As a school, we ask ALL students to sign up to UCAS and complete the information in the personal and qualifications sections. We use this to collate the academic reference for each student, which can be used no matter what the student's chosen pathway may be, including students who wish to take a gap year, complete an apprenticeship or go straight into employment. We often get reference requests several years after a student has left school, so even if you do not think you need this right now, it is important to sign up and get this step completed whilst you are still in school.