Student Guidance

KING EDWARD VI SCHOOL SOUTHAMPTON 2011

STUDENT GUIDANCE POST A LEVEL INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS AND PARENTS (Please keep for reference)

STUDENT GUIDANCE POST A LEVEL

Dear Leaver, This booklet is intended to help you find your way through the process of receiving your results and confirming your chosen pathway into higher education or professional training.

The information you will find in this booklet is supplied by the Examinations Office and the Student Guidance Faculty. Members of both departments will be available to offer you support and advice, once you receive your Advanced Level results.

Careers advice does not cease at the moment you leave the School; many Old Edwardians return to use our facilities during their GAP year and beyond. Many of you will be making Post Qualification Applications (PQA) through the School from September 2011.

If you are adopting a PQA strategy, please make sure you read the information at the back of this booklet and give your email address to your tutor.

When you receive your Advanced Level results the Student Guidance Team will be in School to offer any advice you may require regarding your higher education choices and your current position. Please refer to the times of the Post Advanced Level Clinic, which are published in this booklet.

If you have any concerns regarding the UMS scores you have been awarded you will need to refer to the Examination Officeâ€&#x;s Post Results Help and Services on pages 6 and 7 of this booklet.

I wish you all the very best for your examination success and your future career.

Yours sincerely,

Ruth M. Greenwood Director, Higher Education July 2011

Advanced Level results will be available to you in envelopes in the VI Form Study Centre.

Please attend the Post A Level Clinic in the Guidance Centre at the times indicated, if you require any help or advice.

You will need to know your UCAS number, and may find it helpful to have a copy of your institution and course codes.

Please bring with you any correspondence relating to your HE offer, particularly if you have names and telephone numbers of university staff.

Remember: you can use TRACK at any time to check the status of your application: you may be able to determine your CF/UF status before you collect your results.

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POST A LEVEL CLINIC

All Upper Sixth pupils are advised to be available when their results arrive. The results will not be issued to anyone other than themselves without prior written notification naming a designated recipient, preferably a parent. Please contact the Examinations Office if you require this service.

Results should be available in the VI Form Study Centre from 9.30am. on Thursday 18 August.

Students are reminded to update their contact details on Track in case universities need to contact them.

PLEASE NOTE THAT DUE TO BUILDING WORK ON THE SCHOOL SITE, ACCESS TO THE RESULTS CLINIC WILL BE BY THE WILTON ROAD PEDESTRIAN GATE ONLY AND VIA THE EAST LINK DOOR.

Day and Date

Time

Member of Staff

Venue

Thursday 18 August

9.30am.-12.00pm. and 2.00pm.-3.30pm.

RMG / NDC / RJLW / CJM / KJ

Student Guidance Centre

Friday 19 August

9.30am.-12.00pm. and 2.00pm.-3.30pm.

RMG /NDC / RJLW /CJM / KJ

Student Guidance Centre

Some initial advice about results day is provided on page 8 of this booklet. However, each case will need to be considered individually and for this reason, our HE Guidance staff will be available for personal consultation at the times above. We will not be able to offer this service via email.

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ESSENTIAL INFORMATION FOR UNIVERSITY APPLICANTS

You can consult TRACK from midnight, the day before your get your results, to see the outcome of your application.

Please make sure you have your TRACK username, personal ID and password with you when you come into School to collect your results (and your "final position" letter or email from UCAS). The morning on which results are published is one of frantic activity for UCAS and University Admissions Offices, and having information and codes to hand will make your progress much smoother. You can, of course, use a print out from TRACK if you prefer.

On Thursday 18 August you may need to contact your CF or CI University. For this reason, it is important that you know your UCAS number and your course codes.

Please bring all this information with you when you come to collect your results if, having looked on TRACK your CF offer has not been confirmed.

PLEASE INFORM THE SCHOOL OF YOUR FUTURE PLANS once they are finalised, either by telephoning the Faculty Secretary at the beginning of the Autumn Term, or by sending an email via kj@kes.hants.sch.uk. This information is urgently required by the Head Master, as various Government returns have to be completed before the end of September. It is also of enormous value to us in our attempts to improve the service we offer from year to year.

On page 5 we provide details of sources of information that you may wish to use once you know your results.

It would be sensible to bring a mobile phone with you on the morning of 18 August, but our experience tells us that most university telephone lines become congested on this day: you will require persistence and patience.

University admissions tutors prefer students (not parents, nor School staff) to take the initiative in the matter of their university courses, and the School cannot undertake to influence university decisions.

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SOURCES OF INFORMATION

VACANCIES Institutions wishing to receive enquiries about course vacancies in Clearing will be listed as follows:1.

Newspapers The Telegraph (18 August – 9 September) will also be publishing the following features: The Parents‟ Guide Gap Year Guide Clearing Guide Finance and Bursaries

2.

World Wide Web UCAS will publish lists of vacancies updated daily. UCAS web site is www.ucas.com. The Student UK website can be accessed on www.studentuk.com, but all universities will publish vacancies through the web eg: www.brad.ac.uk for the University of Bradford.

3.

UCAS Track Service This gives access to the applicant‟s individual record via the UCAS website www.ucas.com by using his/her application number and a unique password. It is updated regularly so that changes to status can be seen.

4.

The UCAS Helpline  0871 4680 468 (available from Wednesday 3 August until Tuesday 30 August). Please have your personal ID ready. The UCAS website has several pages dedicated to FAQs on confirmation and clearing.

5.

The School website Guidance section has useful links for you.

HELPLINES AND ADVISORY SERVICES: BBC RADIO, TV AND TELEPHONE The information regarding BBC radio and television programmes is subject to change and update.

The UCAS Clearing Instruction leaflet sent to applicants will contain more accurate information and applicants are advised, in the first instance, to us www.ucas.com – UCAS!!

In previous years local radio has given air time to announcing vacancies.

Radio 1 and 1Xtra and Radio 2 (www.bbc.co.uk/onelife and www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/ Studentessentials). Both these websites have information on entering university, clearing, gap years, finance and more.

The Student Room. This is essentially a chat room and not necessarily reliable, but can be a reassuring point of contact.

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POST RESULTS HELP AND SERVICES RESULTS INFORMATION The publication date for Summer 2011 GCE examination results is Thursday 18 August 2011. The Statement of Results, once received must be regarded as the official notification of results gained and should be retained carefully.

No results information may be obtained by telephone from the School Office or Members of Staff (teaching and non-teaching including the Caretakers).

CERTIFICATE COLLECTION Certificates for the Summer 2011 external examinations will be delivered to the School in the Autumn term, and the Examinations Office will notify you regarding the issue of these.

POST RESULTS SERVICES FOR SUMMER 2011 GCE EXAMINATION SERIES All post result enquiries must be made on the relevant form(s) available from the Examinations Office and the School Website and submitted - with signatures - to Mr R T Courtney and/or the Examinations Office by the dates and times indicated. All signature boxes on each respective form must be completed.

The School will endeavour to provide all the post results support necessary, but the Awarding Bodies issue strict deadlines and therefore it is vital that pupils submit their forms on time and preferably before the dates given on page 7. Please do not hesitate to contact the relevant person for advice at the earliest opportunity.

PRIORITY ENQUIRIES ABOUT RESULTS This is a fast track version of the above procedure if a candidate‟s place in further/higher education depends upon the outcome. An urgent request for this type of enquiry must be submitted within a few days of the publication of results. Signatures will be required from the Candidate, Parent & School Department Representative and then given to Mr R T Courtney by 10.00am on Thursday 25 August 2011. For pupils who wish to pursue a Priority Enquiry about Results, a charge of £45.00 per unit script will apply.

PHOTOCOPIES OF SCRIPTS Candidates who may wish to submit an Enquiry about Results, or see how their script has been marked, are recommended to request a photocopy of their script. This will be beneficial in their discussions with Staff at the start of the Autumn term. Ordering a photocopy of their script will still allow an Enquiry about Results to be submitted.

Photocopied scripts can also be ordered and paid for by candidates, for learning purposes, at a cost of £12.00 per unit script, from the Examinations Office, by Thursday 25 August 2011.

Photocopied scripts may also be requested by the School Heads of Departments with a view to recommending to a candidate to pursue an Enquiry about Results. Candidates who would prefer the School not to request copies of their scripts must write to Mrs S M Owen in the Examinations Office in advance of the results.

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ENQUIRIES ABOUT RESULTS Enquiries about results can only be initiated by the School. Only genuine enquiries will be encouraged and the School Staff will advise on these. Through this enquiry process, Subject Grades and Unit Scores may be raised, lowered or merely confirmed and therefore both candidate consent and School approval must be given before any enquiry is submitted by the School to an Awarding Body. The School will initiate all such enquiries. Signatures will be required from the Candidate, Parent & School Department Representative and then given to Mr R T Courtney by 10.00am on Thursday 15 September 2011. For pupils who wish to pursue an Enquiry about Results, a charge of £40.00 per unit script will apply.

ORIGINAL SCRIPTS These may be ordered and paid for by candidates. A charge of £10.00 per script will apply.

Application forms are available from the Examinations Office and must be submitted with the correct payment to Mrs S M Owen by 10.00am on Thursday 29 September 2011.

RESITS Discussions about the possibility and advisability of resitting GCE units in January 2012 will take place between 2011/2012 UVI Pupils, Parents, Subject Teachers, Heads of Departments and Tutors early in the Autumn Term. Requests for resits must be made on forms available from the Examinations Office and the School Website. These forms, once completed and signed must be submitted to Mr R T Courtney by 10.00am on Thursday 29 September 2011.

There will be no resit opportunities for 2010/2011 leavers in January 2012 or June 2012. The Examinations Office can advise of alternative examining centres.

SERVICES IN SUMMARY

Service

Time

Deadline

Fee per GCE Unit

Priority Enquiry About Results

10.00am

Thursday 25 August 2011

£45.00

Photocopies of Scripts

10.00am

Thursday 25 August 2011

£12.00

Enquiry About Results

10.00am

Thursday 15 September 2011

£40.00

Original Scripts

10.00am

Thursday 29 September 2011

£10.00

Resits for January 2012

10.00am

Thursday 29 September 2011

See Resit Form

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CLEARING AND AJUSTMENT

We strongly recommend that you come into School on the dates indicated on page 3 if you require either of these schemes. Subject specific advice should be sought from the appropriate Head of Department.

Once you have received your results, you will need to confirm your place at your CF choice university if you have met the requirements of their offer.

If you have not quite made the grades required, you will need to wait for that university‟s decision before your application is considered by your CI university. This information will be available to you through TRACK. If you have not met either your CF or your INSURANCE offer, you will become eligible for CLEARING. This is a system whereby you may still be able to negotiate a place at a university for this year. Ms. Greenwood and her team have many years of experience at your disposal. Come into the Guidance Centre to discuss your options, and also contact the Head of Department for the relevant subject.

If you have exceeded your offer by a considerable margin, you have 120 hours ADJUSTMENT, during which time you can research alternative courses and explore any unexpected vacancies.

However, competitive courses and institutions are unlikely to have vacancies at this stage. Please discuss your situation with a member of the HE Guidance Team and let us know if you decide to register for this scheme.

If you are eligible to register for ADJUSTMENT a button will appear on the bottom right hand column of your “Choices” section of TRACK. It is your responsibility to contact a university to discuss an “adjustment” place and there is an additional application fee. You will NOT be eligible to use ADJUSTMENT if: 1.

you are confirmed UF, but did not exceed the conditions of the offer.

2.

you have a confirmed place, but on a changed course.

3.

your original offer was unconditional.

NO applicant can “adjust” his or her CI place.

You must consult the exact nature of your offer before you proceed with ADJUSTMENT. You will waste your time and energy if you have exceeded in one grade, but underachieved in another grade. There is a fee payable to UCAS to use this service.

IF YOU SUCCESSFULLY “ADJUST” YOUR PLACE, THE SCHOOL WILL NEED TO KNOW, OR OUR RECORDS FOR YOU WILL BE INCORRECT. PLEASE EMAIL YOUR FINAL DESTINATION TO YOUR TUTOR OR MISS JORDAN (kj@kes.hants.sch.uk).

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PQA AND GAP STUDENTS MAKING AN APPLICATION FOR NEXT YEAR

As long as you have access to the internet, you can make your application any time from

1st September 2011.

Our Old Edwardians’ Deadline is 9 December 2011.

All you need to do is log on to www.ucas.com, wherever you happen to be: Firstly, you need to click on the APPLY link within the UCAS site and then select “STUDENT LOGIN” for the appropriate year.  The next stage is to REGISTER. Do this by selecting the link (usually at the bottom of the page).  You will then need to identify that you belonged to King Edward VI School SOUTHAMPTON (please remember there are many King Edward VI Schools).  The “buzzword” that you need to enter is SPUD2012 in upper case without a space between the initials and the date. You will also need to register as part of a Group (eg. S20).  Please email your tutor (now ex tutor) to allow him/her time to collate your references. As you know, it will take at least 10 working days to get your application to UCAS after you‟ve pressed “send”.

If you are unsure how to proceed at any point, use the Student Guidance section of the School website where you will find the power point presentations used to help members of the Lower Sixth Form to register and process their application.

Remember to enter both your AS and A Level achievements in their separate sections. You do not need to enter unit grade results. Any re-sits that you decide to do will make your results „pending‟.

Pending Grades If you are taking re-sits of any examination units, you will need to enter the examination centre you have chosen to use. It is sensible to enter your grade as pending in the August rather than the January of the following year.

Please note that whilst the School provides predicted grades for UVI students, it cannot do so for students who are no longer registered as being taught here.

You may be contacted by the universities to which you have applied requesting your GAP year examination centre to provide such predictions separately and directly.

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If you wish us to process your application form or provide a reference you MUST register as a student of the School: we do not access independent applications.

IMPORTANT Keep a note of your username and password and remember that there are filters on the UCAS system that will prevent you from re-accessing your data if you use an offensive password!

PLEASE CONTACT YOUR OWN TUTOR IF YOU REQUIRE HELP OR ADVICE. EMAILS AND TELEPHONE MESSAGES WILL BE DIRECTED TO HIM/HER. 9

COURSES The system will prevent you from making contradictory mistakes, but it cannot distinguish between your intention and reality if you select the wrong course. Course details can be checked via the course search element of the UCAS website or through the UCAS Directory. You are welcome to return to the Guidance Centre to use the facilities there.

TIPS  The fee code you should enter is most likely to be 02.  Use the Entry Profiles to help make realistic choices.  Telephone Admissions Tutors with details of your grades to find out whether or not it is worth your while to make an application before completing your form. (They are unlikely to dissuade so use your common sense before wasting a choice.)  Compose your personal statement in a word processor (approximately 600 words) then copy and paste it into APPLY.  Keep your tutor informed of your HE intentions. Please stay in email contact with your TUTOR. If there are any problems your tutor will refer the situation to RMG as appropriate. If your tutor has retired or left the School, he/she will have informed you of his/her successor.

PROCESS Once you have completed the form, and paid UCAS, YOU must send it through to your tutor, who will then confirm your academic results, add the reference and forward the form to RMG for final checking before being sent on to UCAS by the Headmaster. This process takes a little time, and we cannot guarantee to process a form immediately. Unless you keep your tutor informed of your intentions, he/she may not even be checking to see if your form has arrived. Allow at least one week after you have submitted your form for it to be sent on to UCAS. 10

DEADLINES  You will be aware that UCAS deadlines are not the same as ours. This is simply because we need time to process and check applications. Once current Upper Sixth students have completed their applications, tutors have to focus their attention on training the new Lower Sixth students. Please respect our deadlines.  If you wish to apply for Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Sciences or Oxbridge colleges, you will have to submit your completed application by Friday 23 SEPTEMBER 2011.  All other applications should be submitted by 19 OCTOBER (our Half Term) to maximise the efficient forwarding of your choices to UCAS.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITY The School term ends on Friday 16 December, after which, all the UCAS processes here are closed.

Obviously, if you want your application to be processed, you should not be submitting in the last week of term. FRIDAY 9th DECEMBER is the last date our system will be open to receive applications. As you have your results and are competing against the next year‟s intake you should aim to process your application as soon as possible.

WE CLOSE DOWN OUR UCAS SERVICE A WEEK BEFORE THE END OF THE AUTUMN TERM

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