The Aspire Programme at Worthing College
www.worthing.ac.uk
The Aspire Programme What is the Aspire Programme? The Aspire Programme offers additional support and guidance to high achieving students at Worthing College who are aiming to secure places at the more competitive universities and/ or on highly competitive courses.
Who is the Aspire Programme for? Students who have achieved at least 5 grade 7s at GCSE are invited to join the programme. Other students are welcome to attend Aspire events if they are interested.
Why do high-achieving students need something extra? Entry to competitive university courses often requires more than just good A Levels. The Aspire Programme helps students strengthen their applications by getting involved in opportunities such as university summer schools and masterclasses.
Which universities are more competitive? The most competitive universities in the country include the “Russell Group” of universities such as Exeter, Bristol and Nottingham. More locally Sussex and Southampton Universities are very competitive. All of these universities require high grades for entry to all their courses. In addition certain courses at particular universities are very competitive because of the large number of applicants and limited number of places – for example, Primary Teaching and Nursing at Brighton University.
What does the Aspire Programme involve? All Aspire students attend lunchtime enrichment talks once a month on topics such as “Serendipity in drug discovery” or “Does it matter if you don’t vote?” These talks aim to broaden students’ horizons and introduce them to ideas beyond their A Level courses. Many of the speakers are experts in admissions or undergraduate courses in their university. These sessions are the first point of contact for our Aspire students to get to know the Aspire Coordinator and the range of support and activities available at Worthing College. In addition students have access to a wide range of enrichment activities including: • The chance to attend Sutton Trust summer schools at Russell Group universities. • Evening lectures at Sussex University on topics such as “Biomedical anthropology in health care” and “New approaches to World War One”. • The chance to complete Nuffield Science projects at the end of Year 12. • The chance to attend masterclasses at competitive universities. • Debating clubs and competitions. • Epsom Downs Oxbridge Conference in March. • Sussex Higher Education Convention - meet representatives from over 100 different HE institutions. • Undergraduate shadowing schemes at Oxbridge colleges. • Universities conferences.
What support is available with university applications? Throughout Year 12 Support in making the right choices through Aspire sessions, one to one advice and excellent careers resources. March - July Year 12 The Early Applicants Support Group provides a tailored programme for potential early applicants - essential for Oxford, Cambridge, Medicine, Veterinary Science and Dentistry, advantageous for all competitive courses at many universities. August - October Year 13 Support in completing high quality applications e.g. one to one advice about personal statements. November - December Year 13 Support in preparing for entrance tests e.g. BMAT for Medicine or LNAT for Law. Practice interviews.
Additional Qualifications Some students may wish to obtain an additional qualification to support their main A Level choices. In Year 13 many students complete an Extended Project on a topic of their choice. This is a well-respected qualification worth half an A Level which universities believe helps students to demonstrate advanced research skills and prepares them for higher education. In Year 12 a small group of the most able students will be invited to join the Competitive Universities Preparation Programme (CUPP) which leads to either the Cambridge Pre-U Global Perspectives or an early Extended Project. This requires an extra 4 hours per week of timetabled lessons in Year 12. It is taken as a 4th or occasionally 5th subject. Students examine real world issues, developing their critical, research and problem-solving skills, which prepares them for exactly the sort of challenges they will face at university.
Why do students benefit from studying these courses? Universities have to select the best students from a field of people with three high A Level grades. The EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) and Pre-U allow our students to stand out during application and at interview. Students applying for more competitive courses including medicine, nursing, law, teaching, dentistry and veterinary science will need to attend an interview, as will those applying to Oxford and Cambridge. They are frequently asked about material beyond A Level, which they have researched for their EPQ or IRR.
What do students say about the Aspire Programme? “I really enjoyed the university talks especially finding out what to expect. Even though I didn’t apply to Oxford or Cambridge it was still helpful. I attended the Sussex University lecture on energy futures – I’m a history student so this is completely outside my subject but it was good to see what a university lecture is like.” Chandler “Listening to the Oxford and Cambridge visitors gave me a real insight into the applications process for Russell Group universities. The Aspire talks were really interesting and it was nice being in a group of similar people.” Olivia
“Aspire gives you a head start thinking about universities.” Alba “The support provided by the early applicant and Aspire Programme led to me being interviewed at Cambridge University, and being prepared for the interview. Through the Aspire Programme I attended a Sutton Trust Summer School which gave me a taste of university life, and the confidence required to apply to prestigious universities.” James