Post-16 Guidance

The purpose of this is to give you an outline of what your child should be doing to ensure they are on track to apply for 2025!

• July/August 2024 – Begin drafting a personal statement; complete an online application following the advice given in the Google Classroom.
• September 2024 –Submit a draft personal statement to their advisor for checking; at least 3-4 re-drafts are expected before the final submission to the Head of 6th Form.
• October 2024 –Conduct detailed research into universities and courses available (consider both those within commutable proximity but also further afield); complete online events and attend virtual exhibitions.
• November/December 2024 –Book an appointment with the Head of 6th Form to discuss application and check online application for errors.
• December/January 2025 – Submit application to UCAS, this has a cost attached and is paid for online when submitting. At this point the application is sent to the Head of 6th Form who conducts a final check before sending it to UCAS for processing. 

We encourage students to get started and follow the plan above. Advisors and the Head of 6th Form are available for coaching conversations at this point if needed. 

• A student can apply for up to 5 universities or courses; if they choose two or more courses at a university this will occupy two of those slots. 
• We would always encourage students to look at the entry criteria when selecting a place to study; students should pick at least one that would give them something to aim for as well as one provider that might offer more of a safety net. They should try to fill all the slots. 
• At the point of application, students do not need to provide financial information for the purposes of student loans but it is worth having a look at what will be required at www.gov.uk/student-finance
• The deadline of 29th January is set by UCAS as being the point they will ensure applications will receive equal consideration. After this date, applications can still be made throughout the year but there can be no guarantee of places available
• When researching universities, it is important to consider a range of factors – which may include: course details, accommodation, city life, student support etc www.whatuni.com is a useful research tool to aid this discussion 

UCAS organise public exhibitions across the UK every year.  If you are interested in attending an exhibition this year but are unable to join the Mascalls Academy Sixth Form trip, check out other dates on the UCAS website.

The Kent and Medway Progression Foundation has some useful guides to Higher Education for students, staff, parents and carers, which can be found here KMPF Guides to HE.

The Careerometer widget provides access to a selection of headline data relating to pay, weekly hours of work and future employment prospects.

The data are organised by occupation: simply type in the title of the job you are interested in and the widget provides a series of options from which you can select the most relevant to you.

More detailed information regarding different job roles can be found on the National Careers Service website.