Careers Programme

Our UCAS programme launches when our Year 12 students move to Year 13 after the timetable change in the summer term. The process begins with an annual visit to the North and West Yorkshire UCAS exhibition. This is a great opportunity to hear from both visiting exhibitors as well as the host university.

Following the visit, we officially launch our introduction to the UCAS booklet which students are expected to work through until the summer so they are ready to register with UCAS in September. This booklet includes information on post-18 options, useful websites, Russell Group universities, different levels of apprenticeships, personal statements and CVs, student finance and more. Amongst these are a number of tasks that students must complete; these tasks will guide them towards making an informed choice about their preferred direction after Sixth Form. Tasks include finding pros and cons with each post-18 option, research tasks on universities and apprenticeships and questionnaires on personal preferences.

The UCAS booklet is explored weekly through PPT sessions where students are offered support by their PPT to discuss what options are right for them; by the end of the booklet, students should have some idea of what pathway they want to take. The booklet also offers exercises that are designed to help students think about what they should include in their personal statements and CVs and how these should be structured.

Students are expected to use the UCAS booklet over the summer to begin their personal statements and spend some time getting work experience or voluntary work. This is expected with a view that students will be ready to hand in their first personal statement draft shortly after they register for UCAS in September. PPTs will then work with their students on a one-to-one basis to perfect their statements and finalise their applications.

As part of the application process, each student requires a reference. PPTs will work with form tutors and subject teachers to complete these for each application.

Key UCAS dates are listed below:

1 October 2019 – Application deadline for some Performing Arts courses.
15 October 2019 – Application deadline for Oxbridge and for most Medicine and Law courses.
22 December 2019 – Applications to be complete and sent to UCAS.
22 December 2019 – Applications to be complete and sent to UCAS.