In Woodrush Sixth Form students are given comprehensive advice and guidance about life after the Sixth Form. This includes support with university applications, entry to apprenticeship programmes and career options.

Much of our Information, Advice and Guidance is delivered to students through our bespoke Enrichment programme, where as part of their post-16 provision students spend an afternoon a week with their peers exploring matters of relevance to them including options for after Year 12 or Year 13.

 

What Ofsted (December 2018) said about our support for life beyond Woodrush:

• The school’s work to provide pupils with careers information, advice and guidance is highly effective.
• It has a positive impact on pupils’ decisions about their destinations.
• Leaders provide a range of exciting opportunities for pupils to meet with employers and universities.
• Pupils go on to a variety of positive destinations that match their aspirations and career choices.
• Pupils are prepared exceptionally well for their next steps in education, training or the world of work.

During the Sixth Form

We will be providing students with a range of Information, Advice and Guidance to help them plan and prepare for their next step after the Sixth Form.

Events we organise include visits to the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Higher Education Convention in March, a taster day at a leading University to find out what degree level study is all about, a University Open Day in June, the Skills Show at the NEC in November, a local Apprenticeships Fair in March, amongst others.

In addition we invite a range of specialists in to school to talk about topics including student finance for higher education, taking a GAP year and volunteering in the community.

Staff at school are always here to help, including Form Tutors, Miss Kaur, Miss Ashman, Mrs Wilkins and Mr. Cooper. Should a student want specific advice and guidance regarding careers, apprenticeships and university options Mr. Cooper’s office base is the Sixth Form Office in the Silent Study Room.

Options after the Sixth Form

These include:

• University – hundreds of different higher education degrees and degree combinations
• Further Education – new skills, vocational and work related courses
• Apprenticeships – available in a wide variety of occupations and at levels up to and including degree apprenticeships
• Employment
• Taking a GAP year

University is essential for some careers e.g. medicine, veterinary work and law. A degree gives you an opportunity to study one or two subjects in depth over three or more years. Degrees are highly valued by employers and many professions actively recruit graduates e.g. in teaching, journalism, engineering, social work, accountancy etc.

Applications to university are made through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) at www.ucas.com and students can start to create their application pages online from May in the year prior to their year of undergraduate entry. Applications can then be made from September 1st of the same year and close on January 15th of their year of entry.

Most students at Woodrush High School taking A levels will be offered a place at university based on predicted grades for their A level examinations (either on a grades or tariff points basis). The table below shows the tariff points available for each A level grade. There are similar tariff points available for other qualifications available in Woodrush Sixth Form such as BTEC qualifications and the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) and these can be found at https://www.ucas.com/files/new-tariff-tables

Further Education – can give you a chance to learn new skills, take vocational and work related courses that link to a number of jobs and professions e.g. in business, hospitality, the leisure industries etc.

Taking a Gap Year – a GAP year implies exactly that – taking a break from school or college for a few months, a year, sometimes longer. GAP years can give an opportunity to refresh yourself, travel or earn money ahead of other choices.

The best GAP years are ones that are well planned and well-structured and have a purpose to them (e.g. to gain some valuable work experience prior to taking a university course, to learn a new skill such as a language, to offer something to the community e.g. through voluntary work or simply to earn to help university finances).

What do students need to do?

Students need to take some time to consider the choices ahead of them, the type of life they want in the future and the career they are looking for.

Will it need a University qualification? Is someone best suited to practical work environments? Is living locally to work/study or further away a significant consideration? Is a high salary an important priority? Does someone have a skill such as in Art of Music that they would love to develop further?

These are all questions that can help shape decisions regarding future choices for students in Woodrush Sixth Form. Indeed, building character, personality, skills and abilities are all just as important as achieving qualifications success and our courses and wide range of opportunities for students in Woodrush Sixth Form give the opportunity to do just that.

Applications (for whatever the chosen route for after the Sixth Form) will need to reflect a student in the best possible light. Examination success is very important…..but it is not everything! During the Sixth Form students will be building up the skills, qualities and experiences that we hope will make them ‘stand out from the crowd’ and give them their ‘unique selling points’, things that will help persuade the university admissions tutor, the apprenticeship provider, the employer that they are the person that should be offered the university place, the apprenticeship or the job.