Preparatory material for teachers

As teachers and advisers, you will want to ensure that students make effective use of time devoted to the UCAS Education Convention. Students that attend a Convention without an understanding of its purpose or potential value, fail to make use of the opportunities available to them.

Please consider the following action points before accompanying students to a Convention:

• Introduce and seek support for the preparatory programme from senior staff at school/college, and parents/carers.

• Explain the importance of such exercises/activities to appropriate school/college colleagues, for ongoing support.

• Involve parents/carers in a practical way, for example by including a preparatory session as part of, or even exclusively for, a 'parents event'.

• Plan and incorporate a comprehensive range of exercises/activities into a CEG programme, and ensure that all tutors have access to copies of the core preparatory materials, including student handouts.

• Distribute Convention programmes as soon as possible, to ensure that all tutors support and check student completion of the preparatory materials.

• In particular, ensure students know where the focus of their research lies, and what they want to achieve, establish, discover and clarify with exhibitors.

• Provide photocopies of selected exercises/student pages from a variety of preparatory resources - the Convention programme is particularly relevant.

• Keep a record of the outcomes from the Convention, in addition to the information kept by students themselves.

• Get your students signed up for UCAS Card.

After the Convention, we recommend that teachers and advisers:

• Check and confirm the activities undertaken and outcomes recorded by students.

• Encourage students to refer to the outcomes in their UCAS personal statement.

• Refer to the preparatory programme and outcomes in your UCAS references.

Finally remind students to:

• Agree to commit themselves to thorough preparation for the Convention.

• Take responsibility for their research, and the decision making process.

• Take responsibility for completion of assigned exercises/activities.

• Understand how the activities will enhance the way they use their time at the UCAS Convention.

• Recognise how all these activities can contribute to successful application for and achievement in Higher Education.

• Keep a record.

Calendar of events