UPPER SIXTH LEAVERS INFO

CONTENTS

• Upper sixth ‘leaving’ process 2024

  Upper sixth students have their last timetabled lesson on Friday 24th May. Once you have completed your exams, coursework and assessment opportunities, you will be marked as officially completing your courses at Blackpool Sixth. 

  Some students studying BTEC/CTEC courses only, and where there are no externally assessed (e.g. exams) units, may complete their studies in these subjects a little earlier if they do not require an opportunity to resubmit or retake their final assignments. In this case, once your Head(s) of Department have confirmed completion of all work and assessment opportunities, you will be marked as officially completing your courses at Blackpool Sixth.

  Please be assured that you will still be able to communicate with your teachers, Progress Mentor and support staff via your college email during your summer exams and after completing your courses. You will also continue to have access to all of your Google accounts throughout the exam season and summer, so you can continue to learn and prepare for your next steps.

• Exams

  Summer exam timetables were sent to students’ college email address on Wednesday 8th May 2024. The timetable is also available on the student portal.

  Important reminders:

  • Be punctual & plan your journey to college – any late start is disruptive to you and other students who may already be feeling anxious
  • This is the only time the exam takes place – it isn’t possible to do the exam at another time. These exams are scheduled nationally and have to take place at the same time to protect the integrity and security of the exam
  • Go to the toilet beforehand – your exam timetable will provide the duration of the exam. Avoid disturbance during the exam itself
  • Remember your college membership card – you will need this to enter the exam venue. Upon your last exam you will have the opportunity to return your college membership card as you leave the venue
  • Leave any valuables at home – a safe space will be provided to leave your belongings, however this will not be monitored at all times. Bring a bag to place any needed belongings inside. No electronic devices or watches are permitted in the exam venue and will have to be turned off and placed in your bag
  • Wear appropriate clothing – outerwear (e.g coats) are not permitted in the exam venue. Consider this, alongside the temperature, when planning what to wear to your exam
  • Only water is allowed – labels must be removed from the water bottle
  • Be respectful of your peers – once you enter the exam venue talking is not permitted. Exams may still be ongoing for other students
• Results day

  Results will be available via student portal and college email at 8am on the following days:

  • Thursday 15th August – A level and level 3 vocational qualifications
  • Thursday 22nd August – GCSEs

  Celebrate your fantastic achievements during your time at Blackpool Sixth!

  We encourage students to come into college on Results Day to celebrate their achievements with their friends, family and college staff. On the day there will be a range of opportunities e.g being photographed and filmed to recognise their achievements – more details to follow. We are also looking to interview some parents/carers about their experiences of Blackpool Sixth. If you would be interested in this please email marketing@blackpoolsixth.ac.uk

  To add to this we will be having a social media takeover on Thursday 15th and Friday 16th August dedicated to the wonderful successes of our students. We would encourage you to get involved by tagging us in your stories @blackpoolsixth, using the hashtag #B6Results, sending us a DM on Instagram or Facebook or emailing: marketing@blackpoolsixth.ac.uk with your photos and results.

  Advice & guidance on Results Day

  Advice and guidance about next steps will be available in college on Results Day from the progress mentor team. This will be in The Link, on the main ground floor corridor, where a student can speak to their progress mentor or any member of the team. Should a student decide not to come into college on Results Day, then advice and guidance will also be available remotely via phone call.

  A form to request advice and guidance will be included in the email students receive on results day. All students who require advice and guidance are asked to complete this request form. Completion of the form will enter the student into a virtual queue and their progress mentor, or another member of the progress team, will make contact with them as soon as possible. This could be to provide advice and guidance over the phone, or confirm a time for the student to come to The Link for a face to face meeting if this is preferred. 

  You will also receive a Google form with your results slip to confirm your next steps after college, please complete this as soon as you can.

• Advice and guidance on next steps

  Please see below for further information about each scenario.

  1. You have applied through UCAS
  2. You decide to apply for university after receiving your results
  3. You are looking for an apprenticeship or employment with training
  4. You are thinking of taking a gap year
  5. You are still unsure

  1) You have applied through UCAS 

  In addition to your results being on the student portal, UCAS Track will also update at 8am and you will be in one of the positions below.

  a) You are accepted by your firm or insurance choice

  If you are accepted by your firm or insurance choice then you do not have to do anything. UCAS will send a confirmation letter, which will also be available on your UCAS track. This letter confirms that you will be attending your chosen university or college. The university or college will contact you with any further information.

  b) You receive a ‘changed course’ offer

  If you receive a changed course offer, it means that your firm or insurance university or college has been unable to confirm your place on the course you applied for because you have not met the original conditions, but that they are willing to make an alternative offer. You can reply to a changed course offer in UCAS Track and you will have five days to reply. After five days, the offer will be declined automatically. 

  Please make sure the changed course offer is what you want before accepting – there may be better options through Clearing!

  c) You are not holding any offers

  Don’t panic if you don’t get the grades you had hoped for. Your firm or insurance choice may allow you to drop a grade or two so make sure you log in to UCAS and check your status. 

  If you are declined by your firm and insurance choice, you will be entered into Clearing automatically. Check UCAS Track to see if you’re eligible to use Clearing. If you are eligible for Clearing an ‘Add Clearing Choice’ button will appear on your UCAS Track ‘choices’ screen on results day.

  The Clearing Plus service on UCAS will match unplaced applicants to relevant courses with vacancies. 

  A button will appear in your application – ‘My matches’. This will take you to your top 50 course matches. You’ll then be able to tell universities and colleges you’re ‘interested’ in their courses. If they still have vacancies and you meet their entry requirements, they may call you.

  Don’t worry, if you want to apply for something different you can still find courses manually using the UCAS search tool.

  How Clearing works

  Feel free to approach as many universities and colleges as you wish during Clearing. Don’t feel that you have to accept the first verbal offer that you receive. Make sure that the university or college and course are right for you before you accept a place.

  • Check for courses with places available – look at your Clearing Plus matches and/or search manually using the UCAS search tool. You don’t have to stick to the subject choices you made originally – there may be other areas that might suit you better.

  • Contact universities and colleges that interest you about the possibility of gaining a place through Clearing. If you declined an offer from a university or college earlier in the year you can contact them again to see if they will accept you in Clearing, either for the same course or any other related course. When you contact a university or college they will ask for your Clearing Number (displayed on the UCAS Track welcome page). They can then view your complete application immediately on the secure online system.
  • Find out more about a university or college  – use the website and potentially visit the university to find out more including key information like accommodation, social opportunities and lifestyle.
  • Add Clearing choices on UCAS Track – If a university or college provisionally offers you a place in Clearing, they will give you a date by which you must enter their course details on UCAS Track. If you want to be formally considered, you need to click on your ‘Add Clearing choice’ button and enter the institution and course details. This can only be added after 2pm on results day. You can only enter details for one choice at a time so only enter a Clearing choice if the university or college has provisionally offered you a place on the course and you want to accept it. 
  • UCAS will let the university or college know that you have entered their details on UCAS Track. If the university or college accepts you, the acceptance will be displayed in the ‘choices’ section of UCAS Track and UCAS will send you a letter to let you know your place is confirmed. 
  • If you are not accepted, the ‘add Clearing choice’ link in UCAS Track will be reactivated so that you can apply to another choice in Clearing.

  d) You have exceeded the grades you expected and want to consider other universities

  If you exceed the conditions of your firm choice, you may want to consider using clearing, as described above, to look at alternative university vacancies. Contact your Progress Mentor for further support and advice. Please be aware that using clearing requires you to hold no university offers. As a result, you would have to decline the offer you currently hold.

  (Please be aware that in previous years, this process was called  ‘adjustment’, but now forms part of the clearing process).

  2) You decide to apply for university after receiving your results

  If you have not applied for university but after getting your results you would now like to do so, then you can still make an application using the online UCAS Apply system. Make contact with your Progress Mentor for further guidance if you wish to do this.

  3) You are looking for an apprenticeship or employment with training

  For apprenticeships a good starting point is www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship. Use this site to search for vacancies and apply for apprenticeships. Create an account so you can get text alerts about new apprenticeships, make applications and track the progress of applications. The same can be done for employment opportunities via a vacancy search tool such as uk.indeed.com.

  The Platform is another useful service. The service is for 16 to 24 year olds who need help in finding a job or accessing training. A team of friendly employment advisers will work with you to ensure that you get support with things like CV writing, interview techniques and linking in with local job opportunities. https://www.blackpool.gov.uk/Residents/Advice-and-support/Job-support/The-Platform.aspx

  Remember, our trained careers advisors (Futures Team) are also here to help. They can be contacted via email: futures@blackpoolsixth.ac.uk. The Futures Team Google site also has lots of useful advice and information. 

  If you have not already done so, prepare a CV to use in your applications. The Futures Team are available to help with CV writing, applications and developing effective interview skills. 

  4) You are thinking of taking a gap year

  Taking a gap year can be beneficial, certainly in terms of the experiences gained. It is a great way to develop skills so you stand out from the crowd when making future applications. 

  However, you’ll need to make sure it’s the right choice for you – if you don’t plan or actively take part in anything during your gap year, it will be hard to justify the unexpected gap on your CV to future employers.

  The UCAS  and Prospects websites give more information about the pros and cons of taking a gap year as well as ideas on how you can best use a gap year.

  Keep in touch with college throughout your gap year. The progress and Futures teams will be happy to support you with any UCAS, apprenticeship, or employment applications to commence following your gap year.

  5) Unsure

  Contact your Progress Mentor or Futures for further advice and guidance

  The DfE’s Exam Results Helpline will be open from results day. The helpline (0808 100 8000) is managed by around 40 careers advisers, ready to speak with students who’ve just received their results and who want to discuss their options.