Professional Guidance: Engineering

Support for our potential engineering students starts early. We encourage students to join weekly clubs and societies led by senior students and supported by staff. At these they explore engineering and science topics that interest them and learn to present about and discuss scientific topics. Many students then go on to complete an EPQ (an option in Sixth Form) on a particular area of interest to develop their own independent learning.

The department runs a comprehensive programme of trips, lectures, discussion groups, practicals and mentoring. We take students to the ‘Advanced Engineering’ Roadshow at the NEC in Birmingham; and ‘Future Engineers’ run by Staffordshire University. Students are encouraged to attend online IOP Engineering Masterclasses, covering topics such as ‘3D printing in racing cars’ to ‘How MRI reveals hearing damage and other secrets of the brain’.

Students participate in Olympiad competitions, science and engineering essay competitions and maths challenges with some going on to compete at regional and national level. Students investigate engineering ideas as part of robot building and programming VEX competitions.

University coordinators and department staff support and advise on the best route for each student, they also provide guidance and training for the PAT, STEP and Engineering admissions tests which some university Engineering courses require. In 6.2 support continues in the form of mock interviews for those students applying to highly selective universities which use interviews in their selection processes.