Seren Brochure July 2017 English
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Supporting Wales’ Brightest 2017 Welcome www.gov.wales/seren facebook.com/serennetwork @Seren_Network #serennetwork serennetwork.blog.gov.wales P19404 – Seren Brochure July 2017 v7.indd 1 14/08/2017 11:34 The hubs across Wales The Seren Network hubs 1 Flintshire & Wrexham 6 Cardiff The vision of former Secretary of State for Wales, Paul Murphy MP – now Lord Murphy of Torfaen – the Seren Network was established 2 Swansea 7 Neath Port Talbot, Powys & Bridgend in 2014 to provide pupils and teachers with the support they need to 3 Rhondda Cynon Taff & Merthyr Tydfil 8 Conwy & Denbighshire ensure more students reach their academic potential and progress to 4 Pembrokeshire & Carmarthenshire 9 Anglesey & Gwynedd the UK’s leading universities. 5 EAS Consortia (Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, 10 Ceredigion Newport, Torfaen & Monmouthshire) With support and funding provided by the Welsh Government, the 11 Vale of Glamorgan network expanded rapidly, with the last of the 11 hubs launched in November 2016. The network now spans the length and breadth of Wales, helping more than 2000 students reach their academic potential. The Seren Network’s 11 hubs are partnerships between secondary Anglesey schools and colleges, supported by local government, Welsh Flintshire Government and leading universities. Partner institutes work together Conwy closely to develop a support programme for the brightest young Denbighshire minds across their region. Each hub is led by a hub co-ordinator; Wrexham highly experienced individuals from a range of teaching backgrounds. At the beginning of each academic year the brightest and most Gwynedd applied students are invited to attend their region’s hub, based on their fantastic GCSE results. A number of Seren students have already received offers and are going to some of the UK’s best universities, as well as further afield in the US including Ivy League institutions such as Harvard and Princeton. Through the following pages, you will see how the network has supported the future aspirations of Seren students like you. Ceredigion Powys Pembrokeshire Carmarthenshire Blaenau Monmouthshire Merthyr Gwent Tydfil Neath Torfaen Swansea Port Talbot Rhondda Cynon Caerphilly Taf Newport Bridgend Cardi Vale of Glamorgan www.gov.wales/seren 1 P19404 – Seren Brochure July 2017 v7.indd 2-1 14/08/2017 11:34 What to expect We want to hear from you There are many ways you’ll benefit as a member of the Seren Network. There are a number of ways for you to get involved Now your academic talent has been officially recognised, you’ll get to: with the Seren Network and get your voice heard. • Visit leading university campuses • Get practical tips on applying for university You can keep up with the latest Seren features posts from current Seren students, • Take your subject skills to the next level places and preparing for interview Network news and details of hub events via university alumni, hub coordinators and with expert teaching support • Build links and friendships with other the Seren Facebook and Twitter pages, which academics, on topics ranging from how to also feature details on open days, videos of make your personal statement stand out, to • Extend your knowledge beyond the bright sparks looking to reach their academic students and teachers from hub events women in physics and preparing for your A-level curriculum to attract the very potential across Wales, and links to useful articles. first year of university. We would love to hear best universities • Receive expert advice on personal about your experiences and your academic statements and applications • Meet the leading academic lights from Follow us at: journey. If you would like to get involved with top UK universities and get face-to-face facebook.com/serennetwork the blog, email [email protected] advice and support Open University @Seren_Network #serennetwork If you have any questions about your • Take part in workshops alongside other As a Seren student, you may be entitled to a participation in the Seren Network, however serennetwork.blog.gov.wales talented students Welsh Government course bursary to allow big or small, please speak with your teachers • Have the opportunity and support to apply you to study an Open University course for or hub co-ordinator. Your hub co-ordinator’s There are also a lot of different ways for for unique experiences such as university free, from languages and social sciences, to contact details can be found on our website, you to get involved with the Seren Network summer schools in the UK and overseas. science, mathematics, and business and where you can also get more information on management. However, places are limited so and get your voice heard. Our weekly blog all things Seren. Visit: www.gov.wales/seren please contact your Seren hub coordinator first to confirm if there is funding available. For further info please visit: www.open.ac.uk/Wales/Seren Student Finance Wales Student Finance Wales is a service provided by the Student Loans Company, who provide student finance on behalf of the Welsh Government to students from Wales entering higher education anywhere in the UK. If you’ve got a question about student finance then get in touch. You can find them at www.studentfinancewales.co.uk or tweet @SF_Wales and they’ll get back to you. 2 www.gov.wales/seren 3 P19404 – Seren Brochure July 2017 v7.indd 2-3 14/08/2017 11:34 Meet the hubs Each of our 11 hubs offer programmes with a variety of events and activities, including talks from alumni and academics, university open days, residential visits, and summer schools at the best universities in the UK and further afield. Every hub has a dedicated coordinator and Seren students that have been selected from Wales’ brightest. Meet a few of them here: RCT & Merthyr Flintshire & Wrexham Stephen Parry-Jones Graham Kelly Beth Lisles Raphaelle Soffe RCT & Merthyr hub coordinator Flintshire & Wrexham hub coordinator Hawthorn High School Hawarden High School [email protected] [email protected] 18-year-old student Beth Lisles from Hawthorn Stephen is a retired deputy headteacher who Hawarden High School student Raphaelle Graham is a former lecturer and Cardiff is studying A-level maths, physics and biology, read history at Oxford in the 70s. He said: Soffe joined the Seren Network after achieving University graduate, and specialises in and hopes to work for the NHS as a medical “At university, a lot of my friends were from 10 A*s and one A in her GCSEs. She applied student progression to university. He said: physicist after studying at King’s College South Wales comprehensive schools, but this for the Sutton Trust’s US programme, and “I’ve been working with the Flintshire & London. She said: “I’ve been interested in has become less commonplace – despite will be heading to America in summer 2017 Wrexham hub for a few years now, helping physics for a while and had a great teacher in the region having many great minds. Seren after being offered a place at the prestigious students to gain offers to some of the UK’s year 10 who really inspired me. I started out students are asked to confront their subjects Harvard University. She said: “Seren has been top establishments, as well as Ivy League thinking that I wanted to study at Oxford, but in unfamiliar ways, and we hope that when a great help to me on my journey to Harvard. offers in the US. This year’s Seren students after looking into the courses they offered they apply for university in a year or so, they’ll I took part in various workshops, lectures, and will benefit from this knowledge and and attending the UNIQ summer school I be comfortable in even the most challenging most importantly, was given the incredible experience, and I want to encourage them realised I wanted to focus on medical physics, situations. It’s about getting our students to opportunity of discussing ideas with my to aim high from the moment they start and that King’s College was a better option for raise their aspirations in terms of their A-level peers who have similar grades, and felt very their sixth form journey. By offering Seren me. I loved the summer school as it showed grades and the universities they consider. motivated as a result. I went on a visit to students a full programme and a series of me how university learning is different to We’ve seen an increase in applications to the Oxford University and was able to sample a ‘stretch and challenge’ activities throughout what I’m used to, and also gave me the top universities, both in the UK and abroad, few courses and, although I realised it wasn’t the year, we encourage them to develop confidence to aim for any university I wanted. and I’m very pleased that Seren is having such for me, it did steer me towards thinking about their own thoughts and articulate their The Seren Network also arranged a lecture a positive impact on our students.” studying in the US. I first heard about the views on a range of topics. This will increase from Oxford alumni on proton streaming in Sutton Trust US programme through Seren, their confidence when attending university cancer treatment, which was so interesting and included all the activities I had done interviews and when they begin their studies.” and helped me to decide that medical through the network in my application, and I physics is what I want to do.” think Harvard really liked that.” 4 www.gov.wales/seren 5 P19404 – Seren Brochure July 2017 v7.indd 4-5 14/08/2017 11:34 Meet the hubs Swansea EAS Consortia Felicity Padley Siân Farquharson Anna Cooper Lucy Davies Swansea hub coordinator EAS hub coordinator Gower College St Alban’s Roman Catholic High School [email protected] [email protected] Gower College student Anna Cooper had Felicity came to Swansea in 1969 and worked Lucy Davies from Cwmbran is currently Siân has worked in post-16 education for already completed her A-levels, gaining three at the university for 16 years.