Next Steps Programme

At Chellaston Academy, we pride ourselves on the comprehensive programme of study and support that our Sixth Form students receive.

Every student has one lesson every fortnight, dedicated solely to Next Steps support. These are led by our careers lead, Mrs Shillingford and supported by tutors and other teaching staff. We know that deciding on next steps can be difficult; be it going to university, getting an apprenticeship, or securing employment. These sessions will educate the students as to the options they have, as well as guiding students through the operational processes, skills and knowledge required for their desired pathway, including personal statement writing, interview techniques, how to find and apply for an apprenticeship and UCAS application. All this will be in place so that our students can secure their best future.

We encourage our students to start thinking about their ‘Next Steps’ no later than February half term of Year 12 students. They are presented with the different options available to them when they leave us, such as: university, apprenticeships, degree apprenticeships, gap years, a year in industry and going straight into a job.

Students are given the opportunity to explore the options in depth and compare the pros and cons of each of them. A more in-depth opportunity to explore these options is completed in the summer term, where students are signed up to UCAS, Unifrog and the Government’s Apprenticeship website. Unifrog is a careers platform which combines all aspects of Next Steps and is an excellent resource for both students and parents to use. UCAS is the organisation through which students apply to university.

Oxbridge, Medics, Vets and Dentists

For those students who wish to apply for the most competitive courses, nationally i.e. students wanting to apply to Oxford or Cambridge, or study Medicine, Veterinary Science or Dentistry, we have a bespoke programme of support. This includes, subject specific mentoring through regular meetings, specialised application support with multiple levels of checking, interview training and mock interviews. We also facilitate all entrance exams in a familiar environment.

Ongoing Support

All Year 12 students are taken to the annual UCAS exhibition so they can begin to get an idea of the different Universities and the breadth of courses available to them. We also have a specialist team of UCAS experts who put our students’ applications through an ongoing process of quality assurance to ensure they are of the highest quality.

We ensure that all students are fully supported to the point of starting their next step, even if that changes at the very last minute.

Further Information

You may find the following websites useful when thinking about your Next Steps:

https://www.ucas.com/

https://www.unifrog.org/

https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship