27th November 2023
Year 13 bulletin
Morning all,
Hope everyone had a good weekend and is ready for the week ahead.
Weekly
- ‘Ted Talk’ Essential questions to ask your future self
- ‘BBC Ideas’ Why smart people do stupid things
Quote of the week:
“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”
Mark Twain
Key dates and deadline:
- Internal UCAS deadline is 8th December
- Art and Photography coursework is due on the 31st January 2024 and students will be issued with their exam paper on 1st Feb.
- The Maths Department run a support session every Wednesday for A Level Maths and GCSE resit support every single Monday.
- Chemistry have both Year 12 and 13 chemistry support sessions every Monday after school.
- Tourism Unit 4 coursework is due 5th Feb
- Biology has after school support sessions on Thursdays in H23
A few general announcements:
- The Independent Study activities document has been updated by staff so you can build in some super-curricular activities or get ahead with understanding key topics.
- Cambridge University have super-curricular resources created and written by Cambridge students and academics https://myheplus.com/
UCAS
A reminder that checking the entry requirements is a good idea: https://www.whatuni.com/ is a great site to use. To check what your grades add up to for a points offer, use https://www.ucas.com/ucas/tariff-calculator
The internal deadline for the entire UCAS application to be completed is the 8th December; anything submitted later than this will not get the detailed feedback required before submission to UCAS.
We have submitted 17 applications so far and 13 people already have offers - one person has all five offers - so places are filling up. Last year the applications submitted after the Christmas break did not get as many offers.
Some basics for people to look at again on their applications:
- check you have the fee code 02 unless you are an international student
- add your GCSE subjects and the grades you achieved to the Education section - the date for those is August 2022
- add your AS Levels and the grades you achieved to the Education section - the date for those is August 2023
- add your A Level subjects to the Education section - put August 20234 and 'pending' as the grades - don't forget to add the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge and put August 2023 and 'pending' for that too
- Add either me or a parent as your ‘nominated access’ in the Contact and Residency section
- make sure your choices include one safe, at least two solid and one - or possibly two - aspirational courses. If you're unsure see me or your LC will be happy to chat to you about your choices
Bursaries
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. 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.
- Cardiff Bursaries
- Cardiff Scholarships
- Nottingham - a range of scholarships
- Bristol Bursaries
- Birmingham
- Swansea - academic excellence bursaries
- USW Bursaries
- Choosing a university can be difficult; here’s an article which tries to look at the various criteria you might apply. Which uk Uni to choose?
There’s some information regarding preparing a portfolio for creative subjects, such as Art, Animation or Media here.
Every couple of years, the World Economic Forum publishes their Future of Jobs report, which looks at the impact of these world-wide issues on jobs and the skills needed. The latest version came out in May this year and is based on a large-scale, world-wide survey of employers. Check out the main points here. It is an absolute gold-mine of information, data and insight into the future of careers, and as you make important decisions about your future studies and career, you are going to want to know about it.
Opportunities/Events
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Gresham College has a series of lectures by different Professors; November’s lectures include: Human-led AI Dr Marc Warner, Today, Mon, 27 Nov 2023 Abortion: Law's Ethical Dilemma Professor Leslie Thomas KC, Thu, 30 Nov 2023 Reducing harms after Nuclear, Radiological and Chemical Incidents Professor Chris Whitty FRS Tue, 28 Nov 2023 Iran’s ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ Movement Dr Shabnam Holliday Wed, 29 Nov 2023 |
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There’s a fantastic opportunity with the organisation tutor2u who are offering a Free Online Course for all Sixth Form students. The course includes a mix of videos, engaging activities and resource downloads and covers:
Use the link here to register: Studentshttps://ondemand.tutor2u.net/students/beyond-sixth-form-skills-booster |
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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, |
Universities
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Struggling with your Personal Statement; use the support from UCAS |
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Many universities have got upcoming Open Days so make sure you have a look at the places you think you may want to study at. Here’s the best place to check dates for Open Days: https://www.opendays.com/calendar/ To make sure you understand the grades you might need for courses you’re interested in and confirm entry requirements please use the following website: https://www.whatuni.com/ Ask your LC to look at courses with you if you’re not sure about things. |
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Reading University has a bespoke opportunity for students to visit their campus on Wednesday 13th December. They are offering a 'Discovery Day' especially for students who are finalising their 5 choices on their UCAS applications. Rather than a school/college group visit, they are offering this opportunity to individuals who would like to know more about Reading. They can support with free travel for students who fulfil our widening participation criteria*, though we welcome interest from all students. What students can expect on the day:
Interested in Business, Management, Accounting or Finance? Alongside the Discovery Day as detailed above, we are also offering the opportunity to experience subjects offered by Henley Business School. This subject taster will run between 1pm and 2:45pm and is an optional activity during the day. Ready to visit? Register here for the Discover Reading Campus day
They also have: Languages and English Webinars which are live, online opportunities in the following areas: Modern Languages – From the Admissions Tutor: Writing a Personal Statement for Languages – Sign up here English Lit/ Creative Writing
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Bath University may give a lower offer to students in Wales as a result of their WBQ prediction; read more about their approach to the Welsh Bacc and their alternative offer here. To support students, they are holding a MOOC delivered in partnership with Aberystwyth University ‘How to succeed in your Welsh Bacc: the Individual Project Essentials’. |
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Aberystwyth University has a new Higher Education streaming platform, Aberflix and a range of generous scholarships available. |
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Bath Spa has a few Open Days coming up: Bath Spa |
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UWE Bristol have Campus tour films. If you can't visit in person, they have virtual tours. They offer a warm welcome from current students and bring their campuses to life. |
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Cardiff Met have a series of Open Days and Campus tours available: |
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Swansea University: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/open-days/ |
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Cardiff University Their lecture series is ongoing; https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/community/events
They also have a ‘Questions Live’ session with Dr Margot Rubin who is a Lecturer in Spatial Planning at Cardiff University’s School of Geography and Planning If you have any questions about studying Geography or Geography and Planning please send them to RubinM@Cardiff.ac.uk and they will answer those questions and any others on the day. Details: 6th December at 4pm.
You can also Sign up to get info on all their upcoming opportunities |
Work Experience
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Please sign up for Uptree here if you didn’t do so last year. And then check out all the opportunities they have: https://schools.uptree.co/opportunities/ New events coming up:
Tue 5th Dec 10:00AM - 12:30PM Virtual event Students aged 16-21
Gain insights into different industries, develop your essential skills and learn how to ace your future applications. Check out their newest course Introduction to the National Cyber Force! If you're after something different you can also check out courses with J.P. Morgan, Arm and ATAC. |
Apprenticeships/Degree Apprenticeships
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Aston Martin are advertising the following apprenticeships due to start in September 2024 that may be of interest to some of your students.
IT Manufacturing Services Degree Apprentice https://careers.astonmartin.com/cw/en/job/510597/it-manufacturing-services-degree-apprentice Vacancy: Information: VAC-J4V0K5 - Dynamics 365 (gov.wales) Achieved 2 A Levels or equivalent C and above in IT, Engineering, Computer Science or relevant qualification |
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BBC Cardiff - Apprenticeships are advertising further apprenticeship roles that are due to start in Sept 2024 that may be of interest to some of you. Criteria:
Production Apprenticeship - Level 3 - Cardiff https://careers.bbc.co.uk/job/Cardiff-Production-Apprenticeship-Level-3-Cardiff-CF10-1FT/781934302/
Production Coordinator Apprenticeship - Level 4 – Cardiff/Bangor |
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Other local opportunities
Tax Associate ATT/CTA (Apprenticeship) - September 2024 Start- Cardiff CardiffTaxPosted: 1 Oct 2023 ref: 950
Accounts Junior AAT/ACA (Apprenticeship)- September 2024 Start- Cardiff CardiffAccounts & AdvisoryPosted: 1 Oct 2023 ref: 949
Audit Junior AAT/ACA (Apprenticeship)- September 2024 Start- Cardiff Cardiff Audit & Assurance Posted: 1 Oct 2023 ref: 948
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Network 75 is a combined work placement and part-time study route to a degree allowing students to Work, Earn and Learn. Network75 Trainees are able to apply their academic knowledge to real-life work within their host company gaining the necessary skills, experience and qualifications that are highly sought after by industry. |
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UCAS has a lot of information about apprenticeships: https://www.ucas.com/apprenticeships |
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Uptree also has lots of information and events relating to Apprenticeships so again, sign up and check them out: https://schools.uptree.co/events/ |
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The company PwC has more information for potential accountants, business management or technology students interested in degree apprenticeships with them. Use the link here to find out more |
Support
For those of you feeling anxious about the UCAS process or anything else, 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:
- Breathing techniques to calm anxiety Visit now
- 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