Year 12 students have recently attended the Tees Valley UCAS Convention, which was held at Teesside University, to investigate the range of courses on offer at universities across the UK. The market-place style conference allowed students to talk to representatives about the courses and facilities at over 100 campuses and access a host of valuable additional information in one venue.

Year 12's will soon be making the decision about which university they would like to attend and working hard to make sure they achieve the required UCAS points to gain entry. It is an important decision and one that can be worrying for many young people, however attending this event helped students to fully consider the options outside of the North East and, in many cases, establish a firm plan for the future.

Students also had access to representatives from the Royal Air Force, the Royal Navy and Marines and the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives among others. Advice was also available on student finance, UCAS applications and careers.

Mr Shearer, our Head of Sixth Form organises regular "Aim Higher' visits to various universities throughout the year; these trips allow students to view facilities and experience university life, however this event was excellent in that a host of information could be accessed in one place.

Our Sixth Formers also regularly work with degree students and lecturers at Durham, Teesside and Sunderland Universities thanks to strong working links which have been established in recent years. This experience gives students a realistic and inspiring insight into university life.