Scottish Education Post 16 Choices This section will give an overview of the different options that are open to children once they turn 16 and some of the supports available to them Before starting ask parents what options they know about for their children once they leave school. Post 16 Choices

Choices at 16 and onwards Stay on at secondary school and do more qualifications Apply to do a course at college Apply for a Modern Apprenticeship Try to find a job Can apply to university, once the right qualifications have been acquired Schools are very good at giving advice and support for applying for university and college. Universities hold open days and schools will often arrange trips for children to visit or for someone from the university to come and speak to the children. If the school has a careers night try and attend with your child to find out more information. Modern Apprenticeships are designed to help young people “earn and learn”, they can get qualifications and real experience of working in the sector.

College Massive range of courses Focus on vocational subjects, however, can also be useful as a step on an academic route Financially, students may be able to claim Education Maintenance Allowance EMA if in school or college (16-18 years old) and from family with low income- ask school or college student support services for help with applying. College often has close links with employers and courses can include placements *If possible have some college prospectuses to show parents the options open to children

Modern apprenticeship Scheme combining work experience and vocational qualification (SVQ) Different levels of apprenticeship and qualification available Arrangement vary between providers, so make sure of the details BEMIS offer support to young people from ethnic and cultural minorities to get an MA placement MAs range from foundation level which will give an SVQ level 2, though to level 4. Open to young people age 16-25. This is often not as well known about and young people from ethnic minorities are under-represented on Modern Apprenticeships. Bemis can support people who are out of school (so do Skills Development Scotland)

University 15 Scottish universities each offering a wide range of courses No fees for Scottish students (EU citizen, living in Scotland for at least the last 2 years), but check with SAAS if there is any doubt about fees! Tuition fees are payable for courses at English universities Each individual university will have different entry requirements Universities often arrange open days for young people to visit and see what the place looks like, schools may arrange visits or parents and children can visit the university themselves *If possible bring in university prospectuses to allow parents to see the courses available, the entry requirements etc

Applying for university Apply by October for Oxford and Cambridge, or for most courses in medicine, veterinary medicine/science, and dentistry. Apply by January for most undergraduate degrees Apply by March for some Art/Design courses Always check this year’s deadlines on the UCAS site! Check for requirements for course, they may be different for different universities

Applications – continued You can apply for up to 5 courses UCAS has a tariff scheme to weight different qualifications (see their Tariff Calculator) Fee payable (£12 for one course and £23 for more than one) If you don’t get offered a place you can apply for “clearing” between June- September Check the UCAS website at every stage! If your child does not get the qualifications needed for a course they can go to “clearing”. This is open between July and September and allows young people to identify courses (with vacancies) that interest them and contact the course providers directly to see if they will offer a place. For more details see UCAS website https://www.ucas.com/ucas/undergraduate/apply-and-track/results/no-offers-use-clearing