After Sixth Form

After the Sixth Form

Most of our students (typically 75-80%) go on to some form of Higher Education to gain qualifications for skilled and professional careers; in 2019 93% of students progressed to university and this year a similar number have made university or apprenticeship applications. Careers advice is available from Careers Wales for those wishing to enter into employment, Further Education, training immediately. We have an excellent record of ensuring that students are engaged either in higher studies (university or college), or other vocation with no students NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) in recent years. Students going on to Higher Education have a wide choice before them and students should not think that the Sixth Form is only for those interested in university, it is open to almost everyone with ambition. Important decisions have to be made at the end of Year 12 about which higher or further education courses suit the student and whether the entry qualifications are likely to be achieved.

The school, via its tutorial programme, provides a detailed guidance system to help Sixth Formers with these important decisions. Representatives from colleges and universities regularly attend to make subject presentations, answer questions about their university and provide advice. At the end of Year 12 the school organises visits to multiple University Open Days so that students can see what the town/institution looks like and can also meet staff and undergraduates and receive advice. We invite past students back to discuss their experiences in Higher Education; recent examples have included two female alumni who have advanced into senior roles within multi-national software companies as senior business executives.

Each student is assigned to a Mentor who, along with myself, will guide him/her through the Year 12 and will get to know the student well during their time in the Sixth Form. The progress of each student is carefully monitored to ensure that they are fully aware of the variety of post-school choices and that they make realistic decisions. It is also expected that students grasp extra opportunities such as community work and other extra-curricular activities to enhance their personal and academic portfolios. The inverted Mentor group mentoring system will also give opportunities for students to develop their interpersonal skills by working with younger pupils, sharing their own experiences whilst also strengthening their own curriculum vitae.

Ysgol Harri Tudur/Henry Tudor School Sixth Form students are becoming increasingly successful; 2019 saw the school achieve its highest percentage of students progressing to university (93% - one of the highest in Wales against similar schools) whilst in the current Year 13 we have returned to our typically strong 85% application rate alongside more vocational and apprenticeship focussed students, testament that no two years are entirely the same. All students who want to progress to Higher Education can do so, most to their first choice institution and course; students in last year’s cohort accepted offers throughout the UK and in previous years have travelled even further afield to the USA. Increasingly students are choosing to undertake Summer Schools at Oxford, Swansea and Aberystwyth to aid their applications along with growing interest in foreign experiences with the Sutton Trust & Seren.

The legacy of Pembroke School’s Sixth Form at Ysgol Harri Tudur/Henry Tudor School includes an outstanding reputation for success and university progression to the most competitive of institutions. We are now proud to be forging our own enviable Sixth Form reputation at Ysgol Harri Tudur / Henry Tudor School. Many are able to gain places in highly regarded universities on courses for which there is great demand. The school is also at the forefront of the Oxford and Cambridge promotion in Wales, ensuring that our most accomplished students are given every opportunity to apply for these prestigious institutions.