Mock GCSEs

Following Spanish/French/German Speaking and Art/Textiles Mock GCSEs earlier this month, our Year 11 pupils started the main block of their Mock GCSE Exams on Monday 26 November 2018. This is a critical part of the Post 16 journey: the results from these mock exams will heavily influence teacher forecasts and it is these forecasts that pupils will take with them to College and Sixth Form interviews. Pupils will receive their results on Friday 11 January 2019. Read more about the Mock GCSEs...

Open Days and Open Evenings

A busy period of Post 16 Open Evenings and Open Days at various schools and colleges has come to an end and Year 11s should be looking very closely at applications for their chosen institutions. On Friday 16 November 2018, Year 11s had the opportunity to attend a Choices Day at Cirencester College to find out more about a wide variety of courses. Many pupils took the opportunity to try subjects that they were undecided about, in order to aid their decision making and make a more informed choice. Application dates will come around very quickly and most applications can be made online.  Whilst not all Post 16 Providers have finite application deadlines, we advise getting ahead and completing your application sooner rather than later, to ensure the application is processed quickly and you don’t have to worry about it further.

Mock Interviews

In January 2019 each of our Year 11 pupils will be able to take part in a 20 minute Mock Interview with an interviewer from local business or with one of our Governors. Pupils will be creating their CV and covering letter beforehand in their PSHE lessons. Having the opportunity to practise being in a one-to-one interview situation within school is important for our young people, who soon enough will be preparing for real interviews - for college, an apprenticeship or for part-time employment. Pupils are expected to dress smartly on the day of their interview, whether in business attire or smart casual, but they can wear their school uniform if they prefer. Read about Mock Interviews 2018 and Mock Interview 2017.

options Post 16:

All Year 11s have to stay in education or training once they leave Deer Park but there are a variety of ways in which this can be done. For example,

1. A Levels – Two year, full-time, Level 3 qualifications valued by employers and universities. A huge range available at sixth forms and colleges. As a general rule, you need Grade 4s at GCSE for A level.  However, you will need to check the individual course and provider, as different places have different entry grades and some A levels will require higher grades.
2. Vocational Qualifications – Career-focused courses with various entry levels, these combine practical, theory and work experience. You can progress to higher education through Level 3 vocational courses.
3. Apprenticeships – Apprenticeships offer work-based training and are done in partnership with colleges. Longer term, you could consider aiming for a Higher Apprenticeship or Degree Apprenticeship.

Avenues of support:

1. A Careers Advisor is in school each Thursday.  See Mrs Mackew or Mrs Burfoot to make an appointment.
2. Specific staff in school can give advice. Start with Mrs Mackew, Mrs Burfoot and Miss Brace.
3. The Careers section in the PLC has prospectuses for local colleges and sixth forms.
4. Look on the website of the specific schools/colleges/organisations you are interested in.
5. Careerpilot has useful help and advice about Choices at 16 and beyond.

The results of their Mock GCSEs in January 2019 may well be a wake up call to some of our Year 11s, who have not really processed the fact that their most important exams to date start in May 2019, in 6 months from now (end November 2018). Our Class of 2019 are an amazing group of young people and we encourage them to be the best they can possibly be, so that post 16 they have the opportunity to start the process of learning more (whether theoretical or practical or both) and finding a vocation that they really enjoy.