9th December 2024
Year 13 bulletin
Morning all,
There are some opportunities for apprenticeships as well as a few university focused ones that might be worth a look.
The mock examination period will run from January 9th to January 20th and it’s important that you begin to consolidate your learning and begin the revision process now. If you need any support please come and see me.
Weekly
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‘Ted Talk’ What a digital government looks like
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‘BBC Ideas’ A guide to quantum tech (you’ll actually understand!)
Quote of the week:
“I don’t love studying. I hate studying. I like learning. Learning is beautiful.”
Natalie Portman
Key dates and deadline:
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The Maths Department runs a support session every Wednesday for A Level Maths and GCSE resit support every single Monday.
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Chemistry runs their support sessions on Mondays 2:40 - 3:30 pm
UCAS
47 people have now submitted their UCAS applications, 42 have offers, 9 people have responses from all their choices and there are several interviews lined up; offers will dry up after the Christmas break so apply asap.
Lots of you still need to complete the Education section of the UCAS application;
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add your GCSE (August 2023) and AS results (August 2024)
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Then add the three A Levels you are studying, puttingAugust 2025 as the date and ‘pending’ as the grade
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Add Advanced Skills Challenge with the date August 2025 and again put pending as the grade.
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You should be sending your Personal statement to your LC now and looking carefully at your potential choices. Any problems let me know. Even if you do not think you’ll be going to university, please complete this as it’s always an option for you then.
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Have a look at the virtual work experiences UCAS has on offer
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It might also be worth checking out these sites which have resources to support you in making better university decisions:
Bursaries/Scholarships
Tynybedw Law Bursary - King's College London Law School is offering The Tynybedw Law Bursary to a selected Welsh student who begins an undergraduate Law degree at King's College London in September 2025. Applications for this bursary are open now to learners in Wales who are in Year 13 and are currently making applications to study Law at university. The cash bursary is worth £8,000 in the first and second years of the recipient's degree, and £9,000 in their final year.
The ‘Blackbullion’ App tries to ensure students have the best experience when searching and applying to scholarships. If you want scholarship updates for now, you can sign up to their Scholarships Newsletter. There are no costs associated with ANY aspect of the process - it's all completely free https://www.blackbullion.com/register
Those of you applying to Russell Group universities may be eligible for a bursary if you check as well as Swansea having some academic excellence bursaries available. I’ve included some of the universities here that I know people have applied to in the past. It’s always worth checking/applying - the worst that can happen is that you don’t get anything - doesn’t hurt to try! There are lots available which are focused on household income, STEM (women especially) and engineering. See me if you need any help applying for these.
Upcoming Opportunities/Events
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UEA offer a comprehensive programme of online taster lectures, open to all Taster days are a great way to see if you like a subject and it can help with your personal statement. Register here |
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Aspire is a collection of free careers, university and further education resources. It is designed to give state-educated students the tools and knowledge they need to make more informed decisions about their future. Their ‘guide’ is a free resource, full of information and guidance, designed to inform you and help you navigate the range of careers and further education out there. Access the online version of the Guide, alongside other resources, on the Aspire website |
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Please sign up for Uptree here and then check out all the opportunities they have: https://schools.uptree.co/opportunities/ |
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Speakers for Schools has a range of work experience opportunities, just be aware some are aimed at students in England - especially the Healthcare ones which relate to NHS England. Use the link here to see whether there’s anything relevant to you. |
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Gresham College has a series of lectures by different Professors; December’s lectures include:
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Universities
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Bangor University has information about their Bangor University Entrance Scholarships for 2025 entry, worth up to £3,000.
The application form and examples of past papers can be downloaded from their website. The closing date for application forms is Friday, 31st January 2025 and the Scholarship examination will be held on Wednesday, 12th February 2025. Funding is also available through many of the Coleg Cymraeg scholarships if students study part of their courses in Welsh. All the relevant information can be found on their website www.colegcymraeg.ac.uk/scholarships. |
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King's College, London Tynybedw Law Bursary - King's College London Law School is offering The Tynybedw Law Bursary to a selected Welsh student who begins an undergraduate Law degree at King's College London in September 2025. Applications for this bursary are open now to learners in Wales who are in Year 13 and are currently making applications to study Law at university. The cash bursary is worth £8,000 in the first and second years of the recipient's degree, and £9,000 in their final year. |
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USW has Open Days coming up. Book here. They also have other opportunities such as Guaranteed Mock Interviews for Nursing and Midwifery:
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Bath University Apply with Bath 2024 - Applications Open
Apply with Bath is a free, flexible online programme for Year 13 students who are thinking of applying to Bath. Apply with Bath provides support with applying to university and includes the opportunity to hear from current Bath students as well as help with your UCAS application, including 1:1 personal statement support sessions. It will provide you with a wealth of resources and support on relevant topics such as personal statements, accommodation, student finance and student life. The flexible nature of this programme means you can choose the parts which are most useful. Who is eligible? Apply with Bath is aimed at academically-able Year 13 students who meet their Widening Participation criteria and are planning to apply to study at the University of Bath from 2025. To be considered for a place you will need to:
Find out more and apply here |
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UCL UCL Study Prep (Access now) UCL Study Prep helps students in Year 13 to prepare for university. This course is free and open to all students in Year 13, regardless of where you go to school or college or which universities you have applied to study at. |
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Swansea University Social Care Wales and England have confirmed that for BSc Social Work 2025 entry, university courses no longer require a specific number of work experience hours for students to apply for this course. The changes are:
Even though the formal requirement for work experience has been removed, students may still want to include any experiences they have of social care, on their personal statements.
Student Experience Q&A Webinar – 15 January 18:00 – 19:00 A panel of current students will offer insight into their experience of studying at Swansea University: students from across a wider range of degrees will discuss their application journey, why they choose their degree subject, and what life is like as a student here in Swansea.
Their 2025 on-campus Open Days are Saturday 15 February and Saturday 22 March.
These open days are great for both early researchers in year 12, and year 13 students who have submitted their UCAS application but haven’t had chance to visit Swansea yet or are questioning their choices on their application form. You will have the opportunity to:-
Find out about more about courses Speak to staff and current students studying your chosen subjects Take a campus tour of of the campus and department facilities. Register your interest here. |
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Bristol UWE also has upcoming Open Days. Book here. |
Apprenticeships/Degree Apprenticeships
Support
For those of you feeling anxious about the return to school, as always, we are always available to help. If you feel you need more support here are some useful links:
There are also some useful techniques here for those experiencing feelings of anxiety:
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Breathing techniques to calm anxiety Visit now
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Yoga for Anxiety Visit now
Remember it is important that you keep an eye on your emails and our Twitter feed (@stcyres6th). I send out links and tweets regularly so there is a lot of information available, you just need to access it and let me know if there are any problems with you doing that.
As always, if there are any issues, get in touch; we’re here to support you.
Take care,
Ms Jones