NewsYear 13 Students Visit UCAS Headquarters

Five of our brilliant Year 13 students were invited to UCAS headquarters for a very special visit on one of the busiest days of the year for university admissions. 

The visit gave our students a unique opportunity to meet and speak with some of the senior figures helping to shape university admissions and higher education. Among those they met were Dr Jo Saxton CBE, Chief Executive of UCAS, Sinead O’Sullivan, Department for Education Director General for Skills, Zoe Forbes, Department for Education Deputy Director of Admissions, Vivienne Stern, CEO of Universities UK, Polly Payne, Joint Chief Executive at the Office for Students, Professor James Miller, Deputy Chair of the UCAS Board of Trustees and Vice Chancellor of UWS, and Kash Ghedia, Member of the UCAS Board of Trustees and CIO at Applegreen Group.

A key part of the visit was giving students the opportunity to talk about their own experiences of the UCAS application process - what worked well, what they found challenging and what they felt could be improved for future applicants.

There was also plenty of interest in our students themselves. UCAS staff and visiting guests were keen to hear about the subjects they have chosen to study, where they are heading next and their future aspirations.

Our students were fantastic throughout the visit. They spoke confidently and enthusiastically about their plans and represented the Academy brilliantly. It was wonderful to see them engaging with senior figures from across the education sector and sharing their experiences and ambitions. As a thank you for taking part, the students were also treated to some UCAS goody bags! 

We would like to say a huge thank you to UCAS for inviting our students and giving them such a valuable and memorable opportunity. We are incredibly proud of the way they represented All Saints’ Academy and shared their voices on such an important day for university admissions.