The Flagpole

Work Experience Placements at Princethorpe College, as part of our Careers programme, take place at the end of Year 11.  We believe that all pupils can gain immeasurable benefits from their placements; not only can a good placement teach a pupil a lot about an area of work that he or she may be interested in, but it can also develop communication skills, self-confidence, initiative and teamwork.

Many thanks to all Year 11 parents for helping your son/daughter to find a work placement. These can be done at any time after the last GCSE exams, at any point in the summer holidays to fit in with family plans. We normally expect at least one week, although historically we have had many undertake more than this, often in more than one placement. Such experience is invaluable for considering a future career path, getting used to the world of work, and for references.

So that I can complete the necessary paperwork, possible references and so on, I'd be grateful if you could you let me know the company name and contact details, for the placement(s) you have arranged either by return of the slip attached to the letter sent to you in June, or by email to me at miketaylor@princethorpe.co.uk.

If you need a hard copy of the original letter, please could you ask your son or daughter to ask me for one at school.

Mike Taylor
Work Experience Co-ordinator

This is a busy time for students who should be preparing for making their university applications next term. We have lots of events to support them before the end of term.

Thursday 27 June – Interview Practice Day – Students will be interviewed by one of 14 business people attending the College during the morning to put them through their paces and give them a realistic work-style interview.

Monday 1 July – UCAS Day – a day full of useful talks and workshops to get students started writing their personal statements and getting registered with UCAS.

Students should also be using Unifrog to search for university courses, create shortlists and record their key competencies in readiness for making applications to UCAS next term. All students will be offered a one-to-one meeting with me this term and then myself and the Sixth Form team will guide them through the process of application. Further advice on personal statements will follow after exam week but they can be started at any time – drafts should be written in the Personal Statement tool in Unifrog.

Tips:
• Open Days are mostly in June and July – these should be booked now.
• Make sure you follow the link on Unifrog shortlists to the course pages and check the details of the courses – not all courses are the same.
• Check out the Careers, Subject and Know-how libraries on Unifrog for information on different careers, help with choosing which subject to study and a wealth of videos on various aspects of the process.
• The UCAS website is also a wealth of information and has a specific page for parents.  Click here to access it. 
• Any parents who wish to use Unifrog themselves can set up their own login by visiting the site here and entering the Form Code ‘princethorpeparent’.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me by email.

Jacqui Quinney
Head of Careers and UCAS Co-ordinator