Higher Education and Careers for Advanced Students

Your time at the Castle Sixth Form Centre will pass quickly which means that career planning must keep pace with your academic studies. Most of the careers programme happens during the Lower Sixth year to enable you to complete applications for higher education or employment during the autumn of the Upper Sixth.

January to March Many of you will feel undecided at this early stage of your course; help will be available to enable you to make an effective choice.

May and June During the third term 'Higher Education' is central to the tutorial programme. Answers will be given to questions like:

From May onwards you will spend time on research and consultation. You will be encouraged to make use of one or two carefully selected university open days. The whole year group attends the UCAS conference where they can visit stalls from universities around the country. Visits are arranged to colleges at Oxford and Cambridge.

Throughout the year you may take the opportunity to discuss your personal position with 
the Castle Higher Education Coordinator and the Connexions Service.

All students have unrestricted access to the Careers Library which offers access to a wide range of careers information, reference books, prospectuses for local colleges of further education and all United Kingdom universities. 

Use of computer software programmes like Kudos and Higher Ideas is strongly encouraged, and the newly refurbished Careers Library is equipped with four computers each with internet access. If all goes well, by the end of the summer term you should have two or three serious options in your sights to be the basis of applications as soon as we return from the summer holiday. Then you will be shown how to complete the application procedure online so as to give you the best possible chance of success.