Post-Sixth Form Parent Information Evening 11 th March 2015 WHS - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Post-Sixth Form Parent Information Evening 11 th March 2015 WHS post-sixth form trends Many sixth forms / colleges have to work hard to encourage their students to aspire to university. At WHS we experience the opposite. The
Many sixth forms / colleges have to work
The significant majority of WHS tend to
We try to encourage all students to fully
Increased tuition fees led to a drop in HE applications in
2011 and 2012.
However, this figure has been rising year on year. In 2014, over 500000 people were placed into HE by UCAS
– the highest number ever recorded.
WHS UCAS applications did not drop despite the fee
Year 13 cohort applying to university. At the time of the recent January 2015 deadline, 87% of the current Year 13 cohort had applied.
Managing this volume of applications is a complex
process , requiring parental support to be fully effective.
UCAS Parent Guide: published by UCAS.
Please order online.
Sign up to UCAS as a parent: their
www.parentadviser.co.uk: a new
independent website specifically aimed at supporting parents. Covers finance, league tables, the process, course choices, etc. You can also sign up for their regular newsletter updates (free).
www.moneysavingexpert.co.uk: Martin
Are they seeking academic challenge? Do they want to study for a further three,
Are they seeking to develop as a person? Do they want to develop independence? Is it their own decision or aspiration? Do they have a medium/long-term career
plan? This must be the right decision for the individual student, not for other people.
Money? Non-financial rewards? Intellectual challenge? Active, hands-on career? Working as a team? Leading others? Security?
“Everyone else is going.” “I don’t know what else to do.” “I’ll earn a lot of money afterwards.” “My parents will be disappointed in me if I
“I can’t be bothered researching other
“It’ll be a laugh.”
Every year, students aimlessly drift along
Taking proactive and decisive action will
help them to make the right decisions.
Tutor time October-December: tutors
following introductory programme
February and March: Learning Area time with
tutors, Mrs Cook and Mrs Lang
PHSCE day 12th March: introduction to post-
sixth form choices programme and presentation
Williams.
UCAS fair 12th March: Manchester “Gmex” 17th March: Oxbridge convention at Haydock “Post-Sixth Form” support booklet to be
Degrees are no longer the “passport to guaranteed success”. However, in April to June 2013 the graduate employment rate stood at 87% which was higher than the employment rate for those educated to A level standard (83%), A* to C grade GCSE standard (76%)and the rates for those with other qualifications (70%) or no qualifications (47%) (Office for National Statistics)
So…graduates still have the competitive edge overall BUT a degree is now more a “licence to hunt” as opposed to offering any guarantees for the future. Nearly half of employed recent graduates were working in a non-graduate role according to the 2013 Office for National Statistics report.
Students must try to differentiate themselves. According to a BBC News report from 2013, around 85 graduates are competing for each graduate position.
They should not make assumptions about
their future post-sixth form.
It is crucial that students are extremely
We must share the “real world” picture. They should focus not just on academic study
but also on developing the skills that will help them in the future.
There are often huge variations in graduate
and lifetime earnings depending on the degree subject studied.
Our students often assume that “any degree”
will be an advantage to them in the future; this is not necessarily the case.
Research is key: www.unistats.com is very
Type of course? What subject to study? Course requirements in relation to predicted
grades?
Open Days? (Be selective and sensible)
Reputation of the university for a particular
course? (E.g. use broadsheet league tables)
Area of the country – stay near home or move
far away? Cost implications of this?
Introduced in 2012, each university must publish these on their website. They help students compare universities and cover areas such as:
Tuition fees. Accommodation costs. Teaching hours and how course is assessed. Student satisfaction ratings. Average salary after six months for former
students.
What have former students done next - work,
study or out of work?
Is the students' union any good?
Choices must be in line with students’ predicted
grades.
All Year 12 students must declare all AS (and
GCSE) grades when applying to university. Therefore, predicted grades A2 need to be in line with the AS grades already achieved.
Entry criteria courses is published in
prospectuses and online. Calling / emailing to check is advised; entry requirements and selection criteria often change within the cycle.
We advise choosing a “spread” of choices to
be safe i.e. 2 at an aspirational grade level, 2 at a very realistic level and at least one at a lower level.
Mary Curnock Cook OBE, Chief
Subject teachers provide predicted grades are
submitted at the end of September based on AS grades, attitude and work to date. It is important that students trust their judgement: there is no benefit to the teacher to either
Students are encouraged to discuss predicted
grades with their subject teachers in a mature manner.
Please note: entry requirements are an
indicator of market forces NOT the calibre of the course or university = “supply and demand”.
Courses with core subject / traditional
names will have higher entry requirements as they attract more applicants (mainly because they are “familiar” to students without requiring additional research)... For example: “English Language” compared with “Linguistics”.
We know most of our students do not research
the subject options in much depth - they tend to choose “familiar” course titles.
www.bestcourse4me.com
Discussions with Year 13 students reveal that very
few have had a conversation with their parents regarding university costs.
A significant proportion of students assume that
they will receive all the financial support that they will need from their parents…
Many students dismiss local universities because
save upwards of £20,000 of post-graduate debt. We are extremely fortunate to have a number of excellent universities within easy travelling distance...
It is crucial that these discussions take
place sooner rather than later: often students find out too late that their parents cannot provide the level of financial support anticipated.
Knowing this earlier may change students’
All online via “UCAS Apply” (University &
Students will receive sessions on how to
Students must take responsibility for
Students’ chance to sell themselves. Takes time and effort: should not be left until
the last minute.
Form tutors will check personal statements
and give advice, sometimes more than once. However, deadlines must be met.
Makes clear reference to the chosen course
and why they want to study this.
There will be support for this in the booklet given to students and during form time.
Increasingly, institutions are using additional measures, other than the application, to select students, such as:
Interviews: very common now to gauge how
serious students are about the course.
Admission tests: will be flagged on the UCAS
application and the admissions criteria.
Submission of work: such as portfolios.
Therefore…
With over 50,000 courses on offer: requirements
vary.
Students must check: this is their responsibility.
Students submit a detailed reference request
Pay UCAS fee by 25th September: payable to
Internal early applications deadline is 25th
All applications must be received by school by
Final UCAS applications deadline 15th January.
Applications for Oxford / Cambridge and medicine /
dentistry / veterinary science have an early application deadline of 15th October: this is non-
applications is 25th September.
Meetings provide further information for these
students to be prepared as they submit applications so much earlier.
These students must be extra proactive and
prepared; the deadline will come around very quickly.
It is crucial that aspirations are realistic for such highly competitive courses.
For medicine / dentistry / veterinary science a
significant amount of regular and varied work experience is crucial.
To “take a chance” on Oxford or Cambridge could
be wasting a valuable and much needed choice. Haydock information day has been booked – 17th March.
Early applicants must have a strong GCSE grade
profile.
Examples:
Nottingham, Oxford, Strathclyde
Nottingham, Birmingham, Leeds, Southampton, Surrey, Durham, Northumbria, Nottingham Trent, Liverpool John Moores
Northumbria or Southampton
Can be useful for students who have not yet
decided what they want to do.
In the current climate, we advise that
students do something useful with this time: “travelling” not viewed as favourably by future employers as it once was.
If students do wish to travel, combine with
useful work experience (e.g. volunteering in an overseas hospital).
Takes time to plan – and can be expensive.
Encourage thorough research – all options. Encourage students to have an open mind. Encourage students to be realistic. Encourage development of skills. (PLTs/5Rs) Encourage reading the bulletin for
Discuss finances. Attend open days. Assist writing Personal Statement / CV. Remind of deadlines. Support revision. Ensure part-time work / outside commitments
are minimised.
www.ucas.com www.unistats.com www.parentadviser.co.uk www.applytouni.com www.studentfinance2013.com www.notgoingtouni.co.uk www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance www.bestcourse4me.com www.apprenticeships.org.uk www.bis.gov.uk/studentfinance www.findfoundationdegree.co.uk www.prospects.ac.uk www.opendays.com www.vinspired.com
There is a lot to think about!
UCAS Guides for parents – please order! We would encourage parents to consider the
ideas covered this evening, speak to sons / daughters and visit some of the websites.
Email addresses:
hcook@wilmslowhigh.cheshire.sch.uk drogers@wilmslowhigh.cheshire.sch.uk llang@wilmslowhigh.cheshire.sch.uk
Additional advice and guidance is given to students who decide not to apply for university on:
Other FE routes: college, part time courses, foundation degrees.
Applying for jobs: searching, applying, CVs, interviews.
Applying for apprenticeships.
How can the National Careers Service website help me? The timing of this tends to be later. www.notgoingtouni.co.uk
more proactive to identify the opportunities. Prestigious organisations are seeing students deterred from applying to university as an
For a number of industries and careers, a
degree is neither required nor necessary; practical experience and “on the job” training may well be preferable.
If a degree isn’t required, students may still
General knowledge and awareness of
issues impacting the world around them.
Personal Learning & Thinking Skills (PLTs):
The “5Rs”: readiness, resourcefulness,
resilience, responsibility, reflectiveness.
Relevant work experience is extremely useful, both
to help decide on a future path and to give “competitive edge”.
Students considering employment/ apprenticeships
should seek relevant experience to increase their chances of securing a position.
For vocational degrees (nursing, teaching, medicine,
physiotherapy, etc) evidence of work experience is an integral part of the selection process: students without relevant experience are likely to be unsuccessful.
Students must allow sufficient time to set up work
experience.
Independent learning fortnight – Monday 6th
July – Friday 17th July (inclusive) Opportunity to spend one or two weeks on one or more placements. Documentation and checks need
llang@wilmslowhigh.cheshire.sch.uk
Students can arrange work experience for
Wednesday afternoons. Any other work experience must be arranged for during school holidays.
A note for the future: work experience during
university degree is now essential for competitive edge on graduation. The degree itself is seldom enough anymore.