Request a CPD session at your school or college

Introducing Advancing Access

In this session we will introduce the Advancing Access project and explain how teachers and advisers can make the most of our free website, online events and in-person conferences. We will showcase the resources available and describe how they can be used to support staff development in schools and colleges. This session works best when tagged on to other sessions on the menu. 
(suggested time 20 minutes).

Supporting students to make choices at age 16

Teachers and advisers will learn about the wide range of options available at age 16 and how to support students to make qualification and subject choices for the future. Topics covered will include:
- Considering how students' Level 2 qualifications might influence their choices
- Understanding the range of qualification types on offer and the pros and cons of academic versus vocational or technical qualifications
- Discussion of T Levels, their suitability for university progression and planned reforms of technical and vocational qualifications
- Appropriate A level subject choice
- How Russell Group universities treat different qualifications, including Core Maths and the Extended Project Qualification
- The best resources which teachers and students can use for further support (suggested time 1 hour).

Supporting students to make choices at age 18

This session will focus on supporting teachers and advisers to help their students to make higher education choices. Participants will be encouraged to consider the best support for students deciding on a suitable degree subject by thinking about career ambitions or pursuing areas of academic interest. Resources which enable students to consider appropriate qualification choices for different courses will be demonstrated. The session will also look at types of university course, including sandwich courses and degree apprenticeships as well as the differences between more and less selective universities (suggested time 1 hour).

Supporting students to write personal statements

This session will enable teachers and advisers to effectively support students with the UCAS personal statement writing process. The session will look at some the basics of structuring statements and will also examine some of the academic research which has been carried out to establish the characteristics of the most successful statements. Participants will learn how personal statements are used by universities in the decision making process and will be shown how they can make sure their students have the competitive edge. Examples of more and less effective statements will be provided and these will be compared and contrasted (suggested time 1 hour).

Writing effective UCAS references

New session available from May 2023 - UCAS has recently changed the reference writing process. Instead of submitting a single piece of prose, referees must now provide responses in three different sections. In this CPD session you will learn how to write references in the new format and will gain insights into what more selective universities in particular are looking for from the new reference (suggested time 1 hour).

Understanding contextual admissions processes

This session begins by providing an overview of the current Widening Participation agenda within Higher Education. The session then goes on to cover the details of contextual admissions policies which are designed to enable students from a wider range of different backgrounds to progress to university. Participants will learn how contextual admissions processes work, the sorts of factors which are considered to be 'contextual' and how students can best be supported through the process. The session has been recently updated to reflect new questions which are being asked in the UCAS application for those entering HE from 2023 onwards  (suggested time 45 minutes).

Preparing students for interviews and admissions tests

This session will cover some of the additional admissions tests which some universities and courses require. Participants will learn more about the tests, will try example questions and will be encouraged to think about how they can best support their students to succeed. The session will also look at how teachers and advisers can best prepare students for a university interview should they be invited to one. Guidance will be offered on supporting students for different types of interview, such as medicine interviews or Oxbridge interviews (suggested time 1 hour).

Supporting students through Clearing

This session supports teachers and advisers to guide their students through the Clearing process. Participants will learn more about what Clearing is and the different situations where Clearing might be used by students. The session covers ways to support students on results day and beyond. Participants will also learn how applicants can find Clearing vacancies on the phone and online, release themselves into Clearing if necessary and also use Clearing to find a course with higher entry requirements if they have done better in their exams than expected (suggested time 30 minutes).  

Bespoke sessions

Should you require a session which is not on our list, please don't hesitate to contact us to discuss your requirements. Where we have the necessary expertise, we are usually more than happy to accommodate your request.

If you would like to request one or more of our CPD sessions for your staff, please fill in the form below and we will be in touch to try and arrange this for you.

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