STUDENT BLOG: BIRMINGHAM COLLEGE OF LAW VISIT

Posting by Louise Davies, Year 12 Law student

On Wednesday 13 February, 10 AS law students went to the College of Law in Birmingham, to a careers convention.

Upon arriving at the College of Law, we sat and listened to a presentation on the variety of different legal professions available, we also got the opportunity to listen to a question and answer session from people who have very varied legal jobs.

We gained an insight into their careers from a solicitor working in a 2-person partnership, to a head barrister’s clerk who worked in a set chambers of over 100 barristers. They told us all about how they got to where they are now and some of the roles they undertake.

After this we got the chance to have a networking session with these individuals to ask them questions we had about their profession. We were also lucky enough to gain a contact from this experience and we are hoping to complete a mini pupillage as a result!

Finally we rounded off our morning by completing a negotiation activity, where we had to look at a case study and try and reach a deal on behalf of our client. This gave us an idea as to what we may have to do if we decided to take up a legal career one day.

Bustling Information Evening

On Thursday 7 February, The Sixth Form College, Solihull held its final recruitment event of this academic year, when Information Evening took place. My sore feet today indicate only one thing – that the event was a success!

Thanks to everyone who visited us. We had visitors from 67 different schools! We hope you got all the information you wanted and had all your questions answered. We had staff from all subject areas working, as well as quite a few current students, all there to talk about what studying their subjects is really like.

Rather than open up the whole campus – which we do for our Open Day in October – this event was concentrated in our Sports Centre. In effect, it had a careers fair “feel” to the event – giving prospective students and parents the chance to see all that we offer in one place. Our Sports Hall was packed with 33 stands for different subjects and College services. With the Principal Paul Ashdown also giving talks to packed audiences in our Dance Studio, there was no shortage of things to see and people to talk to.

Praise must go to our dedicated teachers and the students who worked at the event, talking with enthusiasm and knowledge about the subjects they study. Praise too must go to those that braved the cold and rain to attend this event! It really was a filthy night to be out, but visitors came in their hundreds.

It was gratifying to see the Information Evening bustling with so many visitors – so much hard work goes into setting it up, not least from our Site staff, who had more than 100 tables and 200 chairs to put out and then pack away after the event finished at 8.00pm.

The attendance at this event is yet another indication of the interest in The Sixth Form College, Solihull. Attendance at Open Day back in October was a record-breaker and we have had more applications this year than ever before. Those applications are still coming in – the deadline for applying is Friday 29 March 2013.

If you did not get a chance to visit us or you just have other questions that you forget to ask or which have occurred to you since, don’t forget there are plenty of ways to get in touch. Our Admissions Office is happy to take queries on 0121 709 7803. You can also post a question on our Admissions Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SFCSAdmissions or tweet us @sfcsapply.

We are currently working our way through all the applications we have received. We have already made many offers to students, but we have lots more applications to process. If students have not yet heard about a date for their interview, they should not worry – we will definitely be in touch. If you meet our entry requirements and complete your application before the end of March, we promise you will get an interview and places are not offered on a first come, first served basis. We have interview evenings taking place in February, March, April and May, so there is plenty of time for your application to be processed and offers made.

If you have applied, we look forward to welcoming you to the College for your interview. If you also get an offer, we will also invite you to attend a Summer Induction Day on either Thursday 27 or Friday 28 June, so look out for our communication to you about that later in the year.

LAST CHANCE TO VISIT THE COLLEGE

Choosing what you do after your GCSEs is an important decision and certainly if you live in Birmingham or Solihull, the choices open to you are wide and varied.

Continuing with your education is an investment into your future and in the not too distant future it will become compulsory for young people to remain in education until they are 18. For now, it’s a choice and for young people in Birmingham and Solihull, The Sixth Form College, Solihull is one of the options open to them.

 

We advise young people to go to as many open events as possible before they make their final choice. After all, how can you really know what school or college is right for you if you haven’t set foot inside it?

Back in October, we held an Open Day at the College, with a record-breaking attendance of prospective students and parents coming through the doors to see what the College offers and talk to teachers. In February, we have our final event of the year, and while not the same as Open Day, it is still a great opportunity to learn more about us and decide if we are the right place for you.

This event is called Information Evening and takes place on Thursday 7 February from 5.00pm – 8.00pm (with last entry at 7.30pm). The emphasis of this event is providing information to those who have yet to make an application, while also offering a second chance to those that have applied to ask any other questions they may have. We won’t be opening up the entire campus for this event; instead the emphasis is on giving you the chance to talk to our staff, as well as some existing students.

The College has some building work going on at the moment, which means this event will be held in our Sports Centre. The Principal Paul Ashdown will be giving presentations at 5.30pm, 6.30pm and 7.30pm in the Dance Studio, while subjects will be set up in the Sports Hall. While, we would like to be able to show you the rest of the campus, that is just not feasible on this occasion and we know that the new resources being built at the moment (a new lecture theatre, for example), will make this short-term disruption well worthwhile.

The deadline for making an application for September 2013 entry is the end of March 2013, so this event really is the last chance for you to visit us and find out more about us. Provided you apply before the deadline and you meet our entry criteria, we guarantee you will get an interview. Applications received from April onwards may still be successful, but we cannot guarantee that; it will depend on whether there are spaces left.

If this all sounds interesting to you, come and visit us on Thursday 7 February. For travelling directions, click here. You can also find out more on our Events page of the website and link to information about our Entry Requirements and our Online Application Form.

 
We look forward to welcoming you into College.

Designing our new Prospectus

September 2013 is a long way off, but already we are starting preparations for next academic year by appointing a marketing agency to design a new prospectus for us.

Coming up with a design in the really fun part, but before we get to that stage, we have to pick which marketing agency to use. We are doing this by inviting four companies in to present their ideas to us. As Marketing Co-ordinator, I am a part of this process, but there are other staff involved too, including the Principal and Vice Principal and even one of the College governors too!

We want to make sure that whichever company we pick, they are going to do a good job and come up with a design that speaks to students and parents alike. Now, I might like to think I’m still in touch with 16 year olds, but the sad truth is that my sixth form years were quite some time ago! Because of this unwelcome fact, we are asking some younger people to be part of this process, involving current students in our decision making process.

A small group of students are meeting with each of the four marketing agencies we have invited in and will participate in a focus group. In these meetings, students will talk through what they like and what they don’t like about the designs and ideas that these companies have come up with. Staff will be in the meeting too, but only to observe and we will take the students’ views into account when we make our decisions. The meetings take place today and next week.

It’s an exciting process, but we are only just at the start of our quest for a new prospectus. Once we pick an agency, we will get started on creating the final design. This usually involves several versions, until we are happy with how it looks and what it says and then over the summer the prospectus will be printed so it is ready for September.

So, if you are currently in Year 10 and starting to think about your post-16 options for September 2014, make sure you get a copy of our prospectus this autumn, and just remember that we didn’t knock it up in five minutes; we started the process nine months earlier!

Which Maths course is for me?

Do you want to study Mathematics at Solihull Sixth Form College? Lots of our students do, but with the choice of different Maths courses available they don’t always know which course is the right course for them. This blog aims to help!

Let’s start by listing all the A level Maths courses we offer. They are:

A-level Mathematics

A-level Statistics
A-level Use of Maths
A-level Further Maths

It’s worth read up on what is taught in each of these subjects – if you click the subject above, it will take you to our course information on the College website.

A level Mathematics

Let us start with A level  Mathematics. This is our most popular Maths course and includes advanced mathematical topics in algebra, trigonometry and graphs. Typically, students who do this course enjoy manipulating and solving equations and like the challenge of abstract Maths. Students need at least a B grade at GCSE Mathematics to do this course although in practice most students have achieved an A grade at GCSE Maths.  Students with B grades at GCSE Maths are advised to choose A-level Statistics or Use of Maths, which are slightly less advanced and often more suitable for their university and career ambitions.

Those  mathematicians who do study A level Mathematics have a choice to make. While all students study two Core Maths options in Year 12, there are then two pathways to choose from after that; Statistics or Mechanics. For those students who are also studying A level Physics, AS Mathematics of one sort or another is a compulsory addition. Consideration should be given to what you enjoy most, what you are better at and what you want to do after College. Maths staff can advise you to help you make the right choice for you.

A level Statistics

A level Statistics, as the name suggests, deals with the statistical side of mathematics including looking at how to handle data and calculate probabilities. It’s a very worthwhile subject to pursue, not least because there is a countrywide shortage of people with strong statistical skills (for example Medical Statisticians), so your career prospects are enhanced by taking this course. There are also lots of other subjects that include statistical elements such as Psychology, Business Studies, Geography, IT, Politics and others, so this can be a good support subject for other A levels too.

A level Use of Maths

A level Use of Maths is the College’s most recently added Maths course and the way this course differs from the others we offer is that it focuses more on Mathematics in practical, real-life contexts. This course deals with how Maths applies to everyday life. It also involves a coursework element that A-level Mathematics does not and is useful to those students who need a Maths qualification to support their university application, but who do not require all of the advanced topics that the A level Mathematics course teaches. For most university courses, Use of Mathematics is as valuable a support as A level Mathematics itself and, in many ways it can be more valuable as it focuses on the application of Mathematics in context. It would support Business and Finance, Chemistry, Computing, Biology, Geography, Psychology, Management Science, Computing and most Economics courses.

A level Further Maths

Now, let’s consider A level  Further Maths. As the title suggests, this includes further more advanced mathematics and is an additional A-level in Maths. Students studying Further Maths must also study A level Maths alongside it so will be studying for two A levels in Maths. You need to be a very gifted Mathematician to do this course, achieving a grade A or A* in GSCE Mathematics. If you want to take Further Maths, you will do so as part of a 5 AS package, so only students who pick 5 subjects rather than the standard 4 subjects at AS can study this subject.

Indeed, if you think that Maths is a course you want to study at A level, there will always be an opportunity at interview to talk over the different options, so you can be confident that whichever Maths course you pick, it is the right one for you and for your future ambitions.

Hopefully this blog has helped you to decide which course to apply for, but if you make an application and then change your mind, don’t worry, because nothing is set in stone and changes can be requested. While we can’t always guarantee changes (particularly if they are made very late), changing from one Maths course to another is easier to accommodate than two unrelated subjects.

Please read up on the courses on our website at www.solihullsfc.ac.uk and if you want to make an application, you can do so online at http://apply.solihullsfc.ac.uk/. There will also be an opportunity to visit the College and talk to staff at our Information Evening on Thursday 7 February 2013. We are open from 5.00pm – 8.00pm, with a last entry time of 7.30pm and we ask that all prospective students come accompanied by a parent or other adult please.

It’s A Capital Experience

The Sixth Form College, Solihull now has three Career Academies and our latest cohort of students kicked off their involvement in this exciting programme with a trip to London recently to take advantage of the day-long ‘A Capital Experience’ event

Organised by national business-education charity Career Academies UK, the day involved around 1,300 students from across the UK, as well as over 75 leading London-based employers such as AstraZeneca, AXA, Barclays, Clifford Chance LLP, Lloyds Banking Group, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Fujitsu, RSA, Royal Mail and Santander.

Our Career Academy students come from our BTEC Business, BTEC IT and BTEC Applied Sciences courses and the students all travelled down together. Although they joined up for the same activity in the afternoon, they started off with morning events at appropriate businesses for their courses, for a ‘behind the scenes’ look at how the organisation works, including a workplace tour.

The Business Career Academy students visited BDO Stoy Hayward, a leading firm of Chartered Accountants. They were given a detailed introduction to the firm's recruitment and selection procedure for both graduates and school leavers. Hints and tips were given on completing application forms, how to act in interviews and attending assessment centres. A question and answer session gave students the opportunity to find out more about careers in accountancy and the starting pay they can expect.

For the Science Career Academy students a visit to the Institution of Engineering and Technology was their morning activity. While there, they were given advice about applying for jobs in the engineering sector. A firm called F1 in Schools gave a presentation, providing the students with all kinds of advice, from applying for the different type of engineering degrees, the different type of entry routes and the bursaries and funding they offer. They also talked about the various competitions they hold, such building a formula one car using one of their kits provided and the students got a chance to compete with other schools to race the car on a special track. The schools with the fastest cars are going to be entered in to a draw, the winner of which could go to an exhibition in Abu Dhabi!

Meanwhile, the IT students got a taste of life at e-skills UK, one of Britain’s most influential organisations. They took part in workshops that helped develop employability skills for the IT sector, and also enjoyed virtual campus demonstrations and feedback sessions, as well as Cyber security training.

 

 

After the morning visits, all the groups joined up again and made their way to the Royal Festival Hall, where they got the chance to network with other young people from across the UK, taking part in the programme and participated in business-related activities to boost their employability skills.

During the afternoon, they received valuable advice from motivational speaker Action Jackson; adventurer Tori James, who was in the first ever all-female team to complete the Polar Challenge, a gruelling 360 mile race to the magnetic North Pole; and Career Academies UK Chair, Heather McGregor. The afternoon was led by Master of Ceremonies Lee Jackson, the UK’s most experienced school and college motivational speaker and author of ‘How to be Sick [great] at School’.

‘A Capital Experience’ is the biggest national one-day event in the Career Academy calendar and kicks off the two-year programme for young people taking part. We have been running the programme for 3 years, but only in Business; the IT and Science Career Academies are brand new and those students have got off to a great start by attending ‘A Capital Experience’. They can now look forward to a structured programme of internships, mentoring, motivational lectures and visits.

A levels or BTECs – What’s right for you?

Students who apply to The Sixth Form College, Solihull have so many choices, 42 subjects at A level and 6 at BTEC, but before you get to that stage you've got to decide which type of course is right for you.

A levels or BTEC; that is the question!

First of all, let's dispel one myth; that BTECs are easier than A levels! Not true! BTEC Extended Diplomas offer advanced level study just like A levels. They lead to progression to university and employment just like A levels and are highly regarded qualifications. They just have different demands. So what is the difference?

One of the main distinctions is the way you learn and how you are assessed. A levels involve examinations, while BTECs do not. While some A level subjects include an element of coursework (e.g. Art, Biology, Chemistry, Dance, Drama and English) others (like Business Studies, Modern Foreign Languages and Mathematics) have no coursework at all. Our BTEC Extended Diplomas are 100% coursework, so if you are someone who struggles in exams why not consider a BTEC instead.

Because of the coursework element to BTEC courses, students need to be able to manage their time to meet their coursework deadlines and will often be working in groups, so good team-work is a necessary skill.

Another difference is the breakdown of what you study. BTEC Extended Diplomas are two-year courses equivalent to studying three A levels, so if you choose a BTEC you are picking just one subject. At The Sixth Form College, Solihull that means picking either Applied Sciences, Art & Design, Business, Health & Social Care, IT Practitioners or Sport. Clearly this narrows your learning somewhat, but depending upon your Higher Education or career ambitions, this might be perfectly appropriate for you.

If, instead, you choose A levels, you will be asked to pick four subjects to study and almost any combination of subjects can be studied together. Students will study these four subjects in Year 12 and at the end of that year will get their AS grades, which are qualifications in their own right. Students will normally drop one of their four subjects in Year 13 to concentrate on the three remaining subjects to get the full A level (or A2 as it's known). Students should not feel that they have wasted their time in the fourth subject they dropped, as the AS grade they get still counts towards applications for university.

We are frequently asked if students can take more than 4 AS subjects or if they can continue with 4 subjects into a second year. In answer to that, a few very able students (mostly with A and A* grades at GCSE) sometimes take 5 AS subjects, but only if they are looking to study Mathematics and Further Maths, as well as 3 other subjects. In addition, students are normally only allowed to stick with 4 subjects in Year 13 if they achieve very highly (i.e. B grades or above as AS level) and can demonstrate that they will cope with what is a heavy workload. We would rather you focussed on 3 subjects and did those well than struggled with four. Three A levels is enough to get into university after all.

If you choose A levels, then your next choice is which four subjects you should select. For some careers, your choice of subjects is critical - for example, those wanting to study Medicine must choose A level Biology and Chemistry. For other careers, it is not as important what you study as the fact that you achieve good grades. That's why we tell students who have not yet decided on a career path to pick those subjects they enjoy and are good at; you're more likely to do well at A level if you're interested in the subject. If you do have a career in mind, it might be worth doing some research into what subjects (if any) universities want you to take to progress onto their courses.

In summary, you need to ask yourself the following questions:

·         what do I want to do as a career?
·         does my chosen career or university course require me to study certain subjects?
·         do I do better in exams or coursework?

If you can honestly answer those questions and do your homework on what our courses involve, we're sure you will be able to choose the right options for you.

And if you are still not sure, why not ask us for advice? Message us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sfcsadmissions or contact us on Twitter (@sfcsapply). You can also come along to our Information Evening on Thursday 7 February 2013 from 5.00pm - 8.00pm (last entry at 7.30pm, all students must come accompanied by a parent/guardian).