Bespoke Support for Students
As part of a universal offer, all students can expect to receive a range of beneficial support that enables them to thrive in their academic students. This includes
- A personal tutor to provide academic and pastoral support throughout their time at sixth form. This includes weekly meetings;
- Bespoke careers advice and guidance to help students make informed choices;
- Tailored support with the UCAS process, including sessions delivered in conjunction with our links with a number of universities;
- Workshops to support students with applying to university/apprenticeships such as creating a high-quality personal statement;
- Preparation for competitive interviews and admissions tests, such as Mini Medic Interviews (MMIs);
- Access to a range of super-curricular masterclasses to further develop understanding around a topic area, and completion of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs);
- Completion of an employability portfolio which students will regularly update;
- Opportunities to participate in and/or lead a variety of clubs and academic societies to broaden their experiences to support progression;
- Access to additional qualifications such as First Aid, Sports Coaching qualifications and Duke of Edinburgh awards (including Gold);
- Leadership opportunities within the whole-school House Team, supporting a range of events such as Eisteddfodau, Sports Day, and Charities;
- Work experience through our Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales qualification; and
- Completion of a dissertation style research project linked with a topic of students’ choice.
In addition to this, students following each pathway have additional elements of support tailored to their specific needs. Below is an example of the level of assistance that students receive within our sixth form community.
Route Three Pathway students will receive bespoke
- Advice on how to effective organise and prioritise tasks, which includes advice from employers about vocational development;
- Feedback on their continuous assessments that form the majority of components of their vocational courses; and
- Support with prepareing for the next steps in their lives, which may include undergraduate study which may include foundation years; or the world of employment or apprenticeships.
In addition to the above, students following the Route Two Pathway also receive
- Opportunities to develop their supercurricular profile to access a range of career opportunities or higher education pathways;
- Bespoke support in creating a Curriculum Vitae (CV), and mock interview preparations to enable them to best represent their ongoing achievements to prospective employers, training providers, and university admissions officers;
- Support to structure their independent study time, including effective strategies to support revision, organisational support and preparations for assessments, such as NEA and/or public examinations.
Finally, those students following the Route One Pathway benefit from
- As the only secondary school in Wales with World Class Status accredited status, opportunities to participate in a range of global activities afforded to this elite network of schools;
- Those Route One students who meet the nationally identified criteria for 'SEREN post-16' also have the opportunity to experience masterclasses with scholars from universities within our network, such as Exeter, Oxford, and Harvard;
- Targeted support to enable them to have every opportunity to secure a place at Oxbridge/Russell group universities to follow highly competitive courses. This includes interview support and entrance examination preparation.