alternative to university study. Many apprenticeships offer students to study for a degree, whilst learning on the job and being paid. Apprenticeships are hard to come by and a great deal of independent investigation is required by the students. We support apprenticeship applications with outside speakers and agencies to help prepare our students for the application process.  In addition, we have designated time for students to help signpost where they can go to look for apprenticeships.

• Careers & Guidance paragraph = please change "other local schools" to just "other schools"

Careers Guidance: Our experienced team here includes the support of Connexions, a respected advisory service available to young people. Careers guidance is always available at our Academy, and appointments and/or mentoring are organised according to students’ needs throughout the year.  Beyond the classroom, we provide students with many careers opportunities events, not only within our Academy, but also in conjunction with other local schools.   Our aim is to provide all students with a diverse field of careers to choose from, while understanding the requirements for those fields.