6th Form Careers Guidance

Higher Education

JCoSS offers a comprehensive Higher Education preparation programme. During their time in the 6th Form, students have opportunities to visit universities or other HE institutions and meet representatives from them, either via their visits to the school and by attending UCAS events.

All Higher Education (HE) applications are submitted through UCAS (University Colleges and Admissions Service – www.ucas.com).  The 6th form and Careers teams work with each student to help them with their applications, choices and personal statements. Students are invited to email the Careers Advisers to make an appointment to discuss their plans.

The ‘JCoSS Scholars’ programme supports students considering applying for Oxbridge or Cambridge, Medicine, Veterinary Science and Dentistry as well as allied health professions. It features intensive reading beyond the curriculum and preparation for aptitude tests, personal statements and interviews.

Our annual Higher Education Day includes presentations on Jewish life at university, student finance, how to choose your university, degree apprenticeships, writing a personal statement, the application process and employability. There is also an associated Parents Information Evening.

Participating institutions from recent years have commented:

‘I am continually impressed by the students; each person is clearly unafraid to be their own individual selves and to follow their own interests… attentive and engaged, but also happy to have fun and greet things with a laugh and smile when appropriate. Ambitions tend to be high and I have left JCOSS with the impression that students there will go on to a variety of fantastic things.’

I have always had a great experience. The students are incredibly engaged asking great questions and ensuring they make the most of the session. The staff really care about their students and this always comes across in my visits. JCoSS have a range of activities to support their students which ensures they have the information they need to make an informed decision about their future.

Students also attend the UCAS Higher Education Convention where over 100 UK universities are represented.  In addition there are a variety of opportunities to attend subject specific insight and taster days. We encourage students to visit many different institutions to ensure they make informed decisions.

Students have access to Higher Ideas, a careers database and can research programmes online. There are also hard copies of University prospectus and university guides available in the Careers Room.

The JCoSS 6th Form team ensures all students and parents are fully aware of the financial support available.  We ensure students apply appropriately and are available to assist with this process. We also work with a number of Jewish Community organisations that offer bursaries and funding for students. For more information, please see the student loans company website www.slc.co.uk

Gap Years

We run a Gap Year Fair for Year 12 with providers from a range of areas including Raleigh International, Net2work, White Hat and many of the Jewish youth movements. Testimonials include:

We visit lots of schools all across London, and the ones that stand out are the ones where students come up to us and ask us thought provoking questions – and we got just that. A very inquisitive bunch! The students asked us questions about the benefits of doing an apprenticeship and how this compared to the traditional university route… one student in particular was proactive enough to ask for work experience too. Thanks for having us.

 It’s always a pleasure to visit JCoSS… The students I spoke with were always polite, engaged and eager to discover more about our impactful and adventurous Expeditions. More importantly, they were all open to the possibility of doing something different. That makes my job a joy because I know that all it takes is one conversation to trigger a drastic change. And that’s exciting!

 Destinations 

The Class of 2017 was our first full-size graduating cohort since opening in 2010. Many students achieved their first choice university, apprenticeship or employment.  Destinations included:

  • 2 to Cambridge to study Philosophy and Natural Sciences
  • 1 to Veterinary Science at University of Liverpool
  • 5 to study Medicine
  • 1 to study Dentistry
  • Over 40 to Russell Group universities including Sussex and Loughborough
  • Over 25 to other universities including three to Ravensbourne
  • 3 joined the Israel Defence Forces (IDF)
  • 10 choose Apprenticeships, Gap Years or employment

 
Information on other aspects of our comprehensive Careers provision can be found here .