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

1. Getting in: how careers advisers can embed in schools a culture of university access success CDI Annual Conference and Exhibition, 2013 Alex Kelly Director, Unifrog

2. Quick introduction

3. 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 _____________.

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

5. Teachers and UCAS Where does the average classroom teacher fall along this line? 1 2 4 3 5 Ask students what they would like to do for a job / study at university. Make comments like, ‘You should work hard and get good grades so you can go to a good 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.

6. UCAS: typical problems • 3 minutes: what typical problems do schools come across? Discuss with someone next to you... • GCSEs and A-levels: a • GCSEs and A-levels: b • GCSEs and A-levels: c • Commitment to university subject: a • Commitment to university subject: b • Confidence • Personal Statement • University choices

7. UCAS: typical problems • Students choose the wrong GCSEs and A-levels • Students don’t realise the importance of getting good GCSE grades • The jump from GCSEs to A-levels is difficult: concepts / longer-writing tasks / independence / cultural capital • By the end of yr12 haven’t done enough reading / work experience around their chosen subject • Apply for Medicine, Law, or a ‘Business’ degree • Students who are going for interview aren’t confident enough in an academic discussion • The personal statement isn’t well written / is bland / not enough focus on the subject • Fail to choose a sensible range: pick universities which are ‘out of their league’ / pick an Insurance choice whose offer is too high

8. What can we do about these? • Students choose the wrong GCSEs and A-levels • Students don’t realise the importance of getting good GCSE grades • The jump from GCSEs to A-levels is difficult: concepts / longer-writing tasks / independence / cultural capital • By the end of yr12 haven’t done enough reading / work experience around their chosen subject • Apply for Medicine, Law, or a ‘Business’ degree • Students who are going for interview aren’t confident enough in an academic discussion • The personal statement isn’t well written / is bland / not enough focus on the subject • Fail to choose a sensible range: pick universities which are ‘out of their league’ / pick an Insurance choice whose offer is too high Solving all of these (except perhaps for the last one) involves subject teacher input. And solving them is very much in teachers’ interests!

9. Whole school approach • 1. Need buy-in from the Headteacher, SLT, HoDs and HoYs • 2. Subject teachers need to feel it is part of their core business • 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

10. 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