Year 13 Preparation for moving on

We know that many of you will have already started doing many positive activities in advance of moving on to the next phase of your life. I have put together the following list of potential activities as a useful checklist of things that you might like to do. Keep in mind the following question:

When you’re in a job interview in the future and they ask you: “Ah, so you were in the class of 2020 when the exams were cancelled, what did you do in those five months you had?”

ACADEMIC PREPARATION FOR UNIVERSITY

For those of you hoping to go to university in Autumn 2020 then the following would be useful things to be considering so that you can make the best possible start:

1. Hone in on your skills in the relevant A Levels - this is particularly important if you are looking to study a course that directly builds on A Level knowledge.
2. Get the course reading list - hopefully the university will have already made this available to you, otherwise you may need to look online or email the department.
3. Look at the HE+ website which has resources for each subject.
4. Do a MOOC - consider doing either something subject specific (use Futurelearn or unifrog directory) or the following general course from UEA - Preparation for University MOOC.
5. Brush up on your independent study skills so crucial at university using the UCAS Study Skills Guides.

BROADER PREPARATION FOR UNIVERSITY

Mentally preparing yourself Student Minds have produced two excellent guides that help you to navigate the transition to university life: Know before you go Transitions - just google.

Student Finance 2020 entry applicants can start applying for student finance now at Student finance: how to apply. Find out everything you need to know at the UCAS student finance hub, SFE Student Finance Zone or Ed Flack’s Wize Up guide to Student Finance. I added these to google classroom also for you.

Accommodation Ensure that you have applied for accommodation for your Firm choice university. Some advice from UCAS can be found on their website. For some further thoughts on the accommodation options available to you then read the guide from Prospects: What you need to know about student accommodation. Again this can be googled.

Get to know the Clearing process If you feel that your grades are likely to be below those required by your university offers it might be a good use of your time to make sure you understand the process around Clearing. Make a list of potential courses and unis that you'd like to consider etc. UCAS: What is Clearing? Advice from the UniGuide: UCAS Clearing: Your survival guide.

*If you’re considering a drastic change of plans then please remember that you can always contact your tutor to discuss.

PERSONAL IMPROVEMENT

Your Character The resource below has been produced by the University of Birmingham’s Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues. Google - Character Activities from Jubilee Centre

EtonX course

1. Visit the EtonX website and click Sign up.
2. Choose Sign up as a student
3. Follow the on-screen instructions. Please sign up with your school email address.
4. Congratulations! You can now get started on a number of courses, including research skills, writing skills, confidence, resilience etc. If you face any issues during sign up or have any questions, please contact etonxoffer@etoncollege.org.uk.

Science of Well-being from Yale -This is Yale's most popular class ever and it is available free online. The topic is how to be happier in your daily life and can be found on google.

Personal Finances Set up a Student Bank Account - advice from Ed Flack can be found on google. Budgeting is a key aspect to successfully managing the money that you will have available to you. There is some excellent advice on this through bank websites such as Natwest.

Improve your Cookery Skills Now is a great time to practise in the kitchen so that you are confident at being able to cook a number of meals. You could also use the time to compile some of the best recipes from your family. I did this before going to university and still use it to this day for Flapjacks, Chilli and various other key staple meals.

Fun stuff - learn new skills it’s been great to hear the positive things that people have been using their time to do: learning a language, coding, musical instrument etc. KEEP THESE GOING! I realise that there are loads of these lists around at the moment, however I really like this one as it's a bit different. Number 16 (learn to whistle properly) is a particular favourite :->. I’d also highly recommend learning basic first aid (3), self-defence (19) and how to shuffle cards(4)! 20 New Skills You Can Learn From Home In Less Than Three Weeks

COMMUNITY

Legacy Project 2020 - develop resources for future generations at ACS Help out with any of the projects to create resources for future Abbeywood students such as Uni course advice for Y12s, or any other material that you wish you knew at the start of the year. Create an online assembly to be played year or year/ an introduction to post 16?

Supporting your local community There are lots of local volunteer groups available on social media to help the vulnerable during this uncertain time.

Create a Yearbook profile between you all. You could add photos and get someone to collate the information and store electronically for all to see.

Whatever your plans, stay active and stay safe and know that just because you are not in Abbeywood school does not mean that we are not here for you.

Stay safe and best wishes 

Mrs Shafto