Sixth Form Students and the Tertiary Transition

Sevenoaks School
Tuesday 1 February 2011

On Tuesday 1 February Sevenoaks School’s Centre for Innovation was delighted to host its inaugural Education Event, “Sixth Form Students and the Tertiary Transition.” Experts from the world of educational research and management led delegates from schools and colleges through a fascinating exploration of how students can best be supported in adapting to the transition from school to university study.

Welcoming delegates to the event, Mrs Katy Ricks, Head of Sevenoaks School said “It is a great privilege to welcome such distinguished speakers to Sevenoaks, to launch our Centre for Innovation.” Keynote speaker Mary Curnock Cook OBE, Chief Executive of UCAS, discussed and challenged some common assumptions about university admissions at a time of increasing competition and media speculation. Nick McBride, Director of Studies in Law at Pembroke College, Cambridge, gave fascinating insights into the effective preparation of law candidates, while Dr Katherine Lloyd Clark (Bath) and Dr Hazel Christie (Edinburgh Napier) considered the pastoral challenges of adaptation to new learning environments. Prof Erik Meyer (Durham) and Chris Watkins (London) explored how students’ understanding of their own learning can be used to help their academic development.

In his closing remarks Dr Alastair Dunn, Director of the Centre for Innovation, said how delighted Sevenoaks School was to exchange ideas and experiences with teachers and university academics from a range of institutions. The Centre for Innovation looks forward to holding similar events in the future on other cutting-edge themes connected to teaching and learning.