Careers advice and higher education support Many independent and state schools are working together to help prepare students for their next steps in life. These partnerships often take the form of joint university entrance initiatives but also involve working with younger pupils as part of academic enrichment or careers advice schemes. Kingston Grammar School and The Kingston Academy have come together to create the ‘Futures’ initiative, designed to provide inspirational university and careers education events to students in schools across the Royal Borough of Kingston. The joint venture aims to raise awareness of the different opportunities available and provide free and relevant advice from professionals currently working in competitive sectors. In 2021, events were delivered twice a term online, covering topics ranging from the Oxbridge application process to careers in the healthcare, virtual engineering and technology sectors. In the next academic year, the partner schools hope to be able to develop a series of parental advice and support webinars, while maintaining the current programme of online events. Among the 50 partnership projects that King’s College School, Wimbledon, is involved in (with more than 30 other schools), is its Senior Aspirations programme. This sees 240 students in years 9 to 11 from eight state secondary schools within the Wimbledon ISSP take part in academic workshops, attend theatre trips and benefit from university outreach days. Recent university linkups with King’s College London and Royal Holloway, University of London, have enabled the young people involved to meet current students, learn more about university life, and ask questions about the application process.
Feedback from the sessions suggests many pupils started to consider going to university, when they previously thought it was not an option for them. Should they choose to continue into higher education, the pupils involved in this partnership programme – all of whom are in receipt of pupil premium – would be first generation university scholars. The Wellington College Oxbridge Support Programme is designed to help hundreds of students from partner state schools increase their chances of successfully gaining a place at Oxford or Cambridge. The programme, which starts in Year 10, guides pupils through the admissions process until Year 13, where they can begin their applications. Students are offered dedicated and specialist advice in conjunction with workshops, mentoring and interview practice. Before the pandemic, hundreds of pupils were welcomed to the school to engage in talks and workshops, but in September 2020, the programme was successfully moved online, offering support to students and their parents virtually. In total, over 900 students and parents registered for online courses, and attendance increased by 100 per cent compared to in-person events in 2019. Truro High School for Girls runs an Aspiring Medics programme which provides budding young doctors and vets from nearby schools with a full course of lectures, workshops and mentoring ahead of their application to study in the medical or veterinary science professions. Pupils from Pool Academy and Truro School join Truro High students for weekly sessions as part of the programme, gaining access to external speakers and specialist teachers delivering workshops and lectures in the school’s laboratories. 12
“I have learnt that I can do more to affect my own future for the better.” A student who took part in the Senior Aspirations programme
