How we prepare students for university success
Claremont High School has the aim of encouraging all students to aspire to go to the very best universities, as well as supporting them to develop the skills necessary to make successful applications to study there.
During Years 10 and 11, students will receive advice and information about making an informed choice about the subjects and qualifications they study in the sixth form. Trips to university taster days or master classes are organised. Students have visited the University of Oxford, Imperial College London and other Universities in recent years.
All students in Year 12 and Year 13 receive updates with a range of free opportunities open to sixth form students, including taster lectures, master classes, summer schools and careers’ fairs. Our students have attended summer schools, taster days, master classes and shadowing schemes at a range of universities, including University College London, University of Oxford and Cambridge University. Students are encouraged to take responsibility for planning and organising these activities so they can make an informed choice about what they do after completing Year 13.
In Year 12, all students attend the University and Apprenticeships Convention in London, in early spring, and take part in enrichment sessions on how to make an informed choice about going to university. They also attend an enrichment session, participate in tutorials and attend assemblies providing information on alternative pathways, including apprenticeships and vocational qualifications. After the completion of summer exams in Year 12, students are encouraged to attend university open days and taster events. Students are also given time during the summer to research courses and universities and to start to draft their personal statement. A UCAS Information Evening is held to give parents an insight into the UCAS process so they can support their child as much as possible.
We support our students who have the best academic results at GCSE and/or clear potential to do extremely well at A-level from the beginning of Year 12. Students visit Oxford or Cambridge in the autumn term to both inspire them and educate them about what they need to do to reach the very best universities. Students with a GCSE APS of 7.5 or greater, qualify for a place on the Aspire Programme.
In Year 13, students receive regular updates to support them completing their UCAS application. As well as the support from the UCAS team, students can drop in to see the UCAS Co-ordinator and get feedback on their personal statements. Claremont’s bespoke system ensures that students’ references and personal statements are of the highest quality. We encourage all of our students to aspire to the very best universities, and we use the offers they receive to motivate them to be as academically successful as possible.
Students applying to Oxbridge or for Medicine, Veterinary Science or Dentistry, with a UCAS deadline of mid-October, receive additional support. This includes mock interviews at Claremont with senior staff and governors and sessions with the UCAS Co-ordinator and Head of Sixth Form on personal statements and interview techniques.