West Yorkshire school pupils celebrate success at Leeds Beckett

Year 13 pupils from 10 schools attended the two award ceremonies which were held at Leeds Beckett’s Headingley Campus Great Hall on Friday 11 November.

The Progression Module is a year-long formal programme of study that has been designed to help pupils investigate the different routes into higher education, increasing their knowledge and understanding whilst preparing them for the experiences they are likely to encounter at university. Pupils who successfully complete the module, delivered this year in 22 schools and colleges across the region during year 12, are awarded 12 UCAS points towards applications for degree courses at Leeds Beckett University, Leeds Trinity University and the University of Huddersfield.

Olivia Sanghera (pictured above, second left), a pupil at Lawnswood High School in Leeds who received a special award for her progress on the module, commented: “Completing the award gives you that push and advantage and shows that you can do what you want if you put your head down to it. The most useful parts have been doing the CV and supporting letter, as well as learning about financial budgets. I’m looking to stay in Leeds to go to uni so the course has given me that advantage to see what Leeds Beckett and Leeds Trinity universities are like and made me realise that it’s not as daunting as I thought.”

Jessica-Louise Cranney Smith (pictured top left), a pupil at Tong High School in Bradford, who also received the progress award for her school, said: “I get homesick and the Progression Module has helped me to be more confident and get out of my comfort zone. It has helped me to decide to move away from home for uni and I’m hoping to go to Hull to study sports rehabilitation. The presentation and interview skills have been especially helpful and shown me that I need to ask questions more.”

Olivia Illingworth (pictured top right), also a pupil at Tong High School, and who won the Excellence Award for her school, added: “We got the chance to write our personal statements and up-level our CVs. Before, I didn’t know how to structure a CV in the correct way and my new CV has already got me a job. It also helped me to choose my five universities to apply for and I’ve already had offers from all five! I’m planning to study Law and the course showed me that there are two different types of Law course available, one with a placement year, which I would never have found out about otherwise.”

Head of Access and Widening Participation at Leeds Beckett, Inder Hunjan MBE, said: “This module is a platform for year 12 pupils to explore what opportunities they have and how to go about taking that next step into higher education. Those who took part were required to carry out several activities; delivering a presentation, taking part in a mock interview and writing a personal statement - key skills that are required in the higher education decision making process.

“We are delighted that so many students from across 22 schools and colleges in the Yorkshire region have not only participated, but successfully completed this module – giving them a broader view and insight into the exciting opportunities that are open to them across the higher education sector.”

The schools attending this year’s ceremony were: Lawnswood School, Ralph Thoresby School, Allerton Grange School, and the Cooperative Academy in Leeds; Carlton Bolling College and Tong School in Bradford; Airedale Academy in Castleford; Ryburn Valley High School in Sowerby Bridge; and University Academy Keighley (UAK) and Holy Family Catholic School in Keighley.

Speaking at the ceremonies were Tracey Lancaster, Deputy Vice Chancellor Corporate Communications at Leeds Beckett, and Jeanne Keay, Acting Pro-Vice Chancellor for the Carnegie Faculty.