Our Year 12 students enjoyed an engaging and inspiring Futures Week, designed to help them explore the wide range of opportunities available after Sixth Form. Through workshops, university visits, virtual work experience and a team-building challenge, students gained valuable insight into higher education, apprenticeships and future careers.

The week began with a carousel of workshops focusing on post-18 pathways. Students received guidance on choosing the right university, explored apprenticeship opportunities and were supported in setting up their UCAS application accounts. Guest speakers from careers including Finance, Law, Psychology and Medicine also shared their personal journeys and advice.

"We got the exciting opportunity to meet a Medicine student, who spoke about his journey into medicine. He gave us advice on preparing for the UCAT admissions test, shared practice resources and talked honestly about his experiences, hardships and achievements. It was very inspiring." - Jelena (12GP) reflected on the Medicine session

On Tuesday, students visited Aston University for a taster day, where they attended subject sessions and toured the campus.

"The experience gave us a realistic understanding of university life through a sample lecture and campus tour. It has helped me make more informed decisions about my future studies after Sixth Form." - Hesanya (12PI)

Wednesday saw students complete virtual work experience with a range of employers. This allowed them to develop workplace skills while exploring careers from school.

"The experience gave me a better understanding of the world of work, strengthened my personal statement and helped me develop transferable skills including teamwork, creativity and problem-solving." - Inaam (12SM)

The second university visit took place on Thursday at Brunel University London, where students met current undergraduates, explored the campus and attended academic sessions.

"The student ambassadors were friendly and answered all our questions. I particularly enjoyed the maths talk, which was engaging and interesting. Overall, it was a great experience." - Arian (12TI)

The week concluded with a Monopoly Challenge across Central London, where teams navigated the city to complete creative photo challenges at famous landmarks.

"It was a standout highlight of the term. The challenge required quick thinking, teamwork and creativity, and it was the perfect way to end Futures Week after our mock exams." - Jasmin (12SM)

Following Futures Week, students interested in applying for Medicine, Dentistry and Oxbridge attended a specialist guidance event at Bentley Wood High School.

"We met medical students, doctors and Oxbridge admissions staff, who gave us valuable advice on personal statements, admissions tests and preparing strong applications." - Jelena (12GP)

Futures Week gave our Year 12 students an invaluable opportunity to explore their future options, hear from professionals and university students, and develop the confidence and knowledge to take their next steps beyond Sixth Form.