Browne Jacobson are a top 50 law firm with offices all over the UK and revenues of £50million. These two days in the Easter Holidays are going to provide students with a really great insight into how a law firm works and makes money, the different departments they have, and an opportunity to talk with lots of different solicitors.  

Law Virtual Work Experience: 

• Tuesday 6th & Wednesday 7th April, 9am - 4pm each day 
• Partner welcome talk 
• An insight to law, their different departments and areas of work (including non law routes) 
• Breakout rooms with solicitors in talking about different areas of law 
• Workshops & interactive sessions 
• Open to all Y11 & Y12 students

Application Link: 

https://www.research.net/r/Law-WEX

Dear Parents, 

At John Taylor Students in Years 7-11 have access to the online learning platform, Century Tech, which they may have used in some of their core subjects, Maths, English and Science. Students may be more familiar with the Maths side of Century but in the coming months it is hoped more will access the English and Science content too.

Century Tech is used either under the instruction of teachers through targeted set tasks during lessons or for homework, or pupils can work independently at home if they want additional practice. Once on they can work independently on their "nugget" timeline and Century Tech's AI will analyse their work and provide further support and stretch or challenge as they progress.  

During the month of March Century Tech is running a "Spring Challenge" to see which schools use the platform the most. It would be great if pupils want to practice anything independently that they login and have a go at any of the learning nuggets on their timeline. 

Pupils can access Century Tech by going to the website www.century.tech and then selecting the "login with office 365 option" and using their normal JTHS school email and password to access the programme. Attached is a poster promoting the Spring Challenge and also giving some suggestions on what to do.

We will be promoting this in school and we hope students enjoy rising to the Century Spring Challenge!

Kind regards,

Simon Curzon

Director of Numeracy/Senior Leadership Team

We have signed up to a weekly Online Safety Update. This week we have been provided with an information leaflet about TikTok and how families can take steps to keep children and young people safe when using this platform. There is a section within the leaflet that outlines 'Top 10 TikTok Family Safety Tools' which is a really useful read to help parents ensure safety when using this app. 

Capgemini Application Workshop - West Midlands  

• Tuesday 16th March, 4pm - 5:30pm
• Insight to the £20billion Technology & Consulting firm Capgemini 
• If you are interested in Technology and considering a Degree Apprenticeship then this is for you! 
• How to apply / pass Capgemini's selection process (FAST TRACKS for all students on the webinar)
• Open to all Y13 female students 
• Get your questions answered by the recruitment team
• Parents are encouraged to join!
• FREE event (limited places, first come first serve)

Application Link: 

https://www.research.net/r/Capgemini-16-March

We have very limited places (20 spaces) so if interested please book on ASAP to secure your place. All students on the webinar will be given a fast track link to Capgemini's Technology Degree Apprenticeship Program giving you the ultimate head start to your tech career!

Choosing to remain in full-time education can place additional financial pressures on families and individuals, therefore, it is important to make sure that you have explored all sources of funding in addition to student finance.

Many universities will offer scholarships to students that meet certain criteria. All parents and students at John Taylor High School have a login to Unifrog (www.unifrog.org/signin). If you haven't logged in before, you will need to sign in using a form code. The form code for parents is johntaylorparents. If you have logged in previously but have forgotten your password, you will just need to click on the 'forgotten password' link and a new one will be sent to your e-mail address. Alternatively, you can search with your son/daughter using their account.

To search for scholarships:

1. Login to Unifrog.
2. Scroll down to the group of tiles in the 'searching for opportunities' section and select the brown tile named 'special opportunities'. Click 'start'.
3. The first page will include key terminology for this area. Click 'next' at the bottom of the page.
4. Select the location where you live and click 'next'.
5. When you are asked which country you are interested in select the tab for the UK.
6. Under the search by keyword box, select scholarships.
7. Select the tab for (Not tied to a subject) scholarships and subjects related to your area of study. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click 'next'.
8. Select the areas that you want to exclude as you do not meet that criteria e.g. if you are not looking for scholarships linked to a religious affiliation, then click on this tab. You can select more than one tab.
9. You will now be presented with three lists. Select the scholarships that you think your child will meet the criteria for. You can select up to 5 different ones to create a shortlist. Click 'next'.

You will now have a shortlist and will be able to read more detailed information about each scholarship, including how to apply etc.

If students were unable to attend the virtual fair advertised last October, then they will have a further opportunity to attend in March. 

UK University & Apprenticeship Search Fair
Wednesday 17th March | 12pm - 6pm | 100+ Exhibitors
 

With university open days on hold, our UK University & Apprenticeship Search Virtual Fair will be returning on March 17th to help students from Years 10, 11, 12 & 13 explore their post 18 options, with over 100 universities, colleges and apprenticeship providers from across the UK attending. Students will be able to speak directly with admissions teams and recruitment officers from Russell Group, Red Brick, Modern & Specialist universities, along with higher & degree apprenticeship providers. The event will also feature virtual campus tours so students can explore universities from their laptop.

You can view the list of exhibitors who’ve signed up so far here.

10 live webinars on a range of subjects will run throughout the day such as Choosing a Course, Careers & Employability, Degree Apprenticeships and Student Finance.  

Each week our staff are asked to highlight work done by students that they think shows personal excellence, is reflective of our visions and values at JTHS, and is worthy of extra recognition.  In this newsletter each week we'd like to share some of this with you, to celebrate the achievements within our school community and thank our students for all of their efforts.  Please take a few moments to enjoy some of the brilliant pieces of work linked below.  Thank you.

The following students have been awarded a virtual Hot Chocolate with the Head this week - congratulations!

Ruby 7J, Isaac 9O, La'Trell 9O, Abi 12T.

Dear Parents,

As we have previously written to you, the government is running a scheme to temporarily increase data allowances for mobile phone users on certain networks. This is so that our children and young people can access remote education if their face-to-face education is disrupted.

More mobile operators are now offering the scheme and the following networks offer increased mobile data. Children with access to a mobile phone on one of the following networks might be able to benefit:

BT Mobile, iD Mobile, Lycamobile, Three, Smarty, O2, Virgin Mobile, EE, Vodaphone, Tesco Mobile, Sky Mobile

If you wish to apply for this increased data please complete the form which is linked below.

http://bit.ly/JTMATData

This form will then be processed and sent to the mobile operators who will be in contact with the mobile account holder directly.

Kind regards,

The Senior Leadership Team

Year in Industry help place students aged 17+ in Year 13 in top UK companies and organisations every year, including, Rolls-Royce, EDF, Network Rail, Scottish Power and P&G. Typically, the programme lasts between 10-12 months and is a paid placement.

What will be involved?

It is at this time of year where we encourage Year 12 to start to finalise their Post 18 pathway so that they can start preparing to complete their applications. It is an incredibly daunting task and we find that some students can become an ‘ostrich’. They know they have a decision to make but they feel that if they ignore it, it will just go away! These students are usually still trying to choose their pathway in October and November of Year 13 and will often rush to complete an application to university, just because everyone else that they know has chosen this pathway. This can sometimes lead to them choosing the wrong course or institution and sometimes these students will not complete their first year. This causes distress to the students and their parents and is a situation that can be avoided if students engage in the sixth form tutor programme and work with their personal tutor to complete their post 18 application in a timely manner.

Our aim is to empower students to make the right decision for them and to ensure that they are equipped with the knowledge and confidence to make a decision. This process involves teamwork between the student, parents and school. Students need to have the confidence to realise that they can apply for more than one opportunity and make a final decision, once they have received their A Level results.

The purpose of this special edition Newsletter is to replace the calendared Higher Education and Apprenticeship evening which was planned to take place in school on Wednesday, February 24^th before the national lockdown was announced. Please take some time to read the information that has been provided and listen to the videos that staff, ex-students and different organisations have prepared so that you are ready to support your son/daughter with their Post 18 applications. Students will also be supported in school by their tutor who they meet with every morning and for tutor period every other week.

We hope you find this information informative and we welcome any feedback that you may have. Please contact sixthform@jths.co.uk if you have any questions.

What are my options at 18 years old?

Click on the following links to explore all of your options at 18 years old:

• Doing a higher education level course – either full-time, part-time or by distance learning, at a university or a college; 
• Doing an Intermediate, Advanced, Higher or Degree Apprenticeship;
• Getting a job that offers training;
• Doing a vocational course at a Further Education College
• Taking a year out (a gap year)

For further information on your options explore this section of the UCAS site: https://www.ucas.com/what-are-my-options

We have a number of students who have successfully secured apprenticeships in the past and two of these students have agreed to share their experiences with you in the videos below. They will share their journey and provide advice about their experience of the application and selection process.

Elizabeth Hendon - Graduated from a Degree Apprenticeship in Chartered Management at Nestle

Rebecca Shipton - Solicitor Apprentice with CMS Law Firm

An overview of the application process:

Apprenticeships do not have a standard application window. The company offering the apprenticeship will decide when they will recruit. The application process can be a lengthy process as the company wants to make sure that they select the right person for the job as it is a large investment for them. Quite often, you will need to submit an application form, including a covering letter that explains why you are the best person for the role. If you are shortlisted, you may then be asked to complete some online tests. These could be an aptitude test or a psychometric test. Some students have been asked to submit a video presentation or complete an online interview. To help prepare for these tasks, we ask students to film themselves completing an interview. We then ask them to watch themselves and evaluate the interview. The students who practice, improve their competitiveness and have been successful in securing an apprenticeship. The next stage may involve an Assessment Centre. Please see the separate article on Assessment Centres. The final stage will often involve a final interview with the manager of a particular department.

For advice about how to prepare for an apprenticeship interview, please click here

How to search for an Apprenticeship:

The Government Apprenticeship Search Website:

We encourage students to register and create an account at https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship so that they can receive notifications about apprenticeships that match their selection criteria.

Using Unifrog

Unifrog is a fantastic resource that all of our students and parents have access to. If you haven’t logged in before you will need to sign in using a form code. The form code for parents is johntaylorparents. If you have signed in before and you have forgotten your password, you can just select reset password and it will send you a link.

Some of our students will tell us that there aren’t many apprenticeships in the area that they want to progress in to and we always advise them to look at all opportunities available first so that they can then disregard the opportunities that do not interest them. This is because students are only used to selecting subjects and not business areas. Students do not have the experience to know what logistics entails or what a Chartered Management apprenticeship involves, therefore, by researching all opportunities within the local area, this provides them with an opportunity to find out more about apprenticeships that they wouldn’t have even given a chance beforehand.

To show you how easy Unifrog is to use to search for apprenticeships, please watch the video below:

Looking on company websites and registering an interest:

Many companies have a dedicated site for vacancies and will provide information about their Apprenticeship programmes. If an application window is not open, quite often you can register your interest and receive alert e-mails when the company does start recruiting again.

https://www.nestleacademy.co.uk/

https://www.pwc.co.uk/careers.html

To support students in choosing subjects to study in the future we have a full set of subject guides in our LRC on a short-term loan basis. Free electronic versions can also be accessed for this week only for Business, Chemistry, Computer Science, English, History, Languages, Physics and Sociology. To view a free subject guide electronically please click here

Maintenance Apprenticeships with our Partner Companies

Are you passionate about engineering, technology and getting hands on?

A range of local firms are looking for Maintenance Apprentices to work as part of their business.

Our partner company apprenticeships mean you will be employed from the beginning by an engineering firm ('home company') but your training will take place within our Apprentice Development Centre, on-site at Toyota UK, learning from the best in the industry. Find out more about the firms you could be working for below!

For the first two years of the apprenticeship, you will mainly train at Toyota with some placement weeks within your home company.

The final two years you will be mainly based at your home company with some occasional training at Toyota.

To be eligible to apply you must possess or be anticipating a minimum of 4 GCSE passes at grade 4/C or above, including Maths, Science and English.

For more information about the scheme, take a look at the 'What will I do?' and 'FAQ's' sections.

For further information please click here

Please click here to explore a vast range of videos that introduce you to the different courses that you can study at university.

All students have access to the careers platform called Unifrog and therefore, they can use the search facilities to search for courses that they are likely to meet the entry requirements for based on their projected grades. Watch the video below to learn how to do this.

All students applying to university will apply through UCAS (University and Colleges Admissions Service) to visit their website click here. They will complete an application form which will include a personal statement.

Students are supported in completing their application form as they are provided with screenshots for each section:

UCAS_Instructions_2020_ScreenShots.pdf

Miss Greenhough has recorded two videos to provide an insight into writing a competitive personal statement:

Students have been provided with the following to support them when writing their personal statement:

Writing_your_Personal_Statement.pdf

Sussex_University_personal_statement_writing_guide_1_.pdf

The Sixth Form team have a proven track record for supporting students in applying to both the University of Cambridge and Oxford in a range of subjects. However, we also recognise that students who submit the most competitive applications have fully engaged in additional academic activities lower down in the school and have an excellent set of GCSE results.

In order to continue to support these students we usually take them to an Oxbridge conference in March, however, this year this will be a virtual conference. All students who have expressed an interest in finding out more about Oxbridge applications have been sent an invite to register for this event. 

Admission is FREE but by ticket only and all bookings should be made online.

How to book

Tickets to attend the virtual conferences are free but you do need to register in advance for an e-ticket. Students and teachers can book themselves on to the conferences.

To book your place, please complete the online booking form.

The conference offers:

• Webinars on applying to Oxford and Cambridge (including Student Experience)
• Opportunities to chat live with course academics and current undergraduate students
• Videos of current undergraduate students from your region talking about their experiences of applying, settling into life at both Universities and their course of study

The conferences aim is for students to have the opportunity to gain a deeper insight into what living and studying at Oxford and Cambridge is like, an understanding of how both universities assess applications and the opportunity to ask any questions they may have.

Agenda

Mr Sears has produced a presentation to support students and parents who are thinking of applying to these institutions:

Other sources of information about applications and admissions tests:

https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying

https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate 

https://www.admissionstesting.org/for-test-takers/oxford-tests/

https://www.admissionstesting.org/