Careers (including apprenticeships) and UCAS
UCAS and careers are coordinated by an Assistant Principal, Ms Dillon - J.Dillon@harrisclaphamsixthform.org.uk with the aim of ensuring students are provided with the necessary information to make an informed decision regarding their future. All students in Year 12 receive a careers interview from a Federation approved careers advisor and students receive a UCAS mentor, who will guide them through the process.
Harris Clapham Sixth Form provides a number of opportunities, which will help our students make a competitive UCAS application:
- Specialist talks
- Summer School opportunities
- Comprehensive in-house support
UCAS
Students start preparing and thinking about UCAS at the beginning of Spring Term, where they’ll receive assemblies on Oxbridge, Medicine and the UCAS process. Students are encouraged to conduct research into various courses and universities by using the UCAS undergraduate search tool.
Visit the UCAS undergraduate search tool page
Over the Easter holidays and summer term 1, students will complete a centralised spreadsheet outlining which course they would like to study and possible universities (although these may be subject to change) and from this, mentors will then be assigned. In summer term two, students will meet with their mentors to discuss their initial choices and will be asked to complete a draft personal statement for their mentor to review over the summer break. In addition, all students take part in a Personal Statement Day, which takes place one morning in July. During this day students will also sign up to UCAS and complete some of their details.
When students return in the autumn term as Year 13s, they will meet with their mentor a further two times in order to finalise the following:
- Their personal statement
- Their course choice
- Their university choice - dependent on predicated grades
Students pay for their UCAS application and once they press send this will automatically go to the Vice Principal before being finally sent off to UCAS and their universities. All personal statements, references and applications are thoroughly checked by subject staff and senior leaders before being sent to UCAS.
Deadlines
- Late September: all Oxbridge/Medicine candidates have their applications finalised and completed
- Mid-October: external deadline for all Oxbridge/Medicine applications
- Late October: students sit Oxbridge and BMAT entrance examinations
- Autumn 2: all remaining applications are finalised and sent to UCAS
- Late March: external deadline for all Art and Design applications
Predicted Grades
Predicted grades are ambitiously realistic and are based holistically on student performance over Year 12 in a range of assessments as well as their End of Year (EOY) examination performance in the summer or AS (if applicable). If a student is applying to Oxbridge or Medicine, their predicted grades will be finalised in September. All other applicants have Remembrance 1 as a last opportunity to improve their predicted grades for their UCAS application. Predicted grades are non-negotiable.
Apprenticeships/Employment routes
We fully support students who wish to pursue an employment route such as an apprenticeship. To this end, students are given full careers planning in regards to apprenticeships. Students who wish to pursue this route or are thinking about it, are identified in the initial Year 12 careers talk. A member of the careers team facilitates this.
