1. Prepare to Succeed Information Evening
13/04/2018 _
Year 13
Prepare to Succeed Information Evening
Tuesday 12th September
Mr Dollery

2. Welcome Introductions: Head of Sixth Form – Mr J Dollery
New Deputy Head of Sixth Form – Mr T Angier
Sixth Form Manager – Mrs M Pasa
Former Students –
Zoe Tarrant, George Harris, Chloe Smith & Sam MacGregor

3. Student’s prospective - Practical Advice
Zoe Tarrant
UCAS application process
Careers research
Managing time/stress and anxiety of exam season
Maths & Philosophy & Ethics specific advice
Attendance to catch up clinics and Easter & May half term revision sessions.
Home environment for effective study

4. Student’s prospective - Practical Advice
George Harris
Extracurricular experiences & leadership/volunteering.
Work life balance (being Head Boy etc.)
Economics & Chemistry specific advice
Exam season preparation – Power/Power to Perform etc.
Importance of sharing and communicating with teachers/parents/support staff

5. Student’s prospective - Practical Advice
Chloe Smith
Secret formula?
Notes BEFORE the lesson, consolidate after
Work to secure your goals and exceed them
Maintain balance
Oxford application experience
The importance of a memorable personal statement
Parent’s role.

6. Student’s prospective - Practical Advice
Sam MacGregor
Personal Statement Advice
Liaising with Tutor for best UCAS References possible
Visiting University advice
Deciding on 5 or 4 Universities
Subject specific tips for Geography and Psychology
Advice on Study/Revision Tips
Debate Club

7. Get Better – Practical Advice
Download the Specifications for all your subjects
Regularly evaluate your learning by using a MyPLC
Download exam questions & Mark Schemes.
Put them in the folder
Read ahead
Read your notes
Plan your time each week
Practice answering past exam questions.
Summarise every topic in your notes with a Mind-Map.
Set yourself high but realistic goals
Get off your mobile
Don’t procrastinate in study periods
Start your revision early
Use a variety of revision techniques that work best for YOU!
Believe in yourself
Shine in lessons
Do the extras every day
Put things back into your community
Ask for help
Shut up your fixed mindset voice…
Chimp Paradox

8. Tough act to follow! Year 13 Results Summary 2017.
Pass rate 99% [RECORD RESULT].
A*‐A – 31% [RECORD RESULT].
A*‐B – 59% [RECORD RESULT].
A*‐C – 80% [RECORD RESULT].

9. Questionnaire feedback - Last year’s Year 13 regrets
I worked too much!
(Paid work more than 10 hours a week).
I didn’t keep my folders/revision notes up to date.
I left it too late to start my revision.
I didn’t plan my revision well enough.
I didn’t cut back on parties/socialising.
I didn’t make the most of my free periods.

10. Measuring Progress & Pre-Public Exams (PPE)
5 Achievement & Effort grade Reports –
Oct / Dec / Feb / March / May
PPE for all A Levels – week commencing 27th Nov.

11. Independent Study & Free Periods
5 SIS periods over the 2 week timetable
This have not been allocated yet, but should be by the end of this week.
In classrooms and supervised by teachers. Students must work in absolute SILENCE! Listening to music via headphones is not permitted.
If you have a lesson and SIS on your timetable feel free to use the library, study rooms or ask Mrs Pasa for a free classroom.
MOBILE USE IS NOT PERMITTED in either location!

12. The role of UCAS
UCAS processes applications for full-time courses at higher education providers in the UK.
We guide students through the whole process, providing valuable information and supporting services for applicants and their parents.

13. Choices available Higher education. Apprenticeships and traineeships.
Studying abroad.
Gap year.
Getting a job.
Understand the options available at
Apprenticeships give you the opportunity to work for an employer, earn a salary and gain a qualification at the same time. Traineeships provide essential training to prepare for work and gain skills to help you get an apprenticeship or a job.
For more information see:

14. Apprenticeships advice
UCAS has launched apprenticeships advice to help students make informed decisions about their post-16 and post-18 opportunities.
Find out about:
the different types of apprenticeships
how to find and apply for apprenticeships
preparing for the application and interview process
With the predicted growth of higher and degree Apprenticeships you’ll also find a dedicated degree and professional apprenticeships section on ucas.com which profiles current programmes in more detail.  

15. Choosing Universities

16. Why higher education? Opportunities while studying:
chance to study a subject they are passionate about
achieve a qualification that could lead to their chosen career
gain confidence, independence, and important life skills that will widen their prospects
make lifelong friends
With a degree:
the opportunity to follow their career path
better job prospects
many employers target graduates
higher earning potential

17. Things to consider
There are a number of things for an applicant to consider when applying for higher education, such as:
the subject they enjoy – investing time, money, and effort
if it is right for their career path – check with employers
location – city/rural, transport links
the study style that suits them
finances – course fees, travel, and living costs
extracurricular activities
Which modules are the most interesting and relevant to the applicants career aspirations?
How many lectures are there and how much group work will be done in seminars?
What combination of exams, coursework or presentations is the course assessed by?
Who are the tutors and are they experts in areas the applicant wants to learn about?
What subject areas do they specialise in?
Can applicants study abroad or get help with work placements?
Do they have sports facilities or societies to join?
How near home, a city center or the countryside are they?

18. Research – it’s free
Search tool – to look for providers, courses, and minimum entry requirements.
Open days and virtual tours – a great way to explore campuses and facilities.
Learn from others – student videos, blogs, and case studies.
Career options – our career finder tool is ideal for considering the options after education.
Our search tool has over 37,000 courses in the UK. It includes detailed information about the universities and colleges. You can search by course, university or college, or location.
Every year, many applicants are unsuccessful for reasons that could have been avoided if they had undertaken better research. When UCAS interviewed current students in their second year asking them what advice they would give to their 18 year old self, ALL of the students said – ‘do more research!’ Nearly all courses on ucas.com have an Entry Profile that contains detailed information about what the provider is looking for in terms of their applicants – a bit like a job description. The best time to attend open days is before you submit your application – in plenty of time!
Find all the information about open days and virtual tours at
Find out about exhibitions at
Videos and case studies are available at
For career finder tool look at

19. Research is key
Institutions’ sites
Subject specific sites
Unistats
National press
Journals
Social media websites
Government sites e.g. GOV.uk, Student Finance England

20. Open days search tool

21. Virtual tours

24. Apply key facts Application is entirely online.
Maximum of five choices.
Some choice restrictions:
for medicine, veterinary science/medicine and dentistry there is a maximum of four choices
can only apply for either Oxford or Cambridge
Simple application cost:
one choice – £13
two to five choices – £24
Equal consideration if deadlines are met.
Invisibility – universities cannot see where else someone has applied.
Equal consideration – this means that if you meet the published deadlines then a provider must consider your application. Applications received after the deadlines will still be forwarded to universities and colleges, providing they have vacancies, but they are not obliged to consider them.
We send the application on to each of the chosen universities and colleges at the same time. Each university or college has access to the information about their choice only. They must not ask you to reveal your other choices. This is what we call invisibility. Only much later in the application cycle, when you have received decisions on all your choices and replied to any offers, will each university or college be able to see details of the other choices. This ensures that each university or college decides independently whether to offer a place and what conditions, if any, to attach to an offer. You do not need to rank your choices in order.

25. When to apply The Furze Platt Way
Mid September Applications can be submitted to UCAS
5 October Medicine, veterinary, and dentistry (UCAS 15th Oct) Oxford or Cambridge
31st October Advisory application deadline (UCAS 15th Jan)
(UCAS 24 March) Some art & design courses
(check each course)
30 June Applications held
for Clearing

31. Typical Oxford offer: A*A*A to AAA
Typical Cambridge offer: A*A*A to A*AA

32. The personal statement
The only section your son or daughter has control over.
Their only chance to market themselves individually.
One personal statement for all choices.
Max. 4,000 characters, 47 lines.
Min. 1,000 characters.
No spelling/grammar check.
No formatting.

33. What do Admissions Tutors look for?
Communication skills
Sense of service to the community
Self-insight
Energy
Enthusiasm
Perseverance
Ability to overcome setbacks
Ability to work independently
Experience of working with diverse groups
Diligence
Passion for learning & the subject
Persistence
Independence
Self-motivation
Leadership
Maturity
Well researched
Strong knowledge of subject & course content
Commitment
Team building
Organisational skills
Work Experience
Clear & focused long term career goals

34. What can (and does) go wrong
You don’t know what qualifications you have (ICT)
You cry and want your predicted grades upped
You have not set your A2 qualifications as ‘pending’
You don’t enter the correct student finance code (02)
You have not spoken to your tutor, so you don’t know what is in your reference (they look at context)
You are late getting your form in and have to wait for an appointment
You have not paid and sent the paperwork

35. Apprenticeship advice service
Think about what makes them stand out in an exciting and positive way.
Show enthusiasm for the course they are applying for and list supporting evidence to back this up.
Extracurricular activities and relevant work experience.
Skills they can use on the course – leadership, communication, teamwork for example.
Encourage them to ask you for more ideas.
Allow plenty of time.

36. Tracking applications
Track will allow your son or daughter to:
follow the progress of their application online
see their choices and personal information
see their offers
reply to offers online

37. Decisions and replies Provider decisions: unsuccessful
unconditional offer
conditional offer – qualifications and achievements and/or UCAS Tariff points
Once all decisions are received, they can hold up to two offers:
one as their firm choice
one as their insurance choice (if they want to)
all other offers are declined
Track will show their reply date.

38. Other options Extra (24 Feb – 4 July)
If all five choices have been used and they have no offers/rejected all offers.
Clearing (from early July)
If there are no offers, or have applied after 30 June deadline.
Adjustment (from A level results day)
If they’ve gained better results than the conditional offer they hold, they could apply for a different course or university.

39. What should your son/daughter should be doing now?
Research
Extracurricular activities
Work experience
Go beyond the syllabus
Focus on this year’s studies
Completed their skill Audit.

40. How can you support them?
Use the parents/guardians’ section of the UCAS website – – and sign up for the newsletter.
Use our parent information tool for advice, hints, and tips to help someone you care for through the application process.
Offer to attend open days; you may have a different perspective.
Don’t book family holidays at key times.
Make sure they read everything carefully that is sent to them.
Support your son/daughter’s management of their application.

42. Higher Education / Apprenticeships & Employment Guide

43. UCAS Customer Experience Centre 0371 468 0468
Monday to Friday, 08:30 – 18:00 (UK time)

44. Financial help for full time students
•Student Loan for tuition fees
•Student Loan for maintenance (living costs)
•Maintenance grants no longer available
•Bursaries and scholarships
•Extra help if you have a disability
•Many students have a part time job during term time and/or holidays
•Apply for loans in May 2018 online at

45. Repayment Examples A graduate earning £21,000 •Would pay back nothing
•It is important to realise that repayment is based purely on income and is not dependent on the total amount of loan taken out.
A graduate earning £21,000
•Would pay back nothing
A graduate earning £24,000
•Would pay back approximately £5 per week
A graduate earning £30,000
•Would pay back approximately £16 per week
A graduate earning £40,000
•Would pay back approximately £33 per week

47. Useful Resources Unifrog https://www.unifrog.org/student
Moneysaving Expert
Direct Gov
National Association of Student Advisers
National Union of Students

48. Thank you for listening.
Thank you and good luck!
Thank you for listening.
If you have any questions, please feel free to stay behind afterwards.