Aiming High Our Higher Education Support
For Oxbridge, Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Sciences, and other competitive courses
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Your Higher Education through St Dunstan’s YEAR 11 Prior to making A Level choices, students receive guidance for the profile of subjects needed to maximise entry to their desired university course. The Choices Evening in December gives students and parents a forum to discuss aspirations with subject leaders and formulate how best to access these. Tutors run one-to-one sessions to help students comprehensively understand what they are aiming for. Year 11 students have the opportunity to take part in our visit to Oxford University. Led by the Head of Middle School, students experience undergraduate-style lectures to understand Oxbridge academic expectations. They visit different Colleges, seeing how they differ from one another and how they suit different courses. Throughout the year, students attend our Opening Minds lectures, to which parents are warmly invited to join. This series, led by a variety of industry specialists, gives detailed insights into career trajectories and how their professions might evolve over the coming years.
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YEAR 12 The Academic Union Mentored by the Oxbridge Coordinator and Head of Sixth Form, The Academic Union is a programme of student-led seminar discussions focusing on thoughtprovoking topics. Throughout the programme, students are encouraged to think out loud, answer difficult questions, and be open to new perspectives; through this they gain confidence in their public speaking skills and ability to effectively explain their thought processes to a wider audience. Students are mentored to present to the group on a topic of their choosing and receive individualised guidance from subject experts. Here are some examples of topics which have been previously explored at such seminars: • • •
To what extent is Feminism over? Should poetry be difficult to understand? How far does populism affect our politicians?
The December Consultation Fortnight During this week of one-to-one meetings with the Sixth Form Team, students begin to choose their post St. Dunstan’s College trajectory and decide on a Futures Pathway, which consists of our year long, preparatory courses commencing in the Lent Term (January). These weeks culminate with a student and parent evening event about UCAS, to ensure all parties are aware of the expectations of students, and how the College enables them throughout the application process.
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Our Aiming High Pathways Our Oxbridge Preparation Series During Lent of Year 12, our Oxbridge Coordinator leads a weekly course to help develop students’ understanding of the pathway to Oxford or Cambridge; this includes the particulars of the College system, Oxbridge faculties, and the various societies on offer. Students are given all the information needed to answer questions such as: “how does the Oxbridge application process work?”, “what are the Oxbridge universities like?”, “how do I choose a suitable subject or college?”, and more.
By Trinity of Year 12, the preparation series is the mechanism to help students find further reading, lectures, and projects to develop them into an Oxbridge applicant who stands out amongst the crowd. The weekly meetings are guided by the slogan ‘what have you read this week?’ and are designed to drive forward a high standard of academic reading throughout the group.
Students learn how to develop their subject interest and find their passion to become a confident learner who strives for academic prowess.
Students have also covered the entrance exam content by this point within lessons, and can begin preparing for these in earnest, firstly with modelled examples, and then by undertaking past entrance exams which are marked with detailed feedback.
The Oxbridge Colleges and recent entry statistics are looked at in detail during this period so that together, we establish which College is best suited to the individual student and has the highest chance of successful entry.
Students enter the summer having had plenty of entrance paper practice and feeling fully prepped with the knowledge and tools needed to produce a sound and impressive personal statement.
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Our Galen Medicine Course
Medics, Dentists & Vets Preparation Seminar Series In Lent, Year 12 students embark on a programme of teacherled seminars designed to prepare them for their application to study their desired course. The seminars explore the variety of degrees available, and how students can reach their goal of becoming a qualified doctor. The programme includes discussions on topics such as: medical ethics and science in medicine, and covers the most up-to-date issues affecting each field, for example vaccine hesitancy and the mental health crisis within the NHS. These discussions are designed to support students with their preparation for answering topic-specific questions at interview. The College draws upon its extensive network of practicing and trainee doctors, vets, and dentists at this stage to give students a detailed insight into what being at medical school and working in a day-to-day healthcare related career is like. During Trinity of Year 12, the same network of professionals is used to find a suitable work experience placement for students, which is a vital aspect of the application. At this stage the year, students are preparing for different
types of interviews through modelled examples and mocks and begin to gain confidence in the entrance tests (BMAT and UCAT) through opportunities to revise the Science content and practising papers.
The Medical Society (MEDSOC) Students hone their leadership and communication skills by becoming a member of the weekly MedSoc Forder Club which is aimed at students in Years 10 to 12. The Club, which is led by a team of Year 12 and 13 students whose leadership is guided by the Head of Science, prepares and delivers a comprehensive programme of discussions on topics such as: • • •
What careers are there in healthcare? What type of person is suited to being a doctor/vet/dentist? Medical ethics and case studies such as Henrietta Lacks.
MedSoc membership provides opportunities to enable students to build a well-rounded and outstanding application, such as First Aid Training and the chance to meet and collaborate with student medics, dentists and vets.
Who is Galen? Our medicine programme is named after the Greek physician Galen, known for his impact on the medical sciences as well as his work on logic and philosophy. A character who demonstrates the breadth of knowledge St Dunstan’s College aids students to emulate.
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Our Competitive Courses Pathways a) Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) Economics students examine two academic books through Year 12 as part of the Advanced Economics Book Club – this furnishes them with the necessary literature references to write about within personal statements. Students take a leading role as editors of the College’s Religion and Theology magazine. Through this, they build the ability to articulate their understanding and opinions of philosophical ideas, which also leads to opportunities for debate. Students undergo the preparations for the TSA (Thinking Skills Assessment), with a rigorous eight-week course led by the College’s Head of Religion, Philosophy and Ethics (RPE). This course teaches how to tackle the problem-solving sections and written tasks within exam papers, culminating with opportunities to complete past papers and receive marked and detailed feedback.
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b) Law The College runs a lively and popular Debating Society which law applicants are expected to lead to practice their public speaking skills, rhetoric, and ability to argue a case. Advice from our trained debating coaches is given throughout. Those hoping to study Law at university are supported in finding work experience via the College’s extensive Alumni network either at a law firm or by way of a court visit. Those students preparing for the LNAT assessment, participate in one-to-one sessions and weekly small group meetings with our Head of History. These sessions go through model answers and give students the opportunity to complete practice papers which are then marked with detailed feedback. Debating Society culminates by running a “moot court” (mock trial) with coaching by alumni lawyers and barristers designed to give students an opportunity to demonstrate what they have learnt.
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c) Engineering Students are guided by a subject expert through a Physics or Engineering project of their choosing. In past projects, students have written Python code for the International Space Design and used the actual data from the Large Hadron Collider to find the Higgs Boson themselves. The Further Physics course begins by covering undergraduate-level aspects of Physics and Engineering; this goes beyond the A Level specification and includes structural mechanics as well as the introduction of calculus into the Physics content. Students begin intensive practice of the Physics Aptitude Test (entrance exam for Oxford Engineering) and ENGAA (Cambridge Engineering entrance exam) led by two teachers who are Cambridge graduates, giving modelling of how to approach the questions. Students also get the chance to complete practice papers and receive marked feedback.
WORK EXPERIENCE During Year 12 Trinity, all students complete a work experience placement. Using our network of Alumni and school contacts, we place students in a professional setting to provide opportunities for them to understand the working environment, build employability skills and enhance future employment and university applications. Placements include GP surgeries, law offices and London hedge funds.
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Our Intensive Preparation Programme Following a one-to-one Personal Statement consultation with the Head of Year 13 at the start of term, all the Futures Pathways support students in the following ways as they begin to complete their application, revise for the November entrance exams, and prepare for the interview process: • Weekly personal statement progress checks • Support from a subject expert teacher • Mock entrance exams • Model interviews • Internal and external mock interviews
Other Competitive Courses Other degree options are catered for on a bespoke basis to ensure the correct structures are in place to enable students to build a confident application, succeed at entrance examinations, and enter interviews confidently.
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Meet Our Aiming High Team Director of Futures
Head of Science
Mr Ben Ford studied Astrophysics at Royal Holloway and began teaching in 2011. He has spoken at the Sunday Times Festival of Education and the International Boys’ School Coalition Conference, most recently speaking about how to prepare students for Oxbridge interviews. He works with state school Physics teachers across the United Kingdom to support their Physics subject knowledge and pedagogy, with a particular interest in cognitive load during practical work.
The Medic, Dentists and Vets programme is co-ordinated by Ms Amy Jordon, the Head of Science who studied Chemistry at the University of Warwick. She has taught Chemistry for over ten years and has taught at St Dunstan’s for three of those. As Chemistry is a compulsory A Level subject for all medics, she is also on hand to support with student’s studies.
Oxbridge Coordinator Oxbridge Coordinator, Mr Tom Scambler, studied Mathematics at the University of Cambridge where he specialised particularly in Geometry, Groups and Analysis. He has taught Mathematics, and occasionally Computer Science, for nearly 10 years, and has taught at St Dunstan’s for five of those, during which time he has run Go Club, Coding Club, Hans Woyda and Maths Masterclass. He is also a member of the Sixth Form team, as a Head of Year.
Deputy Head Academic Mr Holmes studied Medieval and Modern Languages (German and Portuguese) at the Wadham College, Oxford, where he was also a Choral Scholar. During his Year Abroad, Mr Holmes spent time in Angola, Portugal, and Brazil, as well as being employed as an English Language Assistant at a German Grammar School for nine months. After finishing his Oxford degree, Mr Holmes undertook a second BA at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, studying
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Theology and Philosophy as an Exhibitioner Scholar. Mr Holmes has extensive experience mentoring students through the Oxbridge admissions process, and has taught RPE, MFL, and Psychology at St Dunstan’s over the past years.
Sixth Form Tutor Team Through both Year 12 and 13, students have a specialist Sixth Form tutor chosen for their understanding and experience of the UCAS process. This person oversees each student’s progression throughout the application process, and supports the writing of their personal statement and references.
Timeline
Michaelmas
Lent
Trinity
The Academic Union Competitive Pathways Series begins Consultation Week PPE UCAS 1 Event: Law Informing Parents and Engineering Beginning the Application Year 12
Year 13
Our Intensive Preparation Programme • Weekly personal statement progress checks • Support from a subject expert teacher • Mock entrance exams • Model interviews • Internal and external mock interviews
University interviews and support
Entrance Exam Preparations Personal Statement Guidance - HAT - PAT - BMAT - TSA - UKCAT
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