PUPIL SUPPORT
The personal statement is sure to be a hot topic amongst your pupils looking to transition into higher education, but, you’re not off the hook either. How can you write a reference for pupils and provide support if they turn to you for help?
AIDING THE UCAS PROCESS O ne of the most important documents to get pupils into higher education, alongside exams, is their personal statement. The document that can leave even the calmest pupils breaking a sweat, it is a critical supporting document needed to get them into their desired course. 4,000 words or 47 lines – whatever comes first. You can be there to lend a helping hand.
LINK
As a teacher you will be required to assist your pupils with building their personal statement. Bare bones to a fully-fledged personal statement, the best way to help get pen to paper – or fingers to keyboard – is to start off with the necklace approach. Creating a link between the introduction and conclusion, the necklace approach looks at how you can start the statement, adding structure and paragraphs to the main body and a conclusion to link the piece together, a bit like a necklace. When starting with a reference to why a pupil wants to be on a specific course ensure they link back to 12 Teachers’ Resource
this original statement in the conclusion. The UCAS website also has a fantastic personal statement tool that you can signpost pupils to for information on how to extract any ‘waffeling’, edit any content that doesn’t need to be included, plus a bank of successful (and not so successful) past personal statements.
REFERENCE
Next, you need to look at writing your reference. Even if a pupil has fallen short for whatever reason, it is important to highlight this fact but reiterate what potential the pupil does have. Focusing on the positives is the best route to follow. No doubt your pupils will turn to you for assistance editing their statement, so take this time to have a conversation on what they would like to highlight about their achievements and what will be expected of them from their chosen course or organisation. When writing your reference be mindful to think about how capable a pupil is at submitting coursework, their attention to detail and commitment or spotlight what they are like working in groups. After reading your pupils personal statement,
make sure not to be repetitive – this is a chance to further evaluate and highlight the attributes of this young person.
PROMOTION
Additionally, whether your pupil was head of year, captain of their local football team, led whole school assemblies to raise funds for charity or overcame a personal challenge, take this time to promote a specific moment in your pupil’s school career that will make them stand out from the crowd. Large or small achievements can be included alongside recognising outstanding pieces of coursework that a pupil has submitted. Regardless of their school experience, the young person in your classroom has the chance to shine and pave the way in their next chapter.
FIND OUT MORE For advice on how to perfect your statement of reference for pupils, visit the UCAS website: www.ucas.com
www.teachersresource.co.uk
