Post Sixth Form

Higher Education and Careers

Sixth Form achievement

Prendergast School is proud of its outstanding record of academic success. Our students achieve highly, with a large proportion of our Year 13 students securing places at prestigious Russell Group universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, Imperial College London, University College London, Warwick, Manchester, Durham, Bristol, Nottingham, SOAS, and the London School of Economics.

Click here to access the UCAS Guide for Parents/Carers 2025

UCAS Application Fee for 2025 is £28.50, payable online through UCAS.
Note: There is no application fee for students in receipt of free school meals.

Upon completion of their degree courses, students enter career sectors including technology, enterprise, media, finance, professional services, marketing, medicine and science. In addition, we help our students to find other opportunities, including higher/degree level apprenticeships, or specialist music and drama courses.

Students who wish to apply for an Art Foundation course receive bespoke guidance, and secure places at London’s most reputable institutions, including UAL Central Saint Martins, UAL Camberwell, and Kingston University.

We pride ourselves on providing support for Prendergast alumni, continuing to assist students wishing to apply to university after a gap year.

Post-18 Destinations

Oxbridge update

In January 2024, six of our Year 13 students received offers from Cambridge University, to study History, Education, Maths, Geography and Music, and one student secured an offer to study French and Beginners’ Italian at Oxford University. 

Enrichment

Throughout Sixth Form, students are encouraged to become independent learners and take advantage of the opportunities available to them to truly realise their aspirations and dreams. Students may opt to embark on an EPQ to pursue a specific academic interest and develop their intellectual curiosity, and a plethora of dynamic academic enrichment opportunities are announced via our online Sixth Form Post-18 Options platform. Students sign up for this in Year 12, and here they can gain access to workshops and interactive presentations from the worlds of higher education, the arts, and academia. These resources are aimed at nurturing our students’ lifelong learning, and building a strong super-curricular portfolio to support their UCAS application.

Examples of enrichment activities

• Cambridge subject master classes
• LSE public events
• Oxford chemistry workshops
• Career tasters
• Modern languages insight sessions
• Essay competitions

Examples of subject-specific enrichment activities

• Trips to Iceland, Silicon Valley, Paris
• Excursions to BAFTA and the National Theatre
• Participation in the Goldsmiths School Studio Programme
• Presentation by The Economist
• Tutorial with renowned neuroscientist Dr Guy Sutton
• Attendance at the Raleigh Lecture 2024 about space and satellite technology
• Participation in the Biology Olympiad
• Science Week Lectures
• Tour of the Royal Courts of Justice
• Corporate Insight Day at Morningstar (via Urban Synergy)

Making an informed decision

In Year 12, assemblies and workshops explain the UCAS application procedure. Students use Unifrog, an award-winning universal destinations platform, to identify their areas of strength and potential future careers. This helps prepare students for life beyond Prendergast and make well-informed decisions as they embark on next steps towards university, apprenticeships or employment.

Advice and support

Prendergast School guides Sixth Form students through the university application every step of the way. The Heads of Year and Sixth Form Academic Mentor offer personalised support in researching courses, as well as with writing a personal statement, and accessing contextual offers.

Specialist subject teachers and form tutors are on hand to offer insight and write UCAS references. Students are offered guidance on applying for university scholarships and bursaries, and are encouraged to attend university open days, to help them determine their choices.  

Applying for competitive courses

We facilitate specialist presentations on applying to Oxford and Cambridge, and other top ranking Russell Group universities, including LSE, Imperial College and UCL; applying overseas (US, Canada, Europe); and applying for Medicine/Dentistry/Veterinary science.

We have links with outreach organisations, including Lewisham Challenge, Catalyst, UNIQ, and Zero Gravity, who organise Oxbridge university visits and residential programmes, insight events, summer schools, mock interview and admission test sessions, and university preparation classes.

Year 12
October	Oxbridge and Medicine application presentations in school, students sign up for specialist workshops and Oxbridge open days
November	UCAS-focused assembly, guiding students through university application process.
December	Students sign up to their personal Unifrog account.
February	Students take part in a school-based UCAS/Unifrog workshop.
April	Students begin searching for courses on the UCAS search tool and attending university open days.
May	UCAS launch with students (assembly) and parents (online).
Summer term	Personal statement writing workshops in school.
Year 13
September	Internal school deadline for Oxbridge/Medicine/Dentistry/Veterinary Science applications, to allow enough time for processing.
15 October 2024	UCAS deadline for Oxbridge/Medicine/Dentistry/Veterinary Science applications.
Mid-November	Internal school deadline for all other UCAS applications.
29 January 2025	UCAS Equal consideration deadline.Closing date for most conservatoires dance/drama/musical theatre applications.

Support for access and applications to degree level apprenticeships

We offer information and guidance about degree level apprenticeships, and signpost students to high profile providers, such as KPMG, PwC, JP Morgan, Deloitte, and the BBC. Students interested in this route can opt to participate in tailored apprenticeship workshops, covering the application process, interview practice, and mock assessments. Students learn about the importance of body language at interview, emotional intelligence, and the role of social media in today’s job market. Our students have been successful in securing offers including from PwC, KPMG and JP Morgan.

Careers Preparation and Work Experience

Students are urged to nurture and refine the skills needed for the workplace, and prepare to thrive in the job market. Prendergast is committed to providing outstanding careers education, to allow students to make informed decisions about their future and be inspired by their options.

We offer students opportunities to open their eyes to career pathways, including a Year 12 trip to the highly informative ‘What University? & What Career?’ event, where they meet apprenticeship providers, universities and employers.

Students are required to complete five days of work experience in the summer term of Year 12, linked to advice and guidance received as part of an interview with an external careers advisor. These placements can either be secured independently, or via endorsed work experience platforms such as SpringPod or Speakers for Schools.  

Can you help? 

Can you, or someone you know, support our work-related learning programme of events, eg work experience, career talks, networking events, mock interviews or any other support that would be of value to students. If so, please contact the Sixth Form Office at n.mason@prendergast-school.com.