University and Careers Support

The two years of the Sixth Form at King’s are inevitably over all too quickly and, almost from day one, students’ eyes are opened to the myriad opportunities in their life beyond school.

Most of our King’s Worcester Sixth Form Pupils proceed to higher education when they leave King’s, with 83% of our students gaining places at their top choice universities.

Most Popular University Destinations 2023

Our careers team, which includes our Careers Lead, Careers advisors, Head of UCAS applications and specialist medical, Oxbridge and international applications leads, along with our Head of Sixth Form and House Tutors are all on hand to offer advice and guide to students throughout the application process.

University Preparation

Not only will Sixth Form students will have access to Unifrog, an online platform which is an excellent portal and resource which seamlessly links with UCAS and other provider application services, but students also have support through a programme of events, workshops and talks to ensure that you’re aware of the range of opportunities beyond school.

Dedicated Application Specialists

Head of Medical Applications: Mrs Sears

The Medical Society provides continuous support for all those applying for careers in Healthcare, be they Medics, Vets, Dentists or Nurses. We provide UCAT/BMAT coaching, and comprehensive guidance on getting into a medical career from selecting the right universities for each individual through to UCAS personal statements, work experience placements and prep for interviews. We deliver one-to-one sessions as well as weekly groups to explain and guide through each stage of the process.

Head of International Applications: Mrs Shearburn

The Head of International Applications offers guidance and support for students when making applications to overseas universities. They Organise overseas university open days (online and/or in-person) and book guest speakers from overseas universities’ admissions departments.

They also offer support on School Profile and Transcript for US colleges, provide advice on SAT/ACT as well as liaise within the school with the pupil’s House/Form Tutors and the students to help facilitate applications.

Head of Oxbridge Applications: Dr McLaverty-Head

The Head of Oxbridge Applications supports our Sixth Form students with their applications to Oxford and Cambridge. In the Lower Sixth, this involves encouraging students to enrich their academic CV as well as explaining the basic procedures for applying. We attend an Oxbridge conference and encourage students to attend Open Days. In the Upper Sixth, they help students with their personal statements and coordinate academic support from the relevant departments, such as help with entrance tests. If they are offered an interview, we run practice interview sessions and bring in recent OV Oxbridge students to give advice.  

Oxbridge Universities Preparation

Every year, we have a percentage of pupils making an application to the universities of Oxford or Cambridge. These applications involve a number of additional stages when compared to applications for most other UK institutions. We have had nineteen successful candidates over the last three years, representing a success rate of about one in four.

To support King’s pupils through this process, we run a dedicated programme of activities and guidance, which begins in the Lower Sixth.

The King’s Oxbridge programme includes:

• Introductory talk with feedback from successful applicants in the year above
• Departmental support and guidance, e.g. on wider reading, mock interviews, and guidance on how to prepare for entrance tests
• Wider reading presentations are given by students to their peers to help them develop their interest in their chosen subject areas
• A visit to the Oxford and Cambridge conference held in Edgbaston towards the end of the spring term
• A talk on personal statements for Oxford and Cambridge applications
• A dedicated Oxford and Cambridge preparation day in the summer term, including a one-to-one meeting with a member of staff to help provide focus for preparation over the summer holidays
• Visits to both Oxford and Cambridge University open days
• Support in completing additional forms, e.g. the Supplementary Application Questionnaire (SAQ)
• Additional mock interview practice at the Interview Evening in November
• A series of final preparation sessions in the four weeks prior to interviews

King’s pupils have had considerable success in gaining offers for places in recent years for a range of different courses, including Medicine, Natural Sciences, History and Politics, Classics, Modern Languages, Music, Psychological and Behavioural Sciences, Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, and Theology.

Find out more about our Oxbridge application process at King’s:

Careers

At King’s our Careers Department aim to ensure that careers advice and guidance is available to all pupils to help them make sensible and informed decisions regarding higher education and subject options at University as well as future career choices.

We aim to help students discover their passion for their future careers. Advice is offered on a variety of career-related issues, including university and other higher education courses, apprenticeships and school-leaver schemes, subject and option choices, gap years, and placements in industry.

In the Sixth Form the emphasis is on exploring the range of pathways available after A-levels and building an awareness of those relevant to career goals. With 90% of pupils moving on to university, there is a strong Higher Education component within the programme but pupils are also encouraged to explore the increasing range of Post-18 apprenticeship and school-leaver opportunities.

A full programme of workshops, talks and discussions is organised by the Careers Lead and the Head of Sixth Form, relating to the different aspects of the application procedure to universities in the UK and abroad. This includes the use of the Unifrog platform, plenary sessions focusing on the applications procedure to university and the financial awareness required, an Open Day visit for all Lower Sixth pupils, and a presentation to parents about all aspects of Higher Education and other Post 18 Options.

Interview Practice

One regular feature is an evening in November when members of the Upper Sixth have the opportunity to experience a mock one-to-one interview with employers, parents, or friends of the school with expertise in particular areas.

Careers Extravaganza

We hold a Careers Extravaganza during National Careers Week 2023 for both King’s School students and those from the wider Worcestershire community. The event runs over four afternoons, opening pupils’ eyes to a plethora of career options and pathways. Numerous businesses and professionals attended our 2023 event, from Medical Professions, Professional Services, Engineering & Science and Business & Computing. We also welcomed a number of truly inspirational business leaders to a series of seminars running alongside each afternoon.

There are a number of careers fairs run within Worcestershire, that predominantly focus on next educational steps i.e. University places and Apprenticeships. The King’s Careers Extravaganza aimed to leap frog this stage and open pupils eyes to the jobs they might like to consider, to give them an opportunity to talk with experienced professionals and discover how they reached the positions they are currently in before they can then consider the educational path they may take to reach their own goals.