Our daily routines and educational practice are rooted in the twin values of Dignity and Respect.
Phone: 01296 651382Email: office@waddesdonschool.com
At Waddesdon, we aim to provide the best careers advice possible to support students in planning their futures after Sixth Form.
At Waddesdon, we aim to provide the best careers advice possible to support students in planning their futures after Sixth Form.
There are four main pathways which students should consider once they complete Sixth Form:
Higher/Further Education – University/College
Degree/Higher Apprenticeship
Employment with training e.g. School Leaver Programme
GAP year
We begin introducing students to these options early in Year 12 so they can begin their research. We take all students to a degree and apprenticeship conference at a local university in the first term so they can talk to a range of providers and professionals to explore their options further. Sixth Form students can also attend the school’s annual Careers’ Fair in February, with representatives from universities, apprenticeship providers, Gap Year companies, and employers all present.
Each Sixth Form student has a personal Unifrog account with brilliant resources on all of the pathways, support with Personal Statements and CVs, up-to-date labour market information, and super-curricular suggestions for standout applications.
We then use the Extension Studies sessions and assemblies to hear from expert speakers and to investigate the pathways in greater detail. A wide variety of external speakers are invited in to speak to students and parents at the ‘Life After Waddesdon’ Evening in the summer term of Year 12.
The Sixth Form Team, tutors and Mrs Bridges are all available to support students with their options and the application processes. One-to-one appointments can be made at any point in Sixth Form and smaller workshops are organised tailored to students’ interests and needs.
All Year 12 students are asked to submit a first draft of their Personal Statement, needed for university applications, by the end of Year 12. The student’s teachers all write an academic reference, which is submitted with the student’s application and Personal Statement.
Year 13 is spent supporting the students with their applications. We run UCAS workshops to show students how to complete the application form, delivering presentations and support materials to help students complete a strong Personal Statement. We ask that all UCAS applications are completed by the beginning of December so we can submit applications in time for Mid-January UCAS deadline. Student Finance must be applied for before the end of May for students to have the funds available for the start of their first term and again we deliver presentations and provide support resources to help students with the Student Finance Application. We also support students with interview technique as well as portfolio and audition preparation.
In addition to Unifrog, useful websites include:
Apprenticeship, Traineeship and School Leaver Applications tend to be submitted between Christmas and the summer of Year 13, depending on the apprenticeship/company. Local and national opportunities are advertised in assembly and through ClassCharts. In recent years, Waddesdon students have been successful in achieving very competitive degree and higher apprenticeships with Microsoft, Nielsen, KPMG, BMW, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, government security services, Lloyds Bank, Gibbs Gears, and Everitt Kerr Accountancy.
We support students with their applications as well as with interview and assessment centre technique.
Along with the information on Unifrog, useful websites include:
https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/
There are lots of exciting Gap Year opportunities in the UK and abroad. It is advisable to plan a GAP Year during Year 13 to make the most productive use of this time. Some companies which organise projects abroad require students to apply at the end of Year 12 so that Year 13 can be used for planning, training and fundraising. Useful websites include:
Range of options: https://www.ucas.com/discover/gap-years
Waddesdon Manor Internships: https://waddesdon.org.uk/about-us/current-vacancies/internships/
Project Trust (one of many gap year companies): https://projecttrust.org.uk/
Camp America: https://www.campamerica.co.uk/
Year in Industry: https://www.etrust.org.uk/the-year-in-industry
Volunteering Opportunities in the UK: https://www.doit.life/volunteer
For those interested in going into employment, Indeed.com enables students to access current job vacancies in the local area. We run CV and LinkedIn workshops in school to support students, with one-to-one advice and guidance.
Useful links: