UCAS & Post 18 Choices
“An excellent programme of information, advice and guidance, and a pre-university course for all students prepare them very well for the next stage of their lives, whether in education or in work.”
Ofsted report November 2014
In 2017, 75% of students who left Year 13 gained a place at university, half of these at the most prestigious UK universities, including Oxford and Cambridge.
Whichever path you want to take we can support you. We offer a unique Employment Opportunities Evening where companies from Northampton and beyond come to talk to our Sixth Form about jobs that are available after A Levels. Professional apprenticeships are an increasingly popular way of gaining qualifications while earning a living. The event takes place in March of each year. Additional opportunities for work experience are available for every Sixth former.
It is so successful that in the four years that it has been running the number of companies who want to be involved has grown from an initial 20 to well over 30. The links that we have with these firms persist throughout the year and our Careers Advisor is always on hand put you in touch with a company to discuss your future. In the weeks running up to the Employment evening, we run employability seminars where Sixth Formers are made aware of what it takes to be successful in the world of work.
If you have set your sights on University the support programme will start in the spring of Year 12. You will receive a handbook to guide you through the process and your enrichment lessons will be used to deliver advice and guidance as you research courses and prepare your personal statement.
We have a Post 18 Choices Coordinator who has extensive knowledge of different universities and what they want to see in an applicant. You will have the benefit of the insights that the Coordinator has and this can often give you the “inside track” in your application. This is particularly useful for those applying for Medicine/ Dentistry/Veterinary Science.
We will also involve your parents by inviting them to their own UCAS Evening where the process is explained and they are given information about all of the different aspects of the application process.
We also offer an Oxbridge application scheme. If you wish to apply to either Oxford or Cambridge you will be asked to put your name forward in Year 12. You will be interviewed by our Post 18 Coordinator and will follow a “fast track” programme because Oxbridge applications are required to be with UCAS by early October. You will attend meetings throughout Year 12 and after the summer examinations to make sure that your application is progressing well. There will be an Oxbridge Evening where you and your parents can meet admissions tutors from each university and attend seminars about life at Oxbridge, including the interview process. At the start of Year 13 we also run a separate interview programme where, in addition to an Oxbridge admissions tutor session, each applicant will get interview practice on a one to one basis.
