More Awards at CATS Canterbury

You will no doubt have seen the college has been shortlisted for even more awards this year! In November we were shortlisted for no less than five top UK awards - for Outstanding 6th Form Provision, Boarding, Educational Initiatives, IT and Outstanding Contribution to International Understanding!

We were also greatly honoured as a college by the City of Canterbury when they unveiled their new statue of Geoffrey Chaucer. Chaucer is known as the Father of the English Language, and in our role as Host for many international students here who are heading for top UK universities, the Principals name was added to the statue as one of the characters in the Canterbury Tales- the Host. It was a very exciting occasion and reflects again the high standing of the college here in Canterbury and throughout the UK.

What you need to do at Christmas - UCAS

Its an exciting time as we celebrate the Christmas season in Canterbury. Our Cathedral here dates from 549AD and today our students are in this amazing building as we reflect and approach the end of term. Its an amazing place that has been at the heart of English history for over a thousand years!

So what else do you need to do by Christmas? Well, students have all had a deadline of December to complete their Personal Statements and UCAS form for university entry. We have had nearly 90 university visits this term with lots of chances for students to speak to universities directly here in Canterbury. Personal Tutors have been supporting students with their university applications and there have been many workshops offered by our specialist university staff here at the college. It has been a busy time! Dawn Merriman our Head of Higher Education has also been offering individual appointments for students and the Principal has also been seeing students one to one for those who need additional help. We are also available on email for students who are worried as well as via our famous 'Tell Us' button on the CATS App! 

So make sure you keep in touch and we will be going over every student Personal Statement over the Christmas period to double check and help with any remaining issues. We are all here to help and support as students complete their work for university application.

The university fair at CATS Canterbury

It's an exciting time as we prepare for our October university fair at CATS Canterbury next week. Over 70 universities will be here - many chosen to be invited because students were particularly interested in them. In addition there are visits from universities to the college most weeks now. We are shortly hosting Hong Kong, Oxford and Imperial and have just launched our Critical Lawyers Group for our law students backed by the University of Kent - a top UK law university. 

Meanwhile our students are encouraged to participate in over a hundred different activities at the college including over 10

Different leadership awards. Our IB students are going to Bewl Water this weekend for a series of team building and exciting activities.

Having a broad range of interests and activities is valued highly by US and UK universities and every student has a Key Professions and CATs Baccalaureate booklet listing all the options available to them. This information is also readily available on the CATS App as we help students develop into outstanding candidates for university education.

How we teach English as a Second language at CATS Canterbury

Making sure your English is at the right level for university entry in the UK is really important for us at CATS Canterbury. We are a leading centre for international

languages offering over 26 different languages and are award winning experts in our field.

English level for UK university entry

So how does this affect you getting to a top university? 

Well, universities will require you to have met a certain level - often expressed through IELTS. To study subjects like law you may need to have IELTS 7, whereas other subjects may ask for 6.5 or occasionally 6. You need to check your chosen university and subject carefully to see what level they need.

We also offer the Cambridge Academic Englsih course for students who are keen to take this qualification.

Our English courses challenge you to develop your skills ready to use in all your subject areas as well as in your day to day life.

If we recognise a student doesn’t have the level of English they need for university entry by the Spring term, we support them to take a pre-sessional course in English at their chosen university and register them for the appropriate SELT (Secure English Language Test) IELTS (UKVI IELTS) test.

All students spend some time studying Academic Skills, in addition to general language development and exam preparation. Every student has five hours of English a week to support them for their IELTS and university entry. However, for students with lower English skills we offer:

1. Up to three extra English lessons a week to support them as part of their course

2. A Saturday morning English class on top of normal tuition at a very low cost

3. Additional help and support from subject teachers when needed.

For those students with very high English scores we recommend they consider taking critical thinking classes and EPQ - the Extended Project Qualification. The academic focus of this is really popular with top universities and it is excellent preparation for university application. We also get students to take online university courses with world famous universities - which again looks great on your university application.

Our students will be following a mixture of English courses depending on their level of English command at the time they join us.

AEM (Academic English Module)
AEM is for students with weaker English, who will be progressing on to AS or UFP (younger students are placed on GCSE programme with an extra English support). AEM students study English for 25 hours each week. This includes a mix of general English development, with work towards appropriate English exams as well as taking academic content like Maths, Science and Business which helps them with their English vocabulary for academic purposes.

GCSE and Pre-Programme
Students on GCSE and Pre-Programme are usually studying towards IGCSE English as a second language. A small number of the strongest students are studying towards IGCSE English (first language) and may also take IGCSE Literature too. They all have at least five hours of English and some students will have additional English Literature sessions each week. Students taking the full GCSE course follow UK government advice on subjects called the English Baccalaureate and this covers Sciences, Humanities, Maths and English, along with sports, art and performing arts - all great for discussion and English development.

Students studying on the GCSE programme who have the lowest levels of English, are given extra English support. They have English lessons for 12 periods each week. They also take History, Sciences and Maths - all with a focus on improving their English. All our younger students take Art, Sport, Performing Arts and Business/Economics.

Our one year Pre Programme has the widest range of subjects where students study with us for a year and prepare themselves for A level, IB and Foubdarion courses. As part of the Pre Programme there is an option to take iGCSE Maths and English which are the only two specific GCSEs which could be asked for in the future.

Remember we are all here to help and our senior staff give academic counselling to every student to help make sure they are doing what is exactly right for them.

 

 

Exam results and the future

It's been an amazing summer with 96% of our A level grades at A*-B and 66% A*-A - way above British student scores and shows exactly how CATS as an international school brings real value to our students. IB results were also excellent as were Foundation with our students now headed to Kings College, London, Cambridge, LSE and UCL. It's a great time for them all. 

It's also really important to remember unlike many schools, we are here all summer helping students. Some may be nervous as they haven't heard from

Universities, others are not used to having to be patient to wait for confirmations as we tend to act very fast on things at CATS. Many students just need reassurance, and we are all here to do this. Other students may have changed their minds about courses at the last moment, or did not get the grades they needed, and we are here to help with this too. Students are important and as a College we insist they are the most important part of everything we do. 

So let's take a moment to celebrate - some of our students scored 100% in their A level modules - some amazing achievements. 

But whatever your results, wherever you are all over the world, one thing you can be certain of is that we will stand with you all the way.

During your year at Canterbury....

So once you are here, what should you be doing when you are not in lessons? Well, it depends on which year you are in. Foundation students need to act very fast to get involved in activities you can put on your university application. You can sign up for leadership awards or the fastest thing is to take an online university course to show commitment to your subject area. Details of this are all in your Key Professions booklet.

If you are in your first year of A level or IB you have more time. This year is really vital and you have to keep asking yourself, do I have enough things which show my commitment to my subject area to go on my university application? Go through your Key Professions booklet or see Dan Issitt our Key Professions Co- ordinator, and he will help you with anything you need to do. There are about 120 activities in college each year so there is lots to choose from. You then need to think, how can I make this relevant to my university application? How have these activities helped develop me as a person and show I would be a real asset to any university and that I have a passion for the subject I want to learn?

The photos here show our students being given individual or small group support in science after school by a local university. Other students meet with the University of Kent for support with their lawyers for law students and lecturers there also give mock interview practice for our students applying to a university asking for interviews. Remember there is lots of support here so you must ask and let us know what you need and we are always here to support you.

Global Leadership and University entrance

CATS Canterbury hosts another Global Leadership Day on 18th March. This one is based around Pancreatic cancer and links with law, medicine, business, ethics and the media. It promises to be an exciting day with students presenting and universities speaking at the college including Oxford, Bristol, Cardiff and St Georges - University of London. It's an exciting day and falls not long after our second university fair with over 70 UK and works universities visiting CATS Canterbury to meet with our students.

At CATS we specialise in pre university study and encourage students to do on line university courses and a wide range of extra Key Professions activities to prepare them for top universities. Many are taking courses in critical thinking as well as undertaking their own research projects to give them a real head staff in the world of UK and world universities.

Students can get a copy of the Key Prpfessions booklet on the CATS App or in person from student services or the Senior Tutors office - come and join in!

Successful IB students

Former IB Students from CATS Canterbury are right now at some of the world top universities and it's great to celebrate their success. We have students at LSE, Oxford, UCL, Warwick, British Columbia, Durham and one about to start at Cambridge this year.

Top universities really like IB because it delivers everything top UK universities want - research essays, theory of knowedge, extra activities etc. 

Our top students taking A level are expected to do the same if they are heading to LSE, Oxbridge etc. They do leadership awards, EPQ and Critical Thinking sessions - this puts them on the same level as our IB students. It's hard work! But then these are world top universities - you won't get there without being special and having a strong record of doing these extra activities.

There are some schools in the UK who do not understand IB - remember only the best schools in the UK are allowed to offer it. So they sometimes say A levels are better. However, what top universities are saying is the exact opposite. They want to see IB students with a strong background in all the things IB does and top A level students they now like to see with extra activities just as we offer at CATS Canterbury. We have over 120 extra activities linked to university entry in our Key Professions booklet.

But don't take my word for it - look at the IB students from CATS Canterbury now at world top universities - LSE, Oxbridge, UCL and more overseas. It's an amazing qualification for many students and as we offer both A level and IB we are not biased - we support students on either route.