Getting in: how careers advisers can embed in schools a culture of university access success

Getting in: how careers advisers can embed in schools a culture of university access successCDI Annual Conference and Exhibition, 2013

Alex KellyDirector, Unifrog

Quick introduction

Context: Fill in the gaps

Think, pair, share

• In 1995, 20% of young people entered Higher Education. By 2013 __% of young people entered Higher Education.

• __% of independent school students go to university

• The proportion of _______________ at Oxbridge has decreased since the 1960s.

• FSM students make up __% of UK wide school cohort, but __% of Oxbridge students.

• The socio-economic group least deterred by the rise in tuition fees are _____________.

Which picture best describes the support your students receive to navigate UCAS?

Teachers and UCAS

Make comments like, ‘You should work hard and get good grades so you can go to a good university.’

1 2 3 4 5Ask students what they would like to do for a job / study at university.

Advise students on the types of universities they should go to.

Help a student with a personal statement and researching specific universities.

Log on to UCAS Apply and Track. Played a part in school’s calendar of UCAS activities.

Where does the average classroom teacher fall along this line?

UCAS: typical problems

3 minutes: what typical problems do schools come across? Discuss with someone next to you...

1. GCSEs and A-levels: a2. GCSEs and A-levels: b3. GCSEs and A-levels: c4. Commitment to university subject: a5. Commitment to university subject: b6. Confidence7. Personal Statement8. University choices

1. Students choose the wrong GCSEs and A-levels2. Students don’t realise the importance of getting good GCSE grades3. The jump from GCSEs to A-levels is difficult: concepts / longer-writing tasks /

independence / cultural capital4. By the end of yr12 haven’t done enough reading / work experience around

their chosen subject5. Apply for Medicine, Law, or a ‘Business’ degree6. Students who are going for interview aren’t confident enough in an academic

discussion7. The personal statement isn’t well written / is bland / not enough focus on the

subject8. Fail to choose a sensible range: pick universities which are ‘out of their league’

/ pick an Insurance choice whose offer is too high

UCAS: typical problems

1. Students choose the wrong GCSEs and A-levels2. Students don’t realise the importance of getting good GCSE grades3. The jump from GCSEs to A-levels is difficult: concepts / longer-writing tasks /

independence / cultural capital4. By the end of yr12 haven’t done enough reading / work experience around

their chosen subject5. Apply for Medicine, Law, or a ‘Business’ degree6. Students who are going for interview aren’t confident enough in an academic

discussion7. The personal statement isn’t well written / is bland / not enough focus on the

subject8. Fail to choose a sensible range: pick universities which are ‘out of their league’

/ pick an Insurance choice whose offer is too high

What can we do about these?

Solving all of these (except perhaps for the last one) involves subject teacher input. And solving them is very much in teachers’ interests!

1. Need buy-in from the Headteacher, SLT, HoDs and HoYs

2. Subject teachers need to feel it is part of their core business

3. University success plan for every year group, eg:

Year 7 visits to unis Year 8 assemblies by graduates of a variety of subjects who have had

professional careers Year 9 assembly by university admissions tutor, featuring GCSE discussion Etc

Whole school approach

The easy way for students to choose the right universities for them, and for teachers to track their progress

Help students find the right university courses quickly

Save time tracking students’ progress

Avoid common mistakes when making applications

Compare courses by lots of different factors including distance, social life and starting salary