UCAS and Post 18 Pathways support

In Year 12, we have the ‘Perspectives Programme’, which supports them with their transition to sixth form and journey through to Year 13. This is a biweekly timetabled lesson that aims to:

• Develop student's independence, confidence and ability to articulate their passion

• Explore important issues in society, such as politics and democracy

• Equip students with necessary skills, including study skills and interview skills

• Support students with their chosen Post 18 pathway, their careers aspirations and through the UCAS process

Alongside the rigorous UCAS support from our form mentors and sixth form team, we have invested in a fantastic online platform Unifrog, which supports students in exploring the various university courses, apprenticeships, and careers that are out there and they may be interested in.

The platform also helps them track their enrichment opportunities and supports them in the UCAS process including writing the personal statement.

At the end of Year 12, we host an exciting event to support students in their choices for their Post 18 Pathways 

Last year, we combined the success of our online delivery with bespoke onsite sessions for Oxbridge, Medicine/Dentistry and Alternative Pathways. 

Students had access to over 50 videos from our alumni and industry professionals, providing advice and sharing experiences on a variety of careers and pathways, including Law, Finance, Arts & Literature, Marketing, Civil Service, Engineering, Apprenticeships, gap years and so much more - an extensive range to inform and inspire our young people about pathways they might not have heard about before. 

Our bespoke workshops included specialist support from Queen Mary’s SAMDA group to support with our aspiring medics, our specialist Oxbridge graduate teachers, as well as guest Seven Kings alumni.

Also online, we had the live webinar from Queen Mary University about choosing the right course, and the showstopper finale event, the live Q&A with an incredible panel of alumni, answering the Year 12’s questions about university life, gap years, the world of work, and more.

As you will know, places at Oxbridge are competitive. An offer from Oxbridge is the result of a long academic journey. Oxbridge tutors are looking for intelligent, broad-minded and academically talented individuals - a true scholar. They seek students who have a genuine interest in their subject and are critical thinkers, widely read, and most importantly, articulate.

To support students in their applications and the development of their scholarship and academic rigour, we have much that we have on offer at the sixth form. 

We have the following:

An Oxbridge Scholarship Society - meetings with a group of like-minded students with Oxbridge aspirations to develop their scholarship, critical thinking and articulacy.
 

We provide bespoke Oxbridge support, including support and guidance for personal statements, mock interviews, reading lists, college applications and advice - this is provided by the Head of Year 13, who has years of supporting aspiring Oxbridge students, by subject specialists and teachers who are Oxbridge alumni, by Seven Kings alumni who attended Oxbridge, and we also benefit from support from our partner college, Wadham College, who deliver specialised sessions on the personal statement and interviews.
 

Enrichment - we provide numerous enrichment opportunities for students to develop their passion and scholarship. These span from student led Scholarship Societies to university taster lectures to MOOCs. We also have access to EtonX courses which support student’s articulacy - key for Oxbridge candidates. Please look at this link to see more examples of the opportunities we offer in school and beyond.
 

EPQ - we offer an extra qualification, the AQA Extended Project Qualification, where the student conducts a project that is an independent, scholarly, in-depth exploration of a topic of specific interest to them - a perfect example of academic rigour and scholarship. See more information at this link.
 

We host an annual ‘Post 18 Pathways Day’ in the summer of Year 12, where we invite speakers from a variety of academic backgrounds and industries, providing access to the various options after sixth form; this supports students in making informed decisions about their futures. On this day, we also have a specialist Oxbridge session, which includes alumni presentations, SKSF teacher input and Q&A from esteemed alumni and industry professionals.
 

From our cohort of 2021, we placed three students at Oxbridge on prestigious and competitive courses: