Featherstone High Sixth Form Tutor & Subject Teacher Guidance

Featherstone High School Sixth Form

Guidance: UCAS Information ef: ! "#$ %une &##' !age " of "# Aims To offer guidance to all Sixth Form Tutors on writing good references for students Sco(e: All Sixth Form Tutors, the Sixth Form Pastoral Team es(onsibilit): Head of Sixth Form, TLRs Year 12 and Year 1 , Sixth Form Tutors GUI*I+G STU*,+TS All com!leted "#AS forms should $e sent to TLRs $% &cto$er Half Term 's!ecific timelines will $e communicated through the TLRs() This is a final deadline for Featherstone High and %ou should em!hasise to students the enormous ad*antages to $e gained $% su$mitting their form much earlier) -xbridge. /edicine. 0ets & *entists A+ will ad*ise %ou of students a!!l%ing for medicine, *eterinar% and dentistr% A+ will also ad*ise %ou of students a!!l%ing for &x$ridge and will ha*e an o*ersight of the final reference) You ,"ST write the original reference) -xtra effort should $e made with these) All &x$ridge references should $e written $% last Frida% in Se!tem$er at the latest and emailed to A+ $% .!m on this da% Forms to A+ $% last ,onda% of Se!tem$er Forms sent on 2nd wee/ in &cto$er to a$ide $% "#AS and &x$ridge closing date Please remem$er that A+ is dealing with a large num$er of forms in a *er% short s!ace of time so it is essential that %our reference is written and emailed to A+ $% stated deadlines

1HAT 1, 1-U2* 2I3, 4-U T- CH,C3 CH-IC,S 0t is the student1s res!onsi$ilit% to ma/e sure that the institution codes, course codes, cam!us code and an% other information re2uired in this section is correct) +e cannot $e ex!ected to chec/ this) 0t has $een stressed to students that it is their res!onsi$ilit% to chec/ that the courses a!!lied for are rele*ant to their 2ualifications, interests and future !lans etc) 0f the student has also chosen to add unit grades then it is the student1s res!onsi$ilit% to chec/ that mar/s and grades are correct) !, S-+A2 STAT,/,+T Please ad*ise students of an% s!elling 3 !unctuation and grammar errors) 0f, howe*er, the% refuse to alter it and are adamant that the% li/e what the% ha*e written then ma/e a note on the file when %ou !ass it TLRs sa%ing what %ou ha*e ad*ised) This is *er% im!ortant if errors are sent) 0f the student is ha!!% to !roceed with errors then so $e it as it is their statement) Please mention to students that "#AS will $e running all statements through !lagiarism software and an% found to ha*e $een co!ied will $e re!orted to "ni*ersities a!!lied for) Places are withdrawn from students who are found to ha*e co!ied !arts of their statements from the sources including the "ni*ersit% !ros!ectus) There is a character limit of 444 including s!aces) Students should com!lete the form read% for %ou to chec/ online) The% will $e told that the% should not send the form to the referee until %ou ha*e gi*en !ermission that all is correct with the form) &nce it is sent to the referee then the form is loc/ed and cannot $e altered) You will $e gi*en %our own username and !assword and this will allow %ou to log onto the APPLY s%stem and loo/ at how far our students ha*e got with the form) This is a we$ $ased s%stem and so will not re2uire an% storage of forms on the school s%stem) As the students will $e a$le to com!lete the form at home this should ease the 5fight1 for com!uters in the LR#) All tutees will ha*e access to student1s forms6 howe*er, students should also gi*e %ou a co!% of their username and !assword to ensure the% do not forget the information) 0f the% do lose them then their wor/ on their form will $e lost and the% will ha*e to start a new one from scratch) Page 1 You ha*e $een !reregistered with APPLY so that %ou can access the staff area to chec/ the !rogress of %our students a!!lications) As soon as the% ha*e registered %ou will $e a$le to follow the !rogress of the a!!lication to see how far each of %our tutees has got in com!leting the form)

To access the staff area than78

T%!e in www)ucas)com and clic/ the APPLY icon #lic/ on 5Staff Login1 T%!e in %our surname and !assword which will $e gi*en to %ou and !ress return You will now $e a$le to access the main menu which will ta/e %ou to all areas of the staff area #lic/ on an% of the lin/s to ta/e %ou to the re2uired section) You do not ha*e !ermission to access an% of the set u! facilities and cannot directl% add or change a reference) &nl% the TLRs can do this) You can howe*er *iew all a!!lications in %our tutor grou!) The a!!lications list allowed %ou to trac/ %our students) A!!lications can $e sorted $% tutor grou! as students ha*e register under their tutor grou!)

,an% admissions tutors ha*e said that the% would li/e references to ta/e account of the re2uirements of the su$9ect $eing a!!lied for) The !ur!ose of this guide is to u!date tutors to write detailed and useful comments a$out their students which will ena$le the student to win a !lace on the course of their choice at the "ni*ersit% of their choice or to gain that all im!ortant inter*iew for a 9o$) TH, , IS CHA ACT, 2I/IT -F 5### I+C2U*I+G S!AC,S FTH, ,F, ,+C,

Folders ha*e $een created on the shared dri*e 8 Go to the staff shared area 6 Sixth Form +/ 6 Sixth Form +,1 F-2*, +/ 6 4ear "7 UCAS Statements &#"#"" -ach tutor has a with their tutors surname) +ithin the folder %ou ha*e three su$ folders6 Su$9ects Statements Students Statement : Tutor Statements) Please ensure %ou use word documents for statements and that ALL wor/ is /e!t in these folders and u!dated when necessar%) 0n addition to there is a FI+A2 STAT,/,+TS F- SU8/ISSI-+ folder) &nce %ou ha*e finished %our student references and the student !ersonal statements then it must $e !laced into the F0;AL folders) This means that the TLRs will /now exactl% which reference is the latest *ersion for each student) T%!e in si<e "" font 'no smaller( in CA2I8 I

&n the Learning to Learn =a%s in Se!tem$er %ou will $e a$le to hold an indi*idual meeting with each of %our students to discuss the reference and to find out exactl% what the student is a!!l%ing for) As soon as courses are finalised tutors will $e gi*en two sheets 'one for the tutor and one for the student( for each student listing78 >#S- results, AS Results A2 and AS $eing ta/en and "#AS !redicted grades &ther rele*ant information e)g) wor/ ex!erience com!leted, ho$$ies, interests, extra curricular acti*ities and future !lans)

In order to 9rite the reference )ou 9ill also need to assemble: The student !rofiles ? one for each su$9ect The 5Students 0nformation for Tutors1 form which should $e handed $ac/ to %ou in @une) The student should ha*e recorded information for %ou to include in the reference on this The students file for an% additional information Predicted grades for A2s ? these will $e found on S0,s "nit grades Additional comments relating to s/ills from su$9ect staff An% comments we ha*e recei*ed from the wor/ ex!erience !ro*ider ? !lease 2uote from this if it is good 3 comments on s/ills the students demonstrated 3 de*elo!ed whilst on wor/ ex!erience) Students also ha*e the +-A wor/$oo/ for reference) Page 2 An% additional comments that staff ma% wish to add in the light of wor/ com!leted o*er the summer for exam!le)

=e!ending on the t%!e of course a!!lied for the% will $e loo/ing for78

#reati*e or !ractical a$ilit% 0ntellectual a$ilit% and anal%tical s/ills -xtensi*e wor/ ex!erience

The reference needs to $e tailored to the course a!!lied for em!hasising the student1s rele*ant strengths) &n the whole admission tutors are interested in e*idence that the student has certain s/ills and 2ualities ? the% are not es!eciall% interested in a narrati*e of the student1s academic life emember : there are lots of ;er) good students around the countr)< A mediocre reference 9ill not hel( an excellent student stand out< !lease do )our best to =sell> all of our to( students< The exam!les gi*en ser*e to gi*e %ou ideas of the sorts of things Admissions &fficers are loo/ing for B =o $e war% of using a set of stoc/ !hrases and assem$ling the reference around these 0t is im!ortant that the reference reads as though %ou /now the student !ersonall% =o ma/e sure that %ou ha*e the right name for the student and that when writing 5he1 or 5she1 that %ou get the correct sex +hen mentioning the course ma/e sure that this is correct) These sorts of mista/es suggest that either %ou 3 or the school has $een careless or that %ou do not /now the student *er% well ? neither ins!ires confidence on the reference) You should $e a$le to tell in the ma9orit% of the cases the course $eing a!!lied for from the reference)

Celow are some exam!les that will hel! %ou with the statements) +here information needs to $e chec/ed3altered3deleted %ou will see DD either side of the information and the statements in ca!itals) You will need to ad9ust the si<e and em!hasis of some of the sections according to the student) "? After the set college introduction Start with an ATT-;T0&; S-0E0;> introductor% !aragra!h descri$ing in general the !ersonal strengths and s/ills of the student and how the% relate to the course a!!lied) For those students who %ou cannot write this sort of !aragra!h, write a summati*e !aragra!hF +hat 2ualities does the student ha*e which mean that he 3 she can ta/e res!onsi$ilit% for his 3 her own wor/, ma/e new relationshi!s 3 li*e awa% from home3 meet new challengesG For exam!le7 X is well motivated and a mature student who is highly articulate and intelligent. Always friendly, cheerful and polite, X has developed a good working relationship with both staff and peers and is able to work well both as an individual and as part of a team. This will serve her well whilst studying for a degree in engineering. She has an excellent record of attendance and punctuality. er honesty has never been !uestioned". &? +ext discuss the academic @ualities =iscuss each su$9ect in a short !aragra!h) The comments from the "#AS section of ,ar/$oo/ will $e merged into the document at this !oint for %ou) The comments ma% need a little editing as we would not wish to include the same comment three times o*erF =o ma/e sure that comments from staff teaching su$9ects where the AS has now $een dro!!ed are in the !ast tense) You will need to edit this section com!letel% as it will $e too long for the reference and %ou also need to remo*e the su$9ects and staff codes) Some exam!les are78 X"s en#oyment of mathematics is demonstrated by her determination and commitment when facing challenging problems and by her satisfaction in solving these problems. She is able to conceptualise and to extrapolate information from a variety of !uestions. X uses her powers of analysis when approaching difficult problems and offers concise, accurate solutions to a range of problems. She uses her time well and meets all deadlines for handing in work".

Page X is coping well with the demands of the course and she understands the main concepts involved. She meets deadlines and hands in work on time and is capable of working and thinking independently. She can carry out and plan practical tasks skilfully". 7? !redicted Grades These will $e mail merged into the reference and will need the grade entered on the data$ase $% the TLR) These should not $e changed under an% circumstances without the written !ermission of the TLR) Please do not ta/e the students word to increase the grade) For those su$9ects $eing ta/en at AS this %ear then in the !redicted grade section write ? similar grade ex!ected to

the a$o*e 3 good !ass 3 antici!ated 3 sound !ass antici!ated) Please add in a sentence at the *er% $ottom the !redicted grades so that the% can $e co!ied and !asted into the !redicted $ox on the form) 5? Course Additions An% additions will $e merged in for %ou e)g) AS #ritical Thin/ing, >eneral Studies etc) You will need to edit this section) A? Then discuss other @ualifications and bring out the sBills that the student has gained as a result of these studies< 0f an% of this is es!eciall% rele*ant to the chosen course then sa% so) For exam!le78 $n addition to her A level sub#ects, X has passed the %SA integrated &usiness Technology Stage $$ examination and also the 'oung (nterprise examination. She was an active member of the )ollege 'oung (nterprise group last year, an experience she found challenging and which developed her organisational skills. Throughout her school life, X has given freely of her time in extra*curricular activities and charity events. X has taken part in the School )ommunity )are Scheme and has been involved with a local schools 'ear + pro#ect, which involved her mentoring a 'ear + student on a weekly basis to help her improve her literacy kills. This revealed X"s caring nature and her willingness to help others". $? 2astl) discuss The wor/ ex!erience and an% s!ecial circumstances or characteristics of the student that %ou feel ma% affect the !erformance of the student at inter*iew or in the exams e)g) health, health of a !arent or close relati*e and write a concluding !aragra!h summarising the main !oints and s/ills, ma/ing a statement as to how the student is suited to the course a!!lied for) X is a model student, hardworking, conscientious, and enthusiastic and someone who un!uestionably would cope with the heavy workload on a ,aw degree at the highest level. Above all she is determined to do well. -e recommend her highly". C? ecommendation 5+e recommend ,ar% in the strongest !ossi$le terms 3 thoroughl% 3 firml% recommend 3 su$mit ,ar%1s form for %our consideration1) 0f we cannot recommend a student for the courses for which the% are a!!l%ing then %ou need to discuss with the student whether the% are ma/ing realistic a!!lications) 0f a student !ersists in ma/ing an a!!lication for which %ou feel we cannot recommend them then !lease refer to the TLRs) 1H,+ ,A*I+G TH, ,F, ,+C, CA+ 4-U S,, Predicted grades added at the $ottom so these chec/ing easil% see if the reference is com!ati$le with the gradesG Find the t%!e of course 'A le*el 3 CT-#( $eing followedG >et a clear idea of the a!!licant1s main strengths and wea/nessesG >et a clear idea of the a!!licant !ersonalit%G Are the su$9ects clearl% se!aratedG Are !ersonal and academic comments clearl% se!aratedG How effecti*el% does the !resentation guide %ou through the informationG Ha*e %ou su!!lied e*idence to $ac/ u! comments madeG Are 2uotations attri$uted where a!!ro!riate 0s the $alance $etween academic and !ersonal rightG Page . Has the referee considered whether the candidate is suita$le for a s!ecific su$9ect or t%!e of courseG Are an% wea/nesses or other significant issues such as s!ecial needs $een addressedG 0s an% significant information a$out the candidate or the school missingG

UCAS use so(histicated soft9are to checB all a((lications for (lagiarism< *- +-T be tem(ted to use statements from Internet 9ebsites or colleagues in other school -TH, A!!2ICA+TS

*eferred A((lications -*en if the student is not a!!l%ing for an%thing this %ear or wishes to defer, %ou still need to write a reference) This is $ecause man% of our students write to the school after the% ha*e left as/ing for a reference) 0f we get them written this %ear, while the% are fresh in our minds, it is much easier than in fi*e %ears time) -TH, ,DA/!2,S FSTAT,/,+TS

Student " Featherstone High School is an 1181H non8selecti*e com!rehensi*e school in the heart of old Southall) =es!ite $eing in an area that is in the $ottom 24I on the 0ndex of ,ulti!le =e!ri*ation, FHS has recei*ed an &fsted rating of &utstanding and re8esta$lished its Sixth Form in 244H) BBB)) has attended Featherstone High for BB entire school career and has shown BB)) to $e a highl% gifted student of outstanding !otential ,ohammed is well suited to the stud% of s!ort at degree le*el) He is an excellent !ractical !erformer) ,ohammed is a su!er$ all round athlete and foot$all !la%er) ,ohammed has innate a$ilit% and is a$le to a!!l% himself to an% s!ort) ,ohammed achie*ed *er% highl% in his AS anatom% and !h%siolog% exam) His lo*e for golf has meant that he has !roduced a num$er of detailed mo*ement anal%ses as !art of his !re!aration for examinations) His !ractical !erformance !ortfolio was of A grade standard and he dis!la%ed com!rehensi*e research of issues related to golf) ,ohammed has a thorough understanding of the !ractical techni2ue of a wide range of s!orting acti*ities and this is !ro*iding a good grounding for his A2 o$ser*ation and anal%sis of !erformance) He has an excellent understanding of energ% s%stems and the reco*er% !rocess as well as a su!er$ /nowledge of s!orts !s%cholog%, !articularl% to!ics such as attitudes, achie*ement moti*ation and how these can $e a!!lied to !ractical /nowledge) Through his lo*e of s!ort he understands how s!orts !s%cholog% has an im!act u!on s!ort, strategies for !erformers, coaches and how ,ohammed can a!!l% the !rinci!les in his coaching of %ounger teams) 0n addition to his academic success he has com!leted the #ommunit% S!orts Leaders Award offering coaching and assistance for grou!s of children in a num$er of s!orts including foot$all and cric/et) He was the s!orts ca!tain for his house colour where he engaged with the enthusiasm, !assion and com!etiti*eness of other %oung !erformers) He is a great communicator, is well organised and has a mature a!!roach) ,ohammed has good su$9ect /nowledge in mathematics) He has a natural a$ilit% to articulate his ideas in mathematics coherentl% and succinctl%) He can see his wa% through !ro$lems and is a$le to offer a clear o*erall strateg% for sol*ing man% mathematical !ro$lems) His gras! of the underl%ing !rinci!les $ehind the mathematics is *er% good and he can ada!t !re*ious /nowledge to sol*e new !ro$lems and challenges) +ritten wor/ is often !recise and carefull% thought out) His alge$ra is !recise and he has demonstrated a real interest for the su$9ect) He is a$le to see short cuts in his wor/ing and a!!l% them with a good degree of understanding !articularl% to the more challenging of the A le*el 2uestions) 0n !h%sics ,ohammed is an extremel% conscientious student, who alwa%s listens carefull% to instructions and carries out !ractical wor/ carefull% and !recisel%) 0f he can, he will a!!l% his s!orts /nowledge in a !h%sical science context) This was e*ident in his coursewor/ on !ro9ectiles, where he com!ared the lofting of a golf $all to the extra range achie*ed $% the s!inning !ro9ectile) He understands the idea of !ercentage error and is a$le to a!!l% this in his e*aluations) ,ohammed is a diligent student, who does not gi*e u! easil% on the more mathematicall% challenging 2uestions) He has an en2uiring mind and !re!ares himself well for lessons, often doing additional reading around the to!ic) ,ohammed is confident in discussions and contri$utes intelligent and well considered comments) ,ohammed is well li/ed and res!ected $% $oth staff and his !eers and has made a *er% !ositi*e contri$ution to school life !articularl% through his in*ol*ement in s!ort) He is a !ositi*e student and wor/s well with others) This is es!eciall% e*ident within the tutor grou! where ,ohammed has acti*el% !artici!ated in assem$lies and inter8form com!etitions) He is committed to doing well and has high ex!ectations of himself) +e recommend ,ohammed to %ou without hesitation) Page J Student & Featherstone High School is an 1181H non8selecti*e com!rehensi*e school in the heart of old Southall) =es!ite $eing in an area that is in the $ottom 24I on the 0ndex of ,ulti!le =e!ri*ation, FHS has recei*ed an &fsted rating of &utstanding and re8esta$lished its Sixth Form in 244H) BBB)) has attended Featherstone High for BB entire school career and has shown BB)) to $e a highl% gifted student of outstanding !otential ,an!reet is a *er% strong mem$er of the drama de!artment) She is an accom!lished !erformer of dance, theatre and musical theatre and she was awarded 144I $% the *isiting examiner for her AS !ractical wor/) This is an excellent achie*ement, although it is hardl% sur!rising from ,an!reet as she is a determined and thoroughl% !olished !erformer) ,an!reet too/ one of the lead roles, Sand%, in last %ear1s

!roduction 5>rease1) She is *er% confident when on stage and has a $eautiful singing *oice) Her lo*e for !erformance has $een $ac/ed u! $% an a$ilit% to reflect on her !erformances and also to anal%se how she could im!ro*e further) ,an!reet is currentl% com!leting her de*ised !ractical !iece for her A2 coursewor/ and this in*ol*ed a considera$le amount of !re!aration and wor/ing together as !art of a small team with her fellow cast mem$ers) ,an!reet wor/s excellentl% with others and dis!la%s a genuine com!assion and em!ath% for those she wor/s with) 0n -nglish, ,an!reet is a determined and confident student) She is a$le to use de$ate to ex!lore com!lex ideas and extend her own thin/ing) She as/s searching 2uestions and is elo2uent when ex!ressing her *iews) She deals with com!lex texts with relati*e ease and is anal%tical in her res!onses) Her understanding of the wor/s of literar% critics is good and she uses them effecti*el% to inform her own ideas) ,an!reet is a$le to !lace texts in their social, !olitical and historical contexts and to ex!lore the rele*ance and significance of them) ,an!reet1s written wor/ shows $alanced arguments ma/ing use of factual e*idence) 0n a!!lied $usiness, ,an!reet is an a$le and effecti*e student) She has good su$9ect /nowledge and is a$le to a!!l% this effecti*el% to an% $usiness) ,an!reet is a !erce!ti*e student who understands how to anal%se and e*aluate how a $usiness can im!ro*e and what factors will influence their decision ma/ing) ,an!reet !erformed !articularl% well on the "nit 1 !ortfolio on !resenting a mar/eting !ro!osal) She understood the theor% $ehind mar/eting and was a$le to a!!l% this to her chosen $usiness) Her communication s/ills are excellent and her confidence in deli*ering her !ro!osals was *er% !rofessional) #urrentl% ,an!reet is stud%ing strategic decision ma/ing and is tac/ling the to!ic of critical !ath anal%sis) She is also creating a $usiness !lan for a wedding !hotogra!h% $usiness) &utside of school ,an!reet has also made the *er% most of all o!!ortunities to !ractice her art) 0t is nota$le that ,an!reet has com$ined her lo*e of !erformance with a !assion for assisting others) This is clear through her ex!eriences of $eing an assistant teacher at a !art time stage school for %ounger !eo!le) This shows that ,an!reet has more than merel% selfish am$ition6 she lo*es !erforming and all that is related to it) Throughout her school career, ,an!reet has made excellent contri$utions to man% of the concerts and !roductions) ,an!reet has contri$uted greatl% to 5tutor grou!1 life for the last two %ears) She is !leasant, !olite and extremel% caring towards others in the tutor grou!) ,an!reet is also *er% 2uic/ to hel! out with an%thing that the tutor is in*ol*ed in, such as !lanning for assem$lies) Although ,an!reet has o$*ious s/ills in s!eech and drama, she encourages others in the tutor grou! to de*elo! their s/ills rather than dominating) ,an!reet is a hardwor/ing, conscientious and extremel% ca!a$le student and !erformer who would thri*e in an en*ironment with li/e minded !eo!le) She is a well rounded indi*idual who gets on well with $oth !eers and teachers) +e wholeheartedl% recommend ,an!reet to %ou)

Page K Student 7 Featherstone High School is an 1181H non8selecti*e com!rehensi*e school in the heart of old Southall) =es!ite $eing in an area that is in the $ottom 24I on the 0ndex of ,ulti!le =e!ri*ation, FHS has recei*ed an &fsted rating of &utstanding and re8esta$lished its Sixth Form in 244H) BBB)) has attended Featherstone High for BB entire school career and has shown BB)) to $e a highl% gifted student of outstanding !otential >uled is well suited to stud%ing at foundation le*el) His wor/ is uni2ue and he has de*elo!ed a highl% !ersonalised st%le) @ >uled has a natural flair for the su$9ect and his wor/ has !rogressed in a *er% ex!ressionistic and confident manner since >#S-) He is a$le to discuss his wor/ in de!th and with

enthusiasm) He ma/es effecti*e use of all elements of his research and his wor/ is well contextualised) He can a$sor$ new ideas and conce!ts with ease and is a$le to ta/e the ideas !resented him and inter!ret them in a !ersonal and in*enti*e manner) >uled em$races the o!!ortunit% to de*elo! new s/ills through the handling of a range of techni2ues and media and his wor/ is well executed) 0n the last %ear >uled has $egun to concentrate on the more gra!hic nature of art and has de*elo!ed a highl% gra!hical st%le of wor/ing) He is !articularl% enthusiastic a$out the stud% of animation and illustration and is eager to $e gi*en the o!!ortunit% to de*elo! this side of his art further) >uled a!!roaches his wor/ with maturit% and a high le*el of commitment and his record of attendance and !unctualit% are excellent) >uled is a !ositi*e and hardwor/ing student and alwa%s ma/es the $est of the o!!ortunities offered him) He is !assionate a$out art and he is eager to further extend his /nowledge and existing s/ills) The 2ualit% of >uled1s artwor/ is excellent and his !resentation s/ills, e*ident in his s/etch$oo/ and final !ieces are su!er$) He treats his su$9ect matter with great thought and sensiti*it%) He is a disci!lined and talented student and would $e well suited to stud% at foundation and degree le*el) >uled is a strong mem$er of the theatre studies class who uses his considera$le ex!erience in a consistentl% constructi*e wa%) He is relia$le, !unctual and eager to do well) >uled has o!inions and is !re!ared to ex!ress them in a sensiti*e and honest wa%) 0n all as!ects of artistic creation 'rehearsal, scri!ting, de*ising and staging(, >uled has o!inions and is !re!ared to ex!ress them in a sensiti*e and honest wa%) This ma/es him a *ital leader of the !rocess) Howe*er, >uled also ta/es direction well and listens with care and understanding) >uled is !re!ared to ta/e ris/s and will !ush himself and others to ex!lore a range of artistic !ossi$ilities $ased on good !ractice and growing insight) His !erformance /nowledge is extensi*e for someone his age, %et he remains o!en to new a!!roaches and also de*elo!s his range of res!onse $% ma/ing intelligent lin/s $etween and across genres and has a strong gras! of context) >uled has !erformed in shows and has hel!ed $ac/stage in man% !roductions $e%ond school) He has alwa%s $een /een to $e in*ol*ed at whate*er le*el is re2uired6 $e it a starring role in ma9or !roductions or a minor cameo !iece) >uled is currentl% an assistant director on the school !roduction and leading figure in the house music grou!) 0n !roduct design >uled continues to dis!la% the !ositi*e 2ualities identified $% his other teachers) He is a relia$le student who alwa%s dis!la%s a !ositi*e attitude to his studies) He is articulate and alwa%s willing to contri$ute to class discussions with intelligent and well thought out comments) >uled has good su$9ect /nowledge and is an inde!endent learner) He has contacted international com!anies to gain an in de!th /nowledge of manufacturing !rocesses and has studied and assimilated the information *er% well) He has good communication s/ills and has a distinct st%le of !resentation) He ma/es full use of his strong drawing a$ilit% and it has !ro*en to $e an asset in the stud% of this su$9ect) As well as a strong academic record >uled also has an acti*e extra curricular life and he has a !assion for the creati*e arts) >uled is well li/ed and res!ected $% $oth staff and his !eers and has made a *er% !ositi*e contri$ution to all as!ects of school life) He is a mature and relia$le student who is a$le to maintain a high le*el of academic achie*ement whilst *olunteering his time to interests outside of the classroom) +e ha*e no dou$t that >uled will thri*e on the o!!ortunities and challenges that uni*ersit% life will offer and we are certain that he will $e an asset to an% arts !rogramme) +e recommend him most highl% and without reser*ation)

Page L

3,4 *AT,S All com!leted "#AS a!!lication forms for courses commencing at "ni*ersit% in &cto$er 2414 or deferred entr% in &cto$er 2411 will $e conducted under the following schedule7

STAG, " STAG, &

All students will register online with "#AS8 PSH- lesson Further meetings $etween Tutor and Tutee Pa%ment to "#AS of M1N made $% student "se of PSH- lessons to allow tutor and tutee time to !roduce drafts of !ersonal statement Tutor to write reference Final drafts of PS sent to Tutor Tutor to write reference : send to TLRs) TLR to !roof read) TLRs to S,T Su$mitted to "#AS

@ul% 2414 Time gi*en during first wee/ in Se!tem$er

STAG, 7

Se!tem$er ? &cto$er half term Student to tutor deadline ? 2 nd wee/ in &cto$er Last wee/ in &cto$er first wee/ in ;o*em$er Tutors to TLRs first wee/ in ;o*em$er 2nd wee/ in ;o*em$er

STAG, 5

STAG, A

Page H Featherstone High School Sixth Form Guidance: eference 1riting Tutors

ef: ! "#$b %une &##' !age " of ' Aims To offer guidance to all Sixth Form Tutors on writing good references for students Sco(e: All Sixth Form Tutors, the Sixth Form Pastoral Team es(onsibilit): Head of Sixth Form, TLRs Year 12 and Year 1 , Sixth Form Tutors I+T -*UCTI-+ +riting references for %our tutor grou! can $e a rewarding and en9o%a$le ex!erience) 0t is an o!!ortunit% to 5sell1 the students %ou ha*e $een nurturing and coaxing along o*er the !ast twel*e months) 0t is, howe*er, a long and time8consuming !rocess, $e reassured that %ou won1t get references all at once and the !rocess with $e s!anned o*er a solid amount of time and will start in the summer term) You will also ha*e the su$9ect teacher1s comments which will hel! su!!ort %our reference writing) 0f at an% !oint %ou feel o*erwhelmed and are in need of su!!ort the TLRs are at hand to hel!) 0t is im!ortant that the earlier %ou as/ for su!!ort the $etter, e2uall% other tutors ma% $e of some su!!ort to %ou) The TLRs are all a$le to assist in the !rocess and are *er% ha!!% to discuss issues, suggest !aragra!hs or an% other assistance that can $e gi*en) 0t is a!!reciated the enormous $urden this !rocess !laces on %ou in this $us% term, so do as/ for hel!) The TLRs will read all references, if necessar%, howe*er if drastic changes are made %ou will $e informed and the changes discussed) 0 ho!e %ou en9o% $eing in*ol*ed in %our tutees1 future and get infected $% some of their excitement) STA TI+G A ,F, ,+C, All references should start with the sentence7 Featherstone High School is an 11-18 non-selective comprehensive school, which is in the heart of old Southall, with a sixth form which re-established itself in 2008 !ll students ta"e their !S level examinations at the end of #ear 12 CH,C32IST FSTA TI+G A ,F, ,+C,

1) All references are 5o!en1) Please share the reference with students as %ou write it) ,a/e sure %ou show them a !rinted co!% $efore %ou email it to me '$ut don1t let them ta/e the !rinted co!% homeF(, as this is a great wa% to chec/ for an% errors) 2) -xam!les of reference models are attached) ) Please do collect !ersonal files from Helen if %ou want to refer to them, and then return them to her as soon %ou ha*e written the reference) .) -*idence3information to collect for the reference7 a( $( c( d( e( Predicted A2 grades 'howe*er, do not write these in the !aragra!hs( AS results >#S- results Su$9ect teachers1 comments Year 12 !rogress re!ort '$ut $% now out of date( Page N f( An% letter3memo which suggests that the student has $een !articularl% strong in his or her contri$ution to the su$9ect or has struggled to ada!t to the demands of the sixth form g( Your notes from inter*iews with students6 %our o$ser*ations re !unctualit%, attendance etc)

h( An% letter which !raises students for their in*ol*ement in school e*ents, o!en e*enings etc) i( Students1 in*ol*ement with Young -nter!rise, de$ating, Sixth Form #ommittee, drama !roductions, house music com!etition, !aired reading, +orld #hallenge, %ear $oo/ etc) 9( +or/8shadowing references3feed$ac/ from students6 an% extra wor/8ex!erience the%1*e underta/en6 an% *oluntar% wor/) TH, =/,CHA+ICS> -F 1 ITI+G A ,F, ,+C, 1) +rite each reference as and when %ou recei*e !rint outs of com!leted !ersonal statements from students) >et started earl% in the summer term with an% &x$ridge or ,edical candidates) =o not attem!t to write them all in one goF You need to ha*e the student1s !ersonal statement in front of %ou so that %ou can chec/ the examinations the% ha*e entered and %ou can tailor %our reference to com!lement their !ersonal statement) This wa% %ou will a*oid re!etition and %ou will ma/e the reference !recisel% rele*ant to the courses the student has selected) 2) A good length reference is a!!roximatel% J44 words) 'The maximum %ou can fit in is a$out JH4)( ) Please word !rocess %our reference) +rite %our reference in O#al$riP font 11) Sa*e each reference with surname followed $% first name in full, li/e this7 /eston +icola or 1ebb Andre9

=& ;&T C- AFRA0= T& ,&=-L Y&"R R-F-R-;#- &; TH- -AA,PL-S PR&Q0=-= ? TH-R- 0S ;& PR-SS"R- T& C- &R0>0;AL &R START FR&, S#RAT#HF TH, C-+T,+T -F TH, ,F, ,+C, : I+T -*UCT- 4 !A AG A!H Start with the o!ening sentence gi*en earlier in this guide) $rief educational histor% of the applicant Ha*e the% alwa%s $een at FeatherstoneG An% unusual circumstancesG An%thing '!ersonal, famil%, school( that might 9eo!ardise results, or has led to unex!ectedl% $ad !erformance in Year 12

&re-sixth form record =o not 9ust state what is on the form, e*aluate it) =id the >#S- results fulfil our ex!ectationsG Re% words7 exceptional S mainl% AD3A, excellent S AD3A3C mix, good S Cs and #s, creditable S #s) You ma% also want to sa%, for exam!le, that after somewhat disappointing .)S( results, X has effected a radical turn around at sixth form level....." etc) TH ,, SU8%,CT !A AG A!HS "se the !aragra!hs that teachers ha*e emailed to %ou as a $asis for the reference) 0ne*ita$l% %ou will ha*e to change them round and ma/e them fit the rest of the reference) The !aragra!h from the su$9ect that most resem$les their chosen uni*ersit% course will come first and $e the longest '244 words a!!rox() The other su$9ects can $e shorter and should $ac/u! the student1s a!titude and diligence) Predicted grades are now listed se!aratel% on the "#AS form, so do not ma/e s!ecific reference to them in the text) C% all means 2uote from su$9ect staff, $ut do this s!aringl% and sa*e it for comments a$out talent and exce!tional !erformance etc) &n the whole, %ou should aim to use their ideas and words within %our own sentences) &e fair, honest and positive/ $t is easy to signal reservations without being negative.

Page 14 ,DT A CU ICU2A 6 !, S-+A2 EUA2ITI,S -*aluate what students ha*e done rather than re!eat what the% ha*e written themsel*es) As/ %ourself the following 2uestions7

+hat does this re*eal a$out the a!!licantG =oes it ha*e an% significance with regard to the course the% ha*e a!!lied forG How seriousl% !ursued is an% interest or acti*it%G =oes it re*eal organisational and leadershi! s/illsG =oes it im!l% an a$ilit% to acce!t res!onsi$ilit%G Ha*e such acti*ities $een sustained in the face of !ersonal difficulties or disru!tions at home during the %earG Are the% organised3highl% moti*atedG =o the% res!ond to challengesG =o the% wor/ well as a teamG =o the% get on with !eers and staffG "se %our notes from small grou! tutorials State on the reference if %ou feel that the student is unli/el% to do themsel*es 9ustice at inter*iew and gi*e the reasons)

C-+C2U*I+G !A AG A!H =raw together the threads relati*e to the institution or course a!!lied for) =oes the student ha*e the necessar% moti*ation for undergraduate coursesG How well do %ou ex!ect the student to thri*e at uni*ersit%G How strongl% do we recommend the candidateG Ta/e care o*er wording in this last !art ? it is crucial)

Page 11 Featherstone High Sixth Form Guidance: 1riting Subject eferences ef: ! "#C

%une &##' !age " of 5 Aims To offer guidance to all Sixth Form Su$9ect Teachers on writing good references for students) Sco(e: All Sixth Form Tutors, Sixth Form Su$9ect Teachers, TLRs, the Sixth Form Pastoral Team es(onsibilit): TLRs Year 12 and Year 1 , Sixth Form Tutors 1 ITI+G A SU8%,CT ,F, ,+C, The entire reference should $e written to su!!ort the student1s intended choice of course) As!ects rele*ant to this should $e selected and the student1s suita$ilit% for the course 9udged) Cefore %ou write a su$9ect reference ensure %ou /now what course the student is a!!l%ing for and read the (ersonal statement) 1HAT T- I+C2U*, "< ,xisting achie;ements. 9ith (articular reference to the subject a((lied for< Refer to student1s academic a$ilit%) 0nclude a student1s !owers of anal%sis and inde!endent thought) ,ention ",S scores, grades for indi*idual !a!ers, coursewor/ or indi*idual !ieces of wor/ 9here (articularl) good 'do not mention them if the% are onl% a*erage() *o not include (redicted grades, as these will $e written $% the Head of Sixth Form at the to! of the reference) ,a/e s!ecific reference to as!ects of the course and the a!!licant1s ca!a$ilities) 0f a student has a low AS Le*el grade ex!lain wh%) &< ele;ant sBills 0nclude here fieldwor/, !ractical and other su$9ect s!ecific s/ills) -m!hasise s/ills directl% rele*ant to his3her chosen course)

7< Curriculum enrichment #omment on rele*ant wor/ ex!erience, !lacements or *oluntar% wor/ 5< Suitabilit) for chosen course ,a/e reference to the student1s !otential) Refer to academic and !ersonal 2ualities) A< /oti;ation and commitment Refer to wor/ ethic, a$ilit% to meet deadlines, relia$ilit%, a!titude for inde!endent learning and genuine interest in stud%) $< -ther (ersonal @ualities These ma% $e !articularl% im!ortant for their chosen course) 0nclude initiati*e, a$ilit% to wor/ with others, exam!les of res!onsi$ilit%, a$ilit% to manage wor/load, organisational ca!a$ilities, interests and leadershi! 2ualities amongst others)

Page 12

1HAT T- I+C2U*, I+ ,F, ,+C,S FC-/!,TITI0, !2AC,S<

/,*ICI+,. -D8 I*G, A+* A!!2ICA+TS F-

/- ,

There is a real need to em(hasise the @ualit) of our most able students and 9here 9e feel the) are ;er) ca(able of 9orBing in a com(etiti;e de(artment 9e need to ensure that admissions tutors Bno9 that the a((licant is a strong one< For /edicine +or/ with !eers ? s/illed at teamwor/ ange of outside interests ? not 9ust science related A$ilit% to ta/e res!onsi$ilit% for decisions Fascination for science of medicine 'not 9ust A le*el sciences( "nderstanding of the realities of a career as a doctor Personal 2ualities needed to $e a doctor A$ilit% to manage wor/load #ommitment ? !re!ared for continuous learning Rnowledge and understanding of latest medical information For -xbridge Academic a$ilit% and !otential A$ilit% to handle an intellectual argument A!titude for logical and inde!endent thought &!en8mindedness ,oti*ation #ommitment and self disci!line Time management Passion for learning ,xam(les of 9orB o;er and abo;e A grade A le;el 9orB

+here a student is well suited to &x$ridge or a com!etiti*e course li/e medicine the e*idence and the grammar %ou use need to em!hasise this) ,xam(les O+ithin a com!etiti*e %ear grou! 0ohammed is !articularl% outstandingP O0ohammed achie*ed to! mar/s on 2 out of three AS !a!ers and *er% high A grades in all the !a!ersP O0ohammed is one of the most a$le BB) in this !articularl% $right setP

S-/, ,DA/!2,S -F G--* ! ACTIC, "< Good for em(hasising abilit) of student Fincluding reference to s(ecific AS results? 0ohammed is an outstanding student in this su$9ect, ha*ing an excellent understanding of the conce!ts and !recise mathematical s/ills to reinforce his /nowledge) His a!!reciation of the issues in*ol*ed in an% to!ic, together with the $ac/ground reading and his en2uiring a!!roach enables him to de;elo( discussions to a le;el far be)ond that re@uired in the A 2e;el (rogramme< 0n addition to his mathematical talents, he has de;elo(ed his (ractical sBills and descri(ti;e detail to such a degree that all features of his 9orB are no9 at the highest le;el ) This was e*ident in his outstanding AS results in 9hich he achie;ed "##G in t9o of his modules. near (erfection in the third and b) far the most gifted student in his )ear grou( ) He is undou$tedl% a talented indi*idual who will go *er% far and can $e recommended unreser*edl% for his chosen degree course) 0ohammed has a dee! interest in -conomics and has underta/en extensi*e research and $ac/ground reading for his coursewor/ on the efficienc% of !u$lic sector em!lo%ment) His AS results 9ere outstanding. obtaining maximum marBs in /icroH,conomics. "#&6"#A in /acroH,conomics and a strong A in his third (a(er< 0ohammed is alwa%s an enthusiastic !artici!ant in classroom discussions and ma/es use of the o!!ortunit% to !ro*ide an historical insight) He alwa%s meets deadlines and dis!la%s strong anal%tical and e*aluati*e s/ills in his written wor/)

Page 1 &< Good for reference to s(ecific as(ects of course

0anmeet is an a$le and !erce!ti*e historian who has grown in confidence o*er the last %ear) She showed increasing abilit) to anal)se and 9rite about the com(lex issues raised in the Church and State (a(er< She also showed excellent understanding of the *utch e;olt and 9rote detailed essa)s com(aring the factors in;ol;ed< 0n class 1reda is alwa%s in*ol*ed in de$ate and discussion) She is a well li/ed and res!ected mem$er of the class and wor/s well in grou!s as well as inde!endentl%) For 0anmeet"s (ersonal in;estigation she is currentl) researching the extent to 9hich the execution of /ar) @ueen of Scots b) ,liIabeth I 9as due to religious concerns ) +e ha*e no hesitation in recommending 1reda to %ou6 her a$ilit% and !ersonalit% will ma/e her an asset to an% uni*ersit%) 7< Good for ex(laining students under(erformance and maBing reference to (otential Fincluding retaBe information? 0ohammed is an articulate and ;er) intelligent student 9hose Geogra(h) AS result does not reflect his true abilit) and 9as belo9 his achie;ement throughout the )ear< It can be ex(lained b) a disa((ointing result in the (h)sical (a(er. 9hereas he achie;ed grade A in the human and geogra(hical sBills (a(ers< His retaBe of one module 9ill certainl) ensure that he is able to achie;e a grade A at AJle;el< 0ohammed has a 2uic/ gras! of all as!ects of geogra!h%, from a$stract geogra!hical models to statistical techni2ues used in anal%sis) He readil% !artici!ates in discussion and his written wor/ is concise and of an excellent 2ualit%) He demonstrates a genuine interest in the su$9ect and has clear ideas a$out a num$er of to!ics) He demonstrates an inde!endence and initiati*e in his a!!roach to his wor/ which will set him in good stead for uni*ersit%) 5< Good for including factors influencing (erformance 0anmeet has $een an excellent student in Ps%cholog%) She has a natural flair for the social sciences dis!la%ing a critical, and often insightful, a!!roach to to!ics under stud%) 0anmeet clearl% has a dee! rooted interest in !eo!le and their cultural ex!eriences and alwa%s $rings this interest to class discussion and de$ate) 0n addition, 0anmeet !roduces written wor/ of a good standard) *ue to (ersonal circumstances she has onl) com(leted one AS unit to date but she 9ill be taBing t9o AS units and one A& unit in %anuar)< 1reda has the moti*ation and a$ilit% to achie*e a good grade in these !a!ers and is ex!ected to achie*e a good grade in @une) She is *er% well suited to stud% Social Anthro!olog% and we recommend her to %ou) H,2!FU2 !H AS,S FTH, 2,SS !-SITI0, THI+GS 4-U 1A+T T- SA4

"< For those 9ith (oor moti;ation. attendance etc< 0ohammed"s contributions to class discussion demonstrate that he clearl) has the a(titude to achie;e higher than his current (redicted grade< Howe*er, a lac/ of direction in Year 12 led to some disa!!ointing examination results and in !articular a !oor coursewor/ !erformance < 0ohammed has matured as a mathematician in Year 1 ) He has begun to be more res(onsible in his a!!roach to attem(ting and com(leting home9orB, which has im!ro*ed his understanding of to!ics in the lessons) He as/s rele*ant 2uestions during a lesson to ensure that he understands the to!ic $eing co*ered) 0ohammed continues to struggle 9ith his attendance6 howe*er he is a$le to catch u! on wor/ missed in his own time) ,ohammed is a li/a$le student and 9ith a more consistent a((roach 9ill succeed in his studies at uni;ersit) le;el< He is learning to wor/ inde!endentl% and manage his time effecti*el% < ,ohammed 9oined the school in %ear 12 and found some difficult) settling do9n to ne9 subjects in a ne9 en;ironment< He is ca!a$le of a much $etter grade than the - grade he achie*ed in his AS examination)

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&< For those 9ho struggle more academicall) He wor/s hard, $ut can find new human and !h%sical conce!ts difficult to gras! at first) She is currentl% wor/ing on her essa% st%le, focusing on selecting and organising material for discursi*e answers) She is de*elo!ing her understanding of the to!ics co*ered and should im!ro*e u!on her grade) He has struggled with *arious !arts of the art course $ut interesting and original ideas are his forte) 0anmeet struggles with some of the more academic as!ects of her course $ut she wor/s hard to o*ercome her difficulties with *ar%ing degrees of success) He finds descri!ti*e wor/ challenging $ut has im!ro*ed in the !ast %ear and can construct a logical argument to ex!lain chemical ideas) He is $etter at 2uantitati*e chemistr%, !roducing clear and correct solutions to !ro$lems) Howe*er, her scientific and cultural /nowledge are more limited, +hilst her understanding of ideas is not instincti*e, she is a good learner and a!!lies ad*ice well) FI+A224 S-/, *-S A+* *-+>TSK *o L Ce !ositi*el% realistic Ce as s!ecific as !ossi$le +rite reference in light of students chosen course -x!lain underachie*ement -x!lain lower grades and where students need to im!ro*e Ce honest "se grammar and language which will highlight the strength of more a$le a!!licants or highl% recommended a!!licants ,nsure )our references differentiate in terms of academic abilit). (ersonal @ualities and suitabilit) for chosen courses<

*on>t L Re!eat information contained in the students1 !ersonal statement Refer to institutions chosen $% student A((endix A !A AG A!H F- SU8%,CT *ATA8AS, =eadline for com!leting all su$9ect references will $e in the first wee/ in @ul%) There needs to $e just one reference (er subject6 shared grou!s should liaise $etween teachers and write a single !aragra!h co8 o!erati*el%) The !aragra!h should $e a$out 44 words long for su$9ects that the% are not stud%ing at uni*ersit% and a$out J44 words long for the su$9ect the% ho!e to stud% at uni*ersit%) Please tr% to ma/e it !ositi*e and o!timistic) *o not refer to actual A& (redictions< For more information a$out writing a good su$9ect reference !lease refer to the reference writing guide 'P14K(, or s!ea/ to %our Lead Teacher) Please Bee( a co() of the !aragra!h sa*ed in O+ordP, 9ust in case there are networ/ !ro$lems in the future)

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