Supporting ’ Brightest

Parents/Guardians What you need to know

www.gov.wales/seren facebook.com/serennetwork @Seren_Network #serennetwork @serennetwork serennetwork.blog.gov.wales

43400 - Seren Parents Brochure August 2018 ENGLISH NEW.indd 1 23/08/2018 17:26 A note from the Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Education

Congratulations on your son/ to offer, and are now studying at Separately to this, we were delighted from personal statement and daughter’s selection onto The some of the UK’s best universities, to see the Seren-Jesus College in interview support, to specific Seren Network. They have secured as well as further afield, including Oxford University summer school subject sessions and partnerships. a highly sought-after place on Ivy League institutions such treble in size this summer, after a These activities are all carefully a flagship Welsh Government as Harvard and Princeton. successful first year in 2017. Through devised to challenge pupils beyond programme, established to ensure We have seen a considerable rise the programme, more than 70 pupils the A-level curriculum and give Wales’ brightest students get the in the number of Welsh applicants spent a week this summer sampling them a chance to enhance their right support to make the most to Oxford and Cambridge over life at one of the most prestigious subject knowledge alongside other of their academic talents. recent years so it’s clear to see that academic institutions in the world. bright students in their area. Seren Network pupils are selected the Network is meeting its aims of I’m also delighted that, as of this I urge you to help your son/ from schools and colleges the raising aspirations of pupils in Wales year, the Seren programme will be daughter take advantage of every length and breadth of Wales, and supporting them to achieve expanded to earlier years, to make opportunity this programme affords. and I am incredibly proud of the their full academic potential. sure that the job of raising aspirations It is not an overstatement to Network’s aim to help them reach This year, 2018, has been a real starts as early as possible in young their academic potential. By getting people’s academic journeys. say that Seren offers students a turning point in the Network’s chance of a lifetime, but it will take involved with Seren, your child’s expansion. As well as continuing Universities in Wales play an horizons will be widened, their skills commitment on pupils’ parts to to build links with universities in important role in the support they seize the opportunities presented. stretched and their thinking shaped. the UK, this year saw the launch of give to the Network as well as on However, being selected is just a new partnership between Seren the ground through the 11 regional Congratulations again, and I the first step. What pupils go on to and the Yale Young Global Scholars hubs. Your child’s Seren Network wish your son/daughter every achieve and experience is up to programme, through which 16 Welsh hub is the means through which success as a valued member them and I urge you as parents/ students joined more than 1,500 teachers from schools and colleges of the Seren Network. guardians to help students make the other students from 126 countries in your area are working together Yours sincerely, most of the opportunities that will be and 50 US states at Yale University. to create a programme of activities presented to them through Seren. Our students on the Yale Young which will stretch and challenge AM Since launching, several thousand Global Scholars programme made pupils. Pupils will gain access Welsh Government Cabinet students have already taken up the biggest cohort of pupils on to a range of activities designed Secretary for Education advantage of what the Network has the programme from any country to help them evidence their full across the world – quite a feat! potential in their applications – 2 www.gov.wales/seren 3

43400 - Seren Parents Brochure August 2018 ENGLISH NEW.indd 2-3 23/08/2018 17:26 What is The Seren Network? The Seren Network hubs

1 Flintshire & Wrexham 7 Neath Port Talbot, Powys & Bridgend Graham Kelly, [email protected] Jayne Bevan, (Powys contact) [email protected] 2 Swansea Karen Thomas (Neath Port Talbot contact) Felicity Padley, [email protected] [email protected] John Fabes (Bridgend contact) 3 Rhondda Cynon Taff & Merthyr Tydfil [email protected] Stephen Parry-Jones, 8 Conwy & Denbighshire [email protected] Christine Wynne, [email protected] 4 Pembrokeshire & Carmarthenshire 9 Anglesey & Gwynedd Julian Dessent, Elfed Thomas Morris, [email protected] [email protected] 5 EAS Consortia (Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, 10 Newport, Torfaen & Monmouthshire) Ceredigion The vision of former Secretary of The Seren Network’s 11 hubs Sian Bowen Siân Farquharson, c/o [email protected] State for Wales, Paul Murphy MP – are partnerships between [email protected] now Lord Murphy of Torfaen – the secondary schools and colleges, 11 Vale of Glamorgan 6 Cardiff Nisha Shukla, Seren Network was established supported by local government, Julie Elliott, [email protected] [email protected] to provide pupils and teachers Welsh Government and leading with the support they need to universities. All Welsh state schools

ensure more students reach their and colleges across Wales are Anglesey

academic potential and progress represented on the programme. Flintshire to the UK’s top universities. Conwy Partners work together closely to Denbighshire Initially comprising three regional develop a support programme for Wrexham pilot hubs, the network has the brightest young minds across Gwynedd expanded rapidly, with the last of the their region. While students are 11 hubs launched in November 2016 assigned to regional hubs, cross- and the scheme now expanding hub collaborations also take place widely. The network spans the meaning students can also attend length and breadth of Wales, helping joint events and programmes. around 2,000 students reach their Hubs are led by a dedicated co- academic potential every year. ordinator; each of whom is a Ceredigion Powys At the beginning of each academic highly experienced individual year, the brightest and most from a range of backgrounds. applied students are invited to Many Seren students have gone Pembrokeshire Carmarthenshire join their region’s hub, based on to receive offers from some

Blaenau Monmouthshire on their outstanding GCSE of the UK’s best universities, as Merthyr Gwent Tydfil Neath Torfaen Swansea Port Talbot Rhondda results and in line with a national well as further afield in the US Cynon Caerphilly Taf Newport framework for selecting students. at Ivy League institutions such Bridgend Cardi as Harvard and Princeton. Vale of Glamorgan

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43400 - Seren Parents Brochure August 2018 ENGLISH NEW.indd 4-5 23/08/2018 17:26 What your child can expect to attend as FAQs for parents part of the Network Do I have to pay for my child to be part of the Seren Network?

Your child has been selected based on merit and their academic There are many ways your son/ • Advice on specific areas of achievements. There is no cost to being part of the network and we daughter will benefit from being study or subject matters, such want to ensure that no student is unable to participate due to financial a member of the Network. Your as applying for medicine or circumstances. Please talk to your school/college for further information. hub co-ordinator will devise a applying to a US university. dedicated schedule of support, Unique opportunities, including: What will my child get from being part of the Seren Network? which will include the following: • The chance to apply for Your child will have access to a range of activities and opportunities, Information, advice and life-changing enrichment guidance sessions, including: delivered by some of the top universities, who’ll offer expert activities, such as the Seren- advice and guidance on how to best prepare for applications • Preparatory sessions in areas like Jesus College summer school in the UK and abroad. The Network brings together young, writing a personal statement, an at Oxford University, and like-minded people to share ambitions and aspirations. application, or preparing for an Yale Young Global Scholars interview or admissions test. Programme at Yale University. Activities vary from hub to hub, but include: • Expert advice and support • An annual Seren national sessions in areas like student conference, which brings • Personal statement writing, including how finance and scholarships. together Seren students with to choose a degree and university. • Outreach visits to leading leading academics for a packed • Extended reading and research. programme taking students university campuses. • Interview practice and techniques. beyond the curriculum. • Visits to top universities. • The opportunity to build new Academic sessions, including: links and friendships with other • Subject-specific workshops. • Subject-specific academic bright sparks looking to reach ‘stretch and challenge’ their academic potential at the There will also be opportunities to apply for summer schools workshops that take you world’s leading universities. between Year 12 and 13 to experience life at university. beyond the A-level curriculum, The Seren Network has established partnerships in areas ranging from arts with many leading institutions including: and humanities to STEM. Along with these opportunities which are open to Seren students • , Jesus College • Face-to-face advice and tutorials across Wales, at a regional level, • , Churchill College delivered by leading academic each hub has its own schedule lights from top UK universities. of events for students. Please • USA summer school, through the Yale Young contact your hub co-ordinator Global Scholars Programme for more information - contact While we have direct links with these programmes and universities, details can be found at gov.wales/ we recommend researching any other Summer Schools you may be seren or in the following pages. interested in. Each Seren hub across Wales will provide a menu of activity at the start of the year, from which pupils will choose a range of trips and events alongside full-day events locally and nationally.

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43400 - Seren Parents Brochure August 2018 ENGLISH NEW.indd 6-7 23/08/2018 17:26 My child doesn’t want to apply to Oxford or Cambridge. Will being part of the Seren Network put my child under Is the Seren Network relevant to them? additional pressure throughout sixth-form? Absolutely. While Seren has strong links with Oxford and Cambridge, The Seren Network is there to provide information, advice and guidance it has also built partnerships and programmes with many other Sutton to students at an important time when they have big decisions to make Trust Universities. More than 30 academic institutions attended its recent about their future. The Network is there to reduce anxiety about the annual conference, and new relationships are being forged all the time. university application process, and ensure Wales’ brightest students Many of the opportunities and sessions offered to your child are not are being given the support needed to achieve their full potential. specific to any academic institution – for example personal statement writing or choosing a subject – so it is designed to benefit all pupils, How will my child get to hub events? regardless of their choice of university. The Seren Network provides the Arrangements for each hub will differ, according to the size and geography basis for each of our students to make the most appropriate choice. of the hub. Each hub is likely to have a number of students travelling to events from the same school or college so there may be lift-sharing Is university the right route for all bright students? opportunities available. Transport to activities may be provided, particularly The Seren Network was established in response to declining numbers of in rural areas. For hub-specific information, contact your hub co-ordinator. pupils applying to the top universities and is designed to support bright How much time will my child be expected to commit to Seren? Welsh students to make competitive applications. With this in mind, the Network’s activities and content are designed to cater for those who Each hub will have a different schedule of activities so the time are considering higher education. Pupils who are unsure of their future commitment will vary between hubs. Workshops and activities will take a are advised to keep an open mind and make the most of the activities few hours a month, but you’ll also have access to reading lists and follow on offer, but if they decide that university is not the right route for them, up activities to do in your own time if you wish. In addition, pupils will have there is no obligation to attend the activities on offer. Similarly, pupils access to unique opportunities such as the Jesus College Summer School do not have to take up the offer of a place on the Seren Network. at Oxford University, and the Yale Young Global Scholars Programme – both of which take place in the summer holidays between Years 12 and 13. How do I find out what events are available through Does being a member of Seren guarantee my son/daughter my hub across the academic year? a place at a or University? Each hub designs its own annual calendar of activities. No. Being a member of the Seren Network does not guarantee any To find out information on your hub’s activities, pupil a place at any university. Members will still need to apply through please contact your local hub co-ordinator. the normal routes. What the Network can help with, however, is What if none of the events happening in my child’s hub helping shape students’ thought processes and skill-level in areas seem relevant to my child’s areas of study/interest? including subject choice, applications and admissions advice. The Network’s aim is to raise Welsh pupils’ aspirations and knowledge of Hubs are working collaboratively to offer cross-region activities, university, in order to make as competitive an application as possible. so there may be an opportunity to take part in workshops that are being offered elsewhere. The first port of call should always be What advice & support can I give my child during their time with Seren? your local hub co-ordinator who may be able to suggest other • Seize every opportunity offered – this will help your child activities in different hubs that you may be able to attend. make an informed choice on their route after school • Follow the Seren social media channels which will provide the most up-to-date news and opportunities • Work hard!

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43400 - Seren Parents Brochure August 2018 ENGLISH NEW.indd 8-9 23/08/2018 17:26 Useful sources of support to help your child Other key information make a decision on university UCAS.com Times Higher Education: The annual Seren Conference 2018 Visit UCAS.com for a range of Provides global higher education information, including parent coverage. Find world university The annual Seren Conference in December will be the biggest yet information tools, terms rankings, news, opinions, features and aims to bring together pupils from the Network with leading explained, money advice and book reviews. academics for a packed programme that goes beyond the curriculum. www.timeshighereducation. The three-day conference is a great opportunity for your son or The Which? Parents com/student daughter to meet other students across the Network and take guide to university part in exciting workshops and masterclasses led by experts from Download a free guide containing The Guardian University Guide universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Kings College London, everything you - as a mum, dad, Latest University guide news, and Bath. This year we are very pleased to carer or family member - need to comment and analysis from welcome guest speakers from the US to provide valuable insights help them make the best choices the Guardian, the world’s into studying at top US universities and the application process. www.university.which.co.uk/ leading liberal voice. www.theguardian.com/ The Complete University Guide education/universityguide Helping students around the DON’T LET MONEY GET IN world research degree courses The Student Room THE WAY OF UNIVERSITY and universities. Independent UK The UK’s biggest student All eligible first time Welsh students starting a university course will university league tables and community. Boost your grades, receive support for living costs, made up of a mixture of grants and rankings, overall and by subject. learn with free study tools, find loans. Most will receive support equivalent to the National Living www.thecompleteuniversityguide. your perfect uni place & get answers Wage. This will mean you can focus on your studies and spend less co.uk/ to any question on the forums. time worrying about making ends meet. www.thestudentroom.co.uk/ Studential The minimum grant you could get is £1,000, which you do Find out more about applying to not have to pay back. If you’re studying full-time as an university through UCAS, surviving undergraduate, through a mixture of grants and loans, Freshers’ Week, tips on student you could be eligible for up to £11,250 a year towards cooking and advice on a host your living costs if you live away from home and study of other university issues. in London, and £9,000 per year in the rest of the UK. www.studential.com/ Part-time undergraduates will receive similar support, on a pro-rata basis based on the course’s intensity. In addition, most students will have no upfront costs to pay as a tuition fee loan can be taken out to cover their course. To find out more about your options, visit www.studentfinancewales.co.uk

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43400 - Seren Parents Brochure August 2018 ENGLISH NEW.indd 10-11 23/08/2018 17:26 www.gov.wales/seren

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43400 - Seren Parents Brochure August 2018 ENGLISH NEW.indd 12 23/08/2018 17:26