Post on 06-Aug-2020
transcript
Day 1 School Leaver Programmes
and Scholarships
Sacred Heart Year 13
15th—17th June 2016
Futures Week 2016
The New Year 13 Futures Week kicked off to a great
start on Day 1 with a school leaver and scholarship
information day. In the morning the students
listened to presentations from a range of companies
and were able to ask questions to school leavers
from Allsop – property surveyors, Schroeders –
asset management, Accenture – management con-
sultancy, HaysMcIntyre – accountancy, and Herbert
Smith Freehills – law firm.
They were given tips to keep their
post 18 options open and to not
only apply for university, but to
consider the scholarships available
especially with the rising tuition
fees! Many of the students stayed
throughout the course of the
lunchtime to continue networking
with the employers from the
morning as they tried to glean as
much information as possible.
Tips from apprentices at Herbert
Smith Freehills
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Futures Week 2016
Comments from the students: “I now have a better idea of what path I want to take in the future.”
“I got a lot of information about things I never had an idea about.”
“I really enjoyed listening to the older year groups.”
“The tips from all of the employers were very useful.”
“What I found useful was the Q&A with the employers as it gave me an insight into the skills that they
look for.”
In the afternoon InternFirst arranged an employer panel from The Guardian - national newspaper, Baker
& McKenzie - law firm, Group M - advertising agency, and CBRE - property investors. Students (Nadege,
Stephen, Matthew, Tiannah, Jael, and Emmanuel) presented the opportunities and challenges they face in
finding out about post-18 options and future careers to the panel, before being asked questions by the
panel. The students spoke with clarity and confidence, which thoroughly impressed the panel. The event
opened up to a Q & A session, with students keen to continue speaking with the employers in the
networking event which occurred immediately after.
Students Tiannah, Matthew and Nadege put their opinions on post-18 challenges and opportunities across to the panel of employers.
Q&A session organised by InternFirst with The Guardian, Group M, CBRE and Baker and McKenzie
15th—17th June 2016
Day 2 was an early start for the students, departing school at 8.15am for the coach down to the University of Sussex. The University of Sussex is a leading higher education and research institution near Brighton, in the south of England which is ranked 20th in the UK by The Guardian University League Tables.
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Futures Week 2016
Physics
Despite the rain, the students were excited to be heading out of London to catch a glimpse of student life at a campus university. Once seated in the lecture theatre the students heard about student life from Will, a Politics and Philos-ophy 3rd year student. The information on the accommodation costs of £86pw to £150pw for ensuite rooms startled the students, until they found out this included a cleaner! In contrast, finding out about fresher’s week and bursaries from unusual sources helped to soften this financial blow (such as the ‘Vegetarian society’ who will give students £500 if they give up meat for a year!).
Day 2 Trip to University of Sussex
Accommodation costs at Sussex from £86pw Fresher’s Week Activities – something for everyone!
After a quick campus tour and seeing an ex Sacred Heart student, Michael Udebhulu at lunch, it was onto a lecture from Craig, a recruitment officer, regarding university applications and student finance. The students took detailed notes on what to include and avoid in their personal statements, then followed up with questions regarding the UCAS application process.
15th—17th June 2016
Futures Week 2016
With two contrasting days, a number of students have commented on how school leaver programmes, scholarships and bursaries could help alleviate the debt burden of an undergraduate degree. Another information packed day, giving the students a lot to think about!
Comments from the students: ‘Now I know how I will be able to finance university’ – Aaron
‘Sussex University gave me an accurate insight into what university would be like. Very informative and
useful’ - Tiannah
‘At Sussex all my questions and confusion were resolved. I was able to speak to an Anthropology student, which is an area that I am interested in. The advice was useful and I feel more confident about
my future application’ – Samia
‘The trip to Sussex was very helpful especially because I had an insight into the university application process. I now know the key dates to ensure that I prioritise my application. Overall I learnt a lot about
university life which is very important to me’ – Jael
‘I really enjoyed the trip to Sussex. It gave me information on what university life is like and how to
prepare a good application. All sixth form students should have this opportunity!’ – Remi
‘I gained an insight into what a campus university is like, beforehand I was mostly considering city-based
universities. The student finance talk was extremely useful in clearing up any misunderstandings and
worries about how to support myself through university and beyond’ - Joana
Day 3 Personal Statement Writing and
alternative Post 18 Options
15th—17th June 2016
The final morning was dedicated to the students UCAS applications. Adrienne, from Unifrog gave hints and tips of what admissions tutors are looking for. The Unifrog platform that the students use provides them with infor-mation on universities, including; their ranking, tuition fees, accommodation costs, prospective salary on gradua-tion, lecture and tutor contact time and the important unofficial student review. Students were advised to print or email the university short lists that they create for their teachers and parents throughout the next 3 months as they research and refine their options.
Personal Statement Tips
Do’s 1. Your Personal Statement is about you - it's not an article written about your prospective field of
study. It should be about your interest in the subject. 2. Show your Personal Statement to several people to improve your drafts. 3. Give convincing reasons for why you want to study the course - more than just "enjoying the
subject" Don’ts 1. Be afraid of details. Explain exactly which topics or activities you've taken part in and enjoyed.
It's much more compelling to read about 1 or 2 detailed examples than 5 or 6 brief ones. 2. Mention skills and activities without giving examples of when they have been demonstrated and
what you learnt from them. Anyone can write "I have great leadership skills". 3. Refer to experiences that took place before your GCSEs!
Futures Week 2016
In the afternoon, the students found out about alternative post 18 options, from attending university in the EU where a number of courses are delivered in English and the tuition fees are considerably lower than the UK, to studying in the US, where there are more bursaries and fully funded scholarships available.
Comments from the students: ‘This week I feel that I have gained an insight into the different paths available other than
university. This make me feel more confident as I know which websites to look at a range of for post-18 options’ – Ana
‘The last three days have been very instructive and have allowed me to realise that university is
one of many opportunities. Both employment and university will allow me to be successful and I
found that networking with people from different industries was very interesting. There is literally
something out there for everyone’ – Matthew.
15th—17th June 2016
At the end of 3 days, the students armed with a wealth of information from their ’Futures Week’ information packs, are ready to begin their personal statements, for their UCAS for applications for entry in October 2017. Time is moving so quickly!
Taking notes on university options in the main hall
Research and personal statement writing
in the library
Sacred Heart Catholic School, Camberwell New Road, London,
SE5 0RP 15th—17th June 2016
Futures Week 2016
To conclude ‘Futures Week’ the new Year 13 Student Leadership Team was announced. There were 28 applicants for the 15 positions available. It was an intense selection process with job descriptions adver-tised to the year group in May, to letters of application from candidates and finally an interview panel involving members of the Senior Leadership team and departing Year 13 Student Leadership Team, Tyrone, Eniola, Leonardo and Leah.
Year 13 Student Leadership Team
Position Year 13 Student Leadership Team 2016/17
Head Boy
John Vu
Head Girl Nadege Anotchi
Head of Student Council Simeon Akinwale and Elizabeth Abiade
Head of House Duoc Van Pham– Bosco Grace Aregbosola— Cabrini Hanz Espino—Magdalene Trixie Owusu Frimpong—Becket
Leadership Stephen Kwakye Jael Umerah Matthew Bellor Carolina Lopes Mark Siraut Seghen Ghezae Ana Silva Pereira
Sixth Form Ball Organisers Heloise De Satge and Thien Nguyen
Congratulations and good luck to the new Year 13 Student Leadership Team for the new academic year!
Thank you from Madam Sparkes to all the staff that made Futures Week 2016 a success!