Support with university applications through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) remains at the heart of the support we offer to pupils as they consider their future. 

Pupils in each of the schools will be supported throughout senior school and as their thinking develops, leading to a full programme of mentoring during their Sixth Form years.

Year 7 onwards

• Pupils are provided with access to a range of resources, such as the Unifrog platform, which enables pupils to produce a personal profile of interests and to search a range of courses relating to their current passions. 

• Careers interviews and talks from Year 7 onwards introduce pupils to a wide range of career options, with a strong focus on how to use secondary education as a strong preparation for Higher Education and the jobs market.

• Pupils receive a wealth of information, including through bulletins put together by our Careers and Futures Teams. 

• Pupils can request, from the beginning of their time with us, to meet with a Careers expert who can guide their thinking and signpost them towards further expert help from our subject specialist teams. 

Year 9 onwards

• Our PSHE programme begins to integrate sessions on UCAS provision, leading to the highly detailed sessions during Sixth Form PSHE. Pupils are familiarised early on with the requirements of a UCAS application and the importance of combining curricular and co-curricular endeavour as preparation for a strong application. 

Years 10 onwards

• Our biannual Careers Fair, which is open to Years 10 to 13, is a major event in the school calendar. Employers, admissions teams, and Higher Education experts host stalls and give talks. The aim of this event is to give pupils sight of opportunities they may not have previously considered, with a chance to talk one-to-one with those in the know.

• During the GCSE years, and as A level choices approach, pupils hear from their subject teachers about the courses and careers that studying different subjects could enable. These conversations are followed up with one-to-one meetings between pupils and a member of their school’s Senior Leadership Team. The purpose of these meetings is to ensure that pupils’ A level choices are in line with any known degree aspirations.

• All pupils receive a one-to-one careers guidance interview with an external agency, leading to feedback on areas of best fit for pupils. 

• In addition to the formal programme of support, pupils are now encouraged to set up a meeting with a member of our Careers and Futures team.

• Pupils considering applications to especially selective university courses, including those at Oxford and Cambridge, and those in Law and Medicine, begin to receive targeted mentoring. Briefing sessions are held in each of the listed areas, and specific help is given to pupils considering these pathways as they select their A level subjects, in order to reflect the specific requirements of these elite pathways.

Sixth Form

• Pupils now regularly receive a wealth of information and guidance. Assemblies and tutor periods are now regularly devoted to talking about UCAS and other post-A level options. Specific periods are put aside during which pupils can develop their online profile, including through working on Unifog. The PSHE programme now dedicated time specifically to Higher Education and UCAS, delivered by our highly experienced UCAS teams.

• In Lower Sixth (Year 12), the Higher Education Evening formally launches the UCAS programme.

• As part of the Higher Education Evening, Lower Sixth (Year 12) pupils and their parents have the chance to attend talks on Russell Group applications, Oxbridge applications, and much more. This evening also includes other areas explored in this brochure, including Global Universities, Degree Apprenticeships, Law, and Medicine. If they have not already, pupils now formally register their planned courses of study and are matched with appropriate mentors and Personal Statement Tutors.

• The full, formal programme of support for universities with an admissions test or interview now begins. Pupils begin to receive subject mentoring sessions, briefings on preparation for applications, training in pre-admissions tests, interview preparation, and much more. In addition, larger events connect current pupils with those who have gone on to study at elite universities.

• Pupils are given one-to-one, dedicated support by their Tutor as they prepare their personal statement. This can also include input from a subject-lead for the course that they are applying for, if appropriate. 

• At The Kingsley School, during the Summer Term of Lower Sixth (Year 12), pupils are allocated a Next Steps Tutor: this may or may not be their form tutor, but will be a member of the Sixth Form team who knows the pupil well. This will enable one-to-one sessions which build on the work done in group sessions to prepare a high-quality personal statement for submission, ideally in the Autumn Term of Upper Sixth (Year 13). Whilst the terminology is different, this level of support is equal to that provided to pupils at Warwick School and King’s High School (see previous bullet point).

• In the summer of Lower Sixth (Year 12), UCAS Day gives pupils dedicated space off timetable to learn more about the UCAS form and the full UCAS process. These days include talks from experts on UCAS admissions, as well as support from school staff on the details of preparing an outstanding application. Pupils applying for courses including Medicine and Law, as well as courses at universities such as Oxford and Cambridge, receive further tailored support.

• During the Spring (Lent) and Summer terms of Lower Sixth (Year 12), pupils have regular conversations with their Form Tutors, who are experts in the UCAS process. This more informal process of checking in helps Tutors to signpost pupils towards subject specialist support, including from our Careers and Futures departments.

• During the Autumn (Michaelmas) Term of Upper Sixth (Year 13), pupils submit their UCAS forms. Applications to Oxbridge and for courses in Medicine, Veterinary Science, or Dentistry must be submitted by mid-October and pupils are supported towards this.

• Our UCAS teams provide tuition and one-to-one guidance to ensure that applications are completed to the highest standard.