We are proud of the support we can offer our Sixth Form students when they are applying to university and college and we aim to continue this as much as we can under Covid-19 restrictions. 

Progression Research and Resources from 2020

We held a series of online sessions and we have produced a Progression Research Pack for Year 12 students to help them explore their next steps.

To direct students to the right resources, we have six categories below. Click on the one that describes you best and you will be able to work through the appropriate resources.

Videos

For our series of advice videos from ex-QEHS students, please see this page

UCAS Packs

UCAS has been writing packs to help students with their initial research into courses and universities. Rebecca and I are adjusting these to add anything else that we think will be useful at each stage and we will continue to paste these below:

Durham University Webinar

Durham University held a webinar with our students on 12 May to talk about 'Why university'? If you were unable to attend, please click this link to watch a recording of the webinar, accessible via OneDrive. Students will need a password to access this folder: QEhexham12520 

If you would prefer a City university or one with more practical courses, then we would recommend the resources at Leeds Beckett University (external URL).

Sixth Form Bulletin

We will use the Sixth Form Bulletin to keep passing on all the great online resources that universities have to help you make your choices.

University of Leeds on making the most of Year 12 and on interview skills for university

Earlier in the year, Jess Heaney, a speaker from the University of Leeds, visited QEHS to talk to our Year 12 students on making the most of their year, and to Year 13 students on interview skills for university. Her PowerPoint presentations are available below:

Students can access support for applying for jobs and apprenticeships at any time by making an appointment to see our Curriculum Advisers, Michelle and Rebecca or with our independent Careers Adviser, Sarah Sunderland. Contact details are below:

Michelle van den Berg: mvandenberg@qehs.net
Rebecca Ruddick: rruddick@qehs.net
Sarah Sunderland: ssunderland@qehs.net

Useful Links 

Rian Lamb Talk

We recently hosted an online chat with Rian Lamb from Ryder Architects, who discussed his alternative route into a professional career. To view a recording of the talk, click the link below. Please note that as the talk was delivered through Microsoft Teams, students will need to sign in to their Office365 account to view the video.

External Resources

Where to look for work and apprenticeships

Newspapers and their websites

Employment agencies

Often large industries have websites dedicated to jobs in their field:

Public sector opportunities in North East:

Colleges and universities sometimes advertise apprenticeships on their websites:

Examples of opportunities with a level 3 qualification:

Job profiles and advice on writing a CV, covering letters, application forms and going for interviews:

Many of our students choose to take a gap year and we strongly support this. A gap year can take many forms from travel to employment to volunteering. There are many organisations that offer gap year opportunities and the cost of these can vary greatly. Whilst we hesitate to recommend individual gap year organisations, the organisations in the links below have been used by former students with good feedback. Within school, we do invite in gap year organisations as part of our progression work and we also ask students to come back in and tell us about their gap year experiences.

Due to Covid-19, you will need to be more meticulous than ever in your planning and choose organisations who have thought carefully about your safety, are well-informed about the changing situation, and are clear about their cancellation policies. Fingers crossed, if you do decide to travel during your gap year, the situation will have improved considerably by then. 

Work, Voluntary Work & Travel

Examples of organisations that QEHS students have used include:

Aventure (AV): offers opportunities lasting from 3 weeks to 5 months in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The 3-5 month ventures include projects such as sports coaching, community volunteering, conservation, travel and adventure, and the 3-5 week ventures include community projects, adventure activities and safaris.

British Exploring Society: If you join one of their unique expedition programmes you will be prepared for the remote locations you will be exploring and the challenges you will face. You will acquire outdoor skills and learn about yourself- as well as undertaking projects which are relevant to your lives and the fragile environments you will be exploring.

Camp America: offers the chance to spend a summer in the U.S.A. living and working either with children or 'behind the scenes' as support staff on an American Summer Camp.

International Citizen Service (ICS): ICS is a government funded development programme that brings together young people from the UK and developing countries to volunteer in some of the poorest communities in Africa and Asia. Placements are 10-12 weeks in length. UK volunteers work side-by-side with local volunteers in developing countries, staying with host families in the local community. ICS isn't a holiday. It's demanding but hugely rewarding. It's a great opportunity for personal development, a stepping stone to future careers and a chance to make your world a better place.

Madventurer: offers Volunteer Projects and Placements in Africa, Asia, Latin American and the South Pacific. Madventurer's aim is to assist local communities in developing countries through the volunteer projects and placements, whilst enabling volunteers to gain life-changing experiences through cultural integration, challenge and adventure. Community Teaching and Building projects are set in small rural villages and stunning locations in Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Peru, Thailand, India and Fiji. The group live and work together to build and/or teach in the local community focusing on youth development and the provision and improvement of health, education and sanitation facilities.

Project Trust: offers full one year volunteer projects around the world. They have an excellent preparation and training programme and we have consistently excellent feedback from students who have volunteered with them.

The Year in Industry (YINI): gives students the chance to gain a years’ paid work experience before starting university. Businesses offer challenging projects for students to work on and feedback from students who have taken part has been excellent.

Year Out Group: provides a total reference for all you need to plan your gap year. The group includes 40 gap year organisations that provide a wide range of gap year programs in over 90 countries. (Organisations: Projects Abroad, Year in Industry, Art History Abroad, CESA Languages Abroad, Personal Overseas Development, Madventurer and Sportventurer, Worldwide Experience, Lattitude Global Volunteering, The Leap Overseas, Yamnuska Mountain Adventures, Raleigh, VentureCo, Gapforce, International Academy, GVI, Travellers Worldwide, Village-to-Village, BUNAC, Camp America, Peak Leaders, Nonstop Adventure, African Conservation Experience, Alltracks Academy, Gap Year Diver, Outreach International, Real Gap Experience, i-to-i, Blue Ventures Expeditions, Changing Worlds, Azafady, Project Trust, Year Out Drama, GapGuru, Flying Fish, Quest, Cross-Cultural Solutions, Oyster Worldwide, Frontier Conservation, Africa and Asia Venture (Aventure).

A quick-start guide to Student Finance (2020-21) is available from Student Finance England (external URL).

Additionally, useful websites are listed below which contain detailed information and can help to explain all the main concepts of student finance.