Parents/Carers Guide
2015/16
Thinking about University?
Is university
for me ?
Is university
right for my
child ?
What practical
advice can I give?
er,
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Your child has be
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can find out:
In this leaflet you
l about
Programme is al
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each year
• Wha
ks participants in
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• The different ac
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• How you can ge
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d out more,
get in touch:
If you want to fin
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programm
Students, parents, carers, teachers, and practitioners
can all use our award-winning and impartial website,
ac.uk/unitracks
Online: warwick.
@warwick.ac.uk
Email: unitracks
kOutreach
Twitter: @Warwic
4051
Phone: 02476 57
Thinking About University.
It introduces prospective students to the world of university life and
offers practical information, advice, and guidance, enabling learners
to make informed decisions throughout their school career.
Kind regards,
warwick.ac.uk/thinkinguniversity
holl
Catherine McNic
er
UniTracks Manag
The University of Warwick, CV4 7AL
+44 (0)24 7657 4051
unitracks@warwick.ac.uk
warwick.ac.uk/unitracks
More
inside!
Your child
Years 10 and 11
Years 12 and 13
University... and other options
UniTracks works with students who are gifted and talented. That means that
they are working (or have the potential to achieve work) in the top 5 to 10
per cent of all students in their year group nationally. Students with such
capabilities have the potential to get a place at some of the leading and highly
selective universities in the country.
These are important years for your child! The lead up to the GCSE
exams can be very stressful and challenging and the whole idea
of university can seem very far off.
With the transition to sixth form / college, your child
will gain a considerable amount of direct control over
their future.
There are key decisions during this Key Stage that can
affect future progression to university and employment.
UniTracks recognises this, and switches the support
we provide to very practical, hands-on topics,
including:
All the young people involved in UniTracks have the ability and potential to gain
a place at one of the UK’s leading universities. As such, we want to ensure that
by the end of their time on the UniTracks programme, all participants can make a
fully-informed decision about their future.
There are some things that might prevent your child from choosing to go
on and study at university. For instance, if no immediate family members
have had the chance to continue their education after school/sixth form/
college then your child might not think university is a valid choice for them.
There is considerable evidence which shows that children who grow up
in neighbourhoods where few people attend university are less likely to
choose to go themselves. Additionally, there might be other circumstances
that mean they don’t think they can either afford university or would fit in
when they got there.
Performance in GCSE exams can affect future options for
study at university, and through UniTracks we will help
your child develop effective exam revision skills.
Your child’s school and UniTracks want to help.
UniTracks helps give its members clearer
information on issues such as:
•Students who are academically able need additional support to keep
them interested, engaged and challenged by what they are studying.
During this Key Stage your child will also need to
make decisions about what to study post-16.
With the wide range of courses available,
UniTracks will help them to consider all their
options and to make an informed decision.
•We also know that being successful in school can be difficult. Through
•Effective GCSE exam revision
•Sixth form options
•A level course choice
•We also know that it can be hard to ask for help. That’s why UniTracks
We start to familiarise UniTracks members
with issues relating to university, such as:
UniTracks, we are creating an environment where the participants can
interact with peers who share the same interests and ambitions.
and its partners want to work with your child to ensure that they feel
comfortable asking the questions they have – and maybe even getting
answers to questions they didn’t know they needed to ask!
•what a university is, and how one
university differs from another
Year 10
Launch
An exciting launch event to the programme.
•choosing the correct course of study
and understanding which university
offers the best options
•the practicalities of the application
process through UCAS (University
and Colleges Application Service)
•how to write effective personal
statements
The Big Deal
•how to fund university study and how
Residential Summer School
•networking and interviewing skills
•insights in to university life and how
An enterprise competition with Warwick Business School.
A residential event at Warwick in early summer.
Year 11
Year 11 Re-connect
to manage money
to transition to university effectively
Members in years 12 and 13 are treated
as adults, with considerable opportunity
to develop independence and take a
lead in their learning.
Year 12
Post-16 Launch
An in-school session with UniTracks participants
in your local area.
Academic mentoring
We have worked with The Brilliant Club to deliver
this part of the programme.
Residential Summer School
A five-day Warwick residential stay.
Year 13
Revision Sessions
Subject-specific revision sessions provided by
outstanding teachers ahead of the exams.
•the benefits of receiving a university
Easter Exams Bootcamp
Celebration Event
•what they need to be doing now
University Exploration Week
education
WARWICK YOUNG ACHIEVERS PROGRAMME
Listed below are examples of the type of
activity offered in each year.
Some of the interactions we facilitate for
our post-16 members include:
A chance to work with inspiring academics and students.
•why they might choose to study
at university
UniTracks
Each year we offer UniTracks students
‘core’ and ‘supplementary’ activities.
A three-day intensive revision event to prepare for GCSEs.
A week of university taster visits at leading HEIs.
A day-long event which will also include information
on that transition to university life.
The University of Warwick fully funds UniTracks as part of its commitment
to widening participation at university. We will do all we can to help
participants make the choices and gain the grades for the right course
and university for them.
All participants are encouraged to choose the best university course for
their interests and abilities. Former UniTracks participants have gone on
to study at universities such as Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Durham,
Leicester, University College London and at Warwick!
We recognise, however, that university might not be the right option for
your child. By working with them over four years, UniTracks hopes that we
will have given them the confidence in themselves and all the information
possible to make the right decision for their future based on their needs.
Many people choose to study at university later in their lives, so what your
child has learned as a part of UniTracks may help them later on as well.
Where you fit in
The best way you can help your child is by supporting and
helping them - but ultimately, allowing them to make their own
choices! However, it is also important that you talk through your
child’s decisions with them to ensure they are well thought out.
We hope that you will support your child throughout their time
on the Unitracks programme, and invite you to get in touch
with us if you have any questions about any aspect of the
programme or more general questions about university.
We’re always happy to talk.
WARWICK YOUNG ACHIEVERS PROGRAMME
UniTracks