It’s about that time we sit back and reflect on the journey through term 3. This one has been jam packed with tailored support and guidance for our core pupils. During this time, we have had the pleasure of getting to know each of you better, so let’s take a closer look at what we have been up to.
S5
The term started with our Individual Action Plans where 252 of our S5 pupils were invited to attend a 1-1 discussion. This was another opportunity for our core pupils to meet with our team and discuss how we can help them move forward. At LIFT OFF, our job is to support all routes to higher education, so every conversation was completely different! As a team with a diverse background, we love showing pupils the range of possibilities to progressing into college and university.
In some schools, we discussed options for moving into college after S5 to develop interests in specific subject areas. In others, we helped pupils identify requirements for their dream course. This meant we had chats about how to choose S6 subjects to optimise pupils’ HE applications and personal statements. We even had some pupils who applied early and had offers to study at the end of this year both at college and university. The important part is, we were able to have interesting and constructive conversations with each of you!
S4
This continued for our S4 meetings, which started towards the end of the term. Our S4’s this year have been great at engaging with us online and have a curiosity about the options out there for them. Although deciding what steps to take next in S4 can be difficult, we used our Explorers Card to identify current strengths and set goals in 4 main categories: subjects, hobbies, skills and higher education. Doing this, we managed to help 141 pupils link their personal interests to pursuing subjects and courses that they enjoy. Hopefully by now, we have shown you that there are a range of courses for just about everything! Cake eating did you say…
Don’t believe us that there are courses to suit everyone? Remember that our summer residential is fast approaching… yep, you should know what we are talking about by now- LO2S! This an opportunity for our core pupils to experience life as a student at St Andrews University halls of residence and explore multiple colleges and universities around Scotland. The application deadline is one hop away, so don’t miss out.
S6
During this time, we ran our final session in our S6 Transitions Programme. Many of you have had several offers from HE institutions and are working hard to meet the conditions of your offer. It looks like all the hard work that went into your personal statement was worth it! This has also been a time for pupils to reflect on their choices and decide if using a backup option through UCAS Extra and UCAS Clearing will help to build a better pathway for them. Remember that our online resource page is FILLED with information on what to do next, whether that be visiting campuses, speaking to current HE students or getting in some final experience. We know that this time can be daunting so we have put together a helpful guide below –
LIFT OFF’s 5 top tips for transitioning to higher education:
Remember, LIFT OFF is here for you! If you are in S4, S5 or S6 we are always happy to chat about what you are thinking about after school. Now, enjoy the rest of your Easter Break because we will be back in before you know it!
LIFT OFF
