Futures Programme
Our Futures Programme begins in January of Year 12 and covers all aspects of students’ next step choices after they leave us at the end of Year 13.
Careers and Apprenticeships
Utilising the expertise of our Careers Lead, Mrs Hill, students begin the programme by looking at career options that may be open to them. The specific focus relates to our Work Experience Programme with students undertaking this at the beginning of March in Year 12.
After this, students take a more in-depth look at careers and different levels of apprenticeships that could be available to them as their next step choice.
Our careers programme is award winning and we are the hub school for all other schools in the southern region. Mrs Hill has worked hard to build up a comprehensive network of links with a wide range of companies and all students are encouraged to make contacts and networks utilising platforms such as LinkedIn. Career opportunities are frequently advertised to students on the year group Google Classroom stream as well as direct emails home, with great success.
Students have access to careers guidance from specialist consultancy Adviza.
Our alumini network is strong, with ex-students regularly coming into school to meet and present to our students from Year 7 through to Year 13. We have a number of displays around the school featuring ex-students and the careers they have gone on to pursue.
A number of our Year 13 students have successfully achieved degree-level apprenticeships over the past few years, a pathway that is currently gaining momentum.
University
It is the case that the vast majority of our students progress on to University after they leave us, whether that be directly from school or after a GAP year. In September 2023, 80% of our students took up places on a range of courses at a wide variety of universities across the UK each year.
Misbourne students are successful at gaining places at universities throughout the UK to read a diverse range of subjects. For information on which universities our 2023 leavers joined, please click on our Leavers' Destinations Map.
In order to keep all of their options open, we encourage all of our students to apply for university, especially if they are unsure about their next steps.
We offer our students a comprehensive package of support related to all aspects of university applications, from making decisions about which universities and courses to choose all the way through to choosing their university accommodation, support with student finance and the transition to university, which can be a daunting time.
The Misbourne UCAS process begins in March of Year 12.
Contextual information
The Misbourne is a co-educational, non-selective school in Buckinghamshire. We have over 1120 students, including 209 in our Sixth Form. 10% of our students are eligible for pupil premium and 9% receive free school meals.
Our Sixth Form students undertake a programme of three A Levels or equivalent vocational qualifications. Students are admitted to Sixth Form on the basis of their GCSE results and select courses appropriate to their ability and interests. Approximately 20% of our most able students opt to complete an EPQ. Around 79% progress to higher education, either directly on leaving school or after taking a gap year. In 2024, 33% of students progressed to Russell Group universities.
Students are assessed regularly against external examination criteria, which includes a full programme of trial exams in February of Year 12 and the October and February of Year 13. These results, taken together with ongoing assessments, provide the evidential basis of our predicted grades.