Work Experience in Sixth Form
Year 12 work experience will be launched this year, encouraging all Year 12 students to go on a one-week placement the week commencing 11 March 2024. Mrs Cotterell will be giving students more information about this in the coming weeks.
BTEC students may like to, or already, run a work experience placement as part of their timetable all year round. Please use this form and see Mrs Cobain in the Careers Hub to discuss this.
Post 18 Pathways
There are four options to you available once you are 18:
Higher Education Courses
There are over 300 higher education institutes in the UK and over 45,000 courses to choose from, so you need to do your research. Attend Open Days or Virtual Taster events and ask questions so you can be sure it is the right place and course for you. Please keep looking at individual university websites as they are regularly updating the range of information on there to support potential applicants. UCAS also offers virtual tours and videos from universities and colleges to allow you to see what it’s like on campus and what facilities are available at different universities. These can be viewed from here.
The main role of UCAS is to operate the application process for British Universities. Application to all universities should be made through UCAS Apply, not directly to the university. When you press ‘send’ on your application, it is first sent to School, not directly to UCAS. There are several sections for the School to complete, such as references, so it is important not to leave applications to the last minute.
Need help with writing your personal statement? Go to Neaco’s ‘Applications Unlocked’.
For more information about Universities and courses available, students may want to use Unifrog which they have access to via the school. You can filter options by travel time, directed learning time and many other aspects.
Higher Level and Degree Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships combine working with part-time study. Competition for apprenticeships can be tough partly because there are often a limited number of vacancies. For more information on Higher Level Apprenticeships visit here. For more information on and Degree Apprenticeships click here.
If you are interested in looking at Apprenticeships, please register here, and take a look at these sites too – Amazing Apprenticeships, The AIM group and Apprenticeships Suffolk.
Employment
At 18 you may decide you are ready for the ‘world of work’ and to start earning or you may want to look into starting a business of your own. You will need an up to date CV adapted to fit the job role you are applying for and a covering letter. It is important you do your research on the organisation you are applying to.
Gap Year
A gap year can be a good way to develop yourself and your skills while deciding your next step. A well-planned gap year is not just a break from study or getting into work. It can help you to mature as a person and give you time to pause and reflect on what you want to do in the future. Some students may decide to take a gap year to focus on things that you would not normally do and to develop your experience of the world possibly doing a number of things including paid employment, volunteering, work experience, further learning and travelling.
As this is such a key transition point, students are welcome to request a Careers Advice and Guidance meeting with our Independent Careers Adviser, Miss Richards or a meeting with Ms Garratt, our Higher Education Champion.
Destination Data
As part of Government requirements, Felixstowe School is required to track the destination of every student for 3 years after they leave school. The information we track is the name of the School/College/Employer and the name of the course they are undertaking.
2019/2020 Student Destinations after Sixth Form to date suggests:
| Apprenticeships | 15% |
| University | 50% |
| Employment | 35% |