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10/12/24

The deadline for Christmas Dinner and Christmas Jumper Day tickets is fast approaching. Well, it's tomorrow actually.#wearevalleypark#christmasjumperday#getyourticketsnow pic.twitter.com/ZzxVdoPhT4— Valley Park School () December 10, 2024

10/12/24

Our annual Decaf Christmas Event is underway, and our guests are enjoying some carol singing from our choir.#wearevalleypark#carolsinging#decafchristmas pic.twitter.com/cT9oxKMLgn— Valley Park School () December 10, 2024

09/12/24

We had the pleasure of Dominic and Emma visiting our Year 9s today to deliver a Health, Fitness and Wellbeing Class. It was a fantastic session and a wonderful opportunity for our students.#wearevalleypark pic.twitter.com/9giVghdDjN— Valley Park School () December 9, 2024

06/12/24

There are many reasons why a student might struggle with attendance at school. We have a dedicated team to help & support you. To speak to someone, contact us by phone or email & a member of the attendance team will get back to you. pic.twitter.com/nwqarCqZdC— Valley Park School () December 6, 2024

06/12/24

There's an event on Wednesday 11 December you won't want to miss...#wearevalleypark#wearevalleyparkchristmas#adoptatrainstation pic.twitter.com/Ib5KuRj2MQ— Valley Park School () December 6, 2024

06/12/24

There's still time to sign up for our Christmas Decaf event. It's on Tues 10 Dec 2024 from 11.30am-2pm. Whether you live with dementia, are affected by family or friends living with dementia, or simply want to support the cause, we’d love you to join us. https://t.co/o0jQVf5C8P pic.twitter.com/YsAiJKZWcF— Valley Park School () December 6, 2024

04/12/24

We have some Christmas treats coming your way in December...#wearevalleypark#wearevalleyparkchristmas pic.twitter.com/cqCxoW6rss— Valley Park School () December 4, 2024

03/12/24

Make sure you wear your Christmas Jumper to the Christmas Dinner, and not the other way round...#christmasjumperday#wearevalleypark pic.twitter.com/oNCCCLTviD— Valley Park School () December 3, 2024

03/12/24

We have some Christmas treats coming your way this December...#wearevalleypark#jinglebellrock#panto#carols pic.twitter.com/S1gQ9XiWCc— Valley Park School () December 3, 2024

29/11/24

"The higher a pupil’s attendance, the more they are likely to learn, and the better they are likely to perform in exams and formal assessments.” The Department for Education#everylessoncounts #attendance pic.twitter.com/v5092KZTl1— Valley Park School () November 29, 2024

29/11/24

The Production Arts students took centre stage at our inaugural installation event on Wednesday. Read more: https://t.co/ILCCjMMrWV #wearevalleyparkproductionarts pic.twitter.com/V5Y27CqxU6— Valley Park School () November 29, 2024

27/11/24

On Monday 2 December and Wednesday 4 December we are holding a Sixth Form Open Morning Tour. You can book your place here: https://t.co/58lYerhh35 #sixthformopenmorningtours pic.twitter.com/zx1Wx9jg7Z— Valley Park School () November 27, 2024

27/11/24

Our first Futures Insight Morning session was a great success!Read more: https://t.co/2oq7IZOtmZ#wearevalleyparkfutures pic.twitter.com/EepKscVZZE— Valley Park School () November 27, 2024

27/11/24

Our Decaf Christmas event takes place on Tuesday 10 December 2024 from 11.30am - 2.00pm at Valley Park School. Read more: https://t.co/o0jQVf5C8P #decafchristmas#dementiacafe pic.twitter.com/ozmLSFShyM— Valley Park School () November 27, 2024

25/11/24

What is evil?Philosophy and Ethics students had the opportunity to listen to Dr Peter Vardy discuss the nature of evil and why it exists. Very well done to the students who did us proud by presenting their ideas to the whole conference. pic.twitter.com/cUwMcxFr3c— Valley Park School () November 25, 2024

22/11/24

Last night we held our inaugural ARK Awards, celebrating achievement across the school. Well done to all those who received their awards, and thanks to our speaker, Matt Pinkett.#wearevalleypark pic.twitter.com/IT27dZXWcg— Valley Park School () November 22, 2024

19/11/24

Author Luke Palmer workshops with year 9 students, helping them create a ‘matrix of minor misdemeanours’. #creativewriting pic.twitter.com/WDTU61auIG— Valley Park School () November 19, 2024

19/11/24

Today we welcome author Luke Palmer to our school for a series of workshops with year 9. pic.twitter.com/JyHPJusjif— Valley Park School () November 19, 2024

17/11/24

There are many reasons why a student might struggle with attendance at school. Valley Park has a dedicated team to help & support you. To speak to someone, contact us by phone or email & a member of the attendance team will get back to you. pic.twitter.com/wMq7BUhR18— Valley Park School () November 17, 2024

15/11/24

Don't forget, applications for Sixth Form are now open on Kent Choices!#wearevalleypark#wearevalleyparksixthform— Valley Park School () November 15, 2024

15/11/24

Drama and Performing Arts students went to the Marlowe Theatre on Wednesday to watch the poignant musical production Come From Away. An incredibly clever and moving production, inspiring for us all to see. #wearevalleyparkperformingarts#weallcomefromaway pic.twitter.com/PStT4Dom9g— Valley Park School () November 15, 2024

14/11/24

We're looking forward to welcoming you to our Sixth Form Open Evening today, which starts at 5pm. pic.twitter.com/kbUKdAxY57— Valley Park School () November 14, 2024

12/11/24

Year 8 & 9 students joined a Cyber Security workshop led by Baasit Siddiqui from Gogglebox. They learned about cyber security events, threats, and the Cyber Explorers platform. Students enjoyed interactive quizzes and were eager to earn badges. pic.twitter.com/itGYCLfhwu— Valley Park School () November 12, 2024

12/11/24

This Black History Month, students at Valley Park paid homage to the Black unsung heroes of the ‘Wild Wild West’. Read more: https://t.co/ujfOCgICs2 pic.twitter.com/QX9byiX5Zh— Valley Park School () November 12, 2024

11/11/24

Valley Park remembers, lest we forget.#wearevalleypark pic.twitter.com/mSNEqu0n9O— Valley Park School () November 11, 2024

Post 18 Options

Valley Park School has a strong focus within the Sixth Form, on raising aspirations and aiming high professionally. Consequently, many of our students will wish to continue onto university after their level 3 studies.

We are however, acutely aware that with the current high tuition fees, the commitment involved and the ever-growing number of apprenticeship opportunities available, that university is not the best decision for all of our students.

It is imperative that each student makes the right post-18 decision for them, such that they will be happy in their future academic and employment careers. We recommend that you invest time and effort into researching ALL the options available so you make the right choice. Through our core programme of events, we aim support you with you with your options and provide up-to-date advice and guidance.

Applying to University

Recently, we re-evaluated our UCAS processes and the positive effects are clearly evident amongst our Sixth Form students who apply for Higher Education at either university or conservatoires. Outstanding results from this approach are shown by the fact that each year we see excellent offers including many that are contextual (reduced entry requirements) or unconditional. 

In 2023, 98% of the cohort who applied to university secured their first-choice place.

The whole Sixth Form team is heavily involved in supporting students in making good choices including, choosing courses and institutions and completing an outstanding application. Students are actively encouraged to attend Open Days and Applicant Days, undertake taster courses and summer residential programmes to aid the decision process. 

Each student can seek 1:1 guidance from the Careers Adviser during any stage of the application process: from personal statement checking and proof-reading, to accepting offers, applying for accommodation or the finance process.

In Year 12, all students attend a Higher Education Convention, providing the opportunity to have positive and meaningful encounters with national universities and colleges and to find out more about degree apprenticeships.

The UCAS Process

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At Valley Park School we have a bespoke UCAS system which ensures that all students are offered specialist 1:1 support from staff throughout the application process. The process begins in the summer term of Year 12 when students begin to write their personal statements following on from specialist input during workshops.

Teaching staff write personalised references for students regarding their academic ability in their subjects and submit these to the Sixth Form team, who then compile each individual reference, tailoring each reference to the courses and institutions being applied to.

All students are supported with their personal statements through their form tutors and our careers adviser.  Once they have completed their application and personal statement, students book 1:1 meetings with the Sixth Form team in order to review their application, their institution and their course choice, alongside the entry criteria and their predicted grades before submitting their final application.

Once students have submitted their application to UCAS, they can monitor their progress on UCAS track where they will receive their personal responses, offers, conditions of offers and communications from the institutions they have applied to.

UCAS and You

A University Graduate’s Guide to Boosting Career Prospects

League Tables

University league tables can be a useful resource for finding good universities for the subjects you wish to study, however there can be substantial differences between these as they take into account different criteria (entry point tariff, spend per student, NSS results etc.) when determining rank order. Therefore, we advise that you look into the criteria they use when using league tables as come criteria may be more important to you than others.

League Tables

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World University Rankings

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Russell Group Universities

The 24 universities that collectively make up The Russell Group, are world-class, research intensive universities with excellent teaching, great facilities and unrivalled links to businesses and the public sector. Whilst the universities share some distinguishing characteristics, each has its own unique ethos and feeling.

  • Visit the Russell Group website and find out more about the group and the individual institutions that are its members.

Many top universities are not part of The Russell Group, so please do use League Tables (see section above) and research online to find out which universities best meet your requirements.

Above all, make sure you visit universities in person. 

​Find Open Day Dates


Find out more about Oxbridge Applications

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Which? Guide to Oxbridge Applications

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships enable you to undertake employment, learning through real-life situations whilst continuing with your studies within class-based learning. You'll be employed and paid to do a real job and study for a formal qualification such as an HNC/HND or degree - usually for one day a week either at a college or university or via distance learning. You will be treated like all the other employees, with a contract of employment, holiday entitlement and any company benefits on offer.

You will also need to ensure that you meet the education provider's entry criteria, particularly for degree apprenticeships.

By the end of your apprenticeship, you'll hopefully have gained the skills and knowledge needed to either succeed in your chosen career or progress onto the next apprenticeship level.

Students who wish to undertake an apprenticeship at the end of Year 13, would primarily be suited to Advanced (level 3) or higher/degree opportunities (levels 4-6).

Apprenticeship Secrets

Helpful websites to start your search:

Fire it up apprenticeships logoAmazing apprenticeshipsRate my apprenticeship logo

Not going to uni logoTargetcareers futurewiseBe an apprentice logo

Kta logo low resCareermapListing

 

 

Employment & Training

Many students wish to go directly into some form of employment following on from their level 3 studies in Sixth Form. There are many options available to students when considering employment but all require a strong application in the current competitive job market.

Students can arrange to meet with Mrs West to further discuss their CV, cover letters, interviews and online applications.

Work related websites

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Subject Specific Careers Websites

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Destinations

At Valley Park School, we have a strong message around raising aspirations, encouraging all our students to pursue Excellence and to aim high in order to reach their goals. Consequently, we have an acute understanding that their personal success will be found in a variety of leaver destinations depending on individual interests and career aspirations.

Our most recent destinations for Year 13 leavers in 2021 (correct as of January 2022), includes the following:

  • 89% of Year 13 leavers went on to study at university, with 96% securing their first-choice place of study;
  • 34% of the cohort secured a place at a Top 50 university (according to the Complete University Guide 2022 League Table);
  • 3 students are now undertaking courses at Russell Group universities;
  • 7% of the university cohort deferred their university entry until 2022, opting to take a gap year first;
  • 8% of the cohort undertook an apprenticeship or school leaver programme after departing Valley Park School;
  • 20% went directly into employment - for most students this has been a full-time role; 
  • 1% of the cohort is currently completing Level 3 or Foundation year courses at local Further Education/Art-specialist colleges.

Popular chosen fields of study for university courses starting in 2021 included:

  • The Arts, including Art & Design-related courses and Music;
  • Education, and healthcare related courses;
  • Business and Finance courses;
  • Psychology courses;
  • Information Systems courses;
  • Humanities courses, particularly History;
  • English courses;
  • Sports related courses.

Year 13 destination graph 2021