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Tuesday August 13th, 2024
Welcome to your August edition. I hope you’re having a great summer. If you’ve been enjoying the Olympics, then you might like this topical statistic: did you know that a third of Team GB received a private education at some of the UK’s top independent schools? Plymouth College in Devon fielded six athletes, with a further five alumni from Millfield School in Somerset, and four from Croydon-based Whitgift School. Altogether, 36 UK independent schools had a hand in educating 106 of GB’s 318 Olympians competing in Paris. Given that less than 10% of the population attend private school at secondary level, paid-for education certainly seems to have a disproportionate impact on sporting achievement at the highest level. And it’s not just because private schools can offer the best facilities and access to top coaches, nutritionists and sports psychologists. It’s as much about weaving training and competitions into and around academic work, identifying sporting talent at a young age and supporting students to excel on (or in) and off the track, court, pitch, pool, etc.
Until recently, independent schools were exempt from paying VAT because providing educational services gave them that status under UK law. In addition, around half the UK’s independent schools are charities. This had meant that while they couldn’t operate at a profit, they could benefit from business rate relief – an 80% reduction on taxes levied on buildings used for commercial purposes. However, under the new Labour government, whilst independent schools can retain their charitable status, they must forfeit these benefits. So, from 29th July this year, VAT at the standard rate of 20% is now added to all school fees for the January 2025 term onwards, and all private schools will need to pay full business rates.
If the full increase in costs were passed onto parents, families could expect to pay between £3,000 and £10,000 more per child, per year. But this is an unlikely scenario; schools are taking different approaches to addressing the increase in their costs so they don’t have to pass them all on. However, should you have any concerns about what this change might mean for your family and your child’s education, please do get in touch.
With results days fast approaching, in this issue we’ll discuss next steps for those receiving GCSE or A Level results later this month. And in the same vein of ‘preparing for the next stage’, we’ll look at the changes to the UCAS personal statement as part of university applications for courses beginning in 2026.
It’s a stressful time for all involved, but there are a few things you can do to feel prepared and be ready to hit the ground running.
How you’ll receive your results will often depend on your school, but there is some flexibility. Make sure you know in advance how you’ve opted to find out. Results are usually available to students from 8am on the day, whether that’s in person, by email or via online platforms such as your school’s app. You can check the UCAS Hub too, but don’t forget that will only show you whether you’ve been accepted by your firm or insurance choice of university – it won’t show you your grades.
More on the UCAS Hub
If you check the Hub before you get your results, you’ll probably find one of the following:
What exactly is Clearing?
It can sound a bit daunting but it’s simply a system to ensure as many people as possible get a place to study what they want and where they want. If you don’t get the grades in your conditional offers, it doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t get into your firm or insurance choice of course or university. But it might mean you go into the Clearing system, where your preferences and grades are matched with available university places.
Should I have a plan B?
It doesn’t hurt to be prepared! It can help you to feel calmer and more in control going into results day. It could be as simple as looking back at your shortlist of university options. You’ll have already given a great deal of time and thought to these alternatives, and you’ve probably visited most, if not all of them, in person. Have any of the factors changed? For example, does a campus feel more attractive now than a busy, city-based university? Or are you happy to be closer to home than you originally thought? Bear all this in mind, and you could even contact universities in advance of results day to ask about availability for alternative courses. Although those places aren’t guaranteed, these conversations can give you an up-to-date picture of what’s likely to be available to you. You can also identify places using UCAS’s clearing search tool before results day (as well as after).
After results day, you’ll automatically go into Clearing if you don’t receive any offers or if you decline all your offers. Next steps are: look for available places in the UCAS search tool, then call the university to check you meet their entry requirements. If they offer you a place and you’d like to accept it, you can add the choice in the UCAS Hub (click ‘Add Clearing choice’ then fill in the course details the admissions team gave you over the phone). You can only add one choice at a time, but you can add another if the university doesn’t confirm your place.
UCAS has a more specialised system called Clearing Plus, which combines information from your application with what universities and colleges are looking for to offer you potential matches. In this system, if you don’t have a place confirmed you’ll see a button in your Hub saying ‘My matches’, which takes you to your top 50 alternative courses. From there you can register your interest and, if you meet their requirements, universities may contact you directly.
Get in touch: if you’ve any questions at all – about Clearing or any aspect of A levels, results day or university applications – please do drop us a line or give us a call.
It can feel overwhelming, but there are a few things you can do in the lead up to GCSE results day that will help the whole family feel calmer and more in control.
Get in touch: do drop us a line or give us a call if you have any queries, concerns or questions about the topics covered here – or any other aspect of your child’s education.
Currently, students fill out a free-response section for the personal statement on their UCAS application form. This essay format can be up to 4,000 characters long and needs to showcase a candidate’s suitability for a course. Under plans to make the system more inclusive, UCAS will replace this with three mandatory questions:
The section will still allow the same number of characters, and students will be drawing on the same sorts of experiences and examples as they do now (e.g. voluntary work, what they enjoy most about their subject and how they see that in context as a future career or development path, etc. – more on this in our previous blogs). The key difference with the new format is that the questions help to direct students more specifically to what admissions teams want to know.
The change is designed to counteract any discrepancies in students’ access to support with completing the personal statement section of the form. Research established almost eight students in every 10 found writing the personal statement difficult without support.
In contrast, when UCAS surveyed potential applicants about to start their personal statement, they found more than three-quarters prefer the new three-question format to the old free-response, essay format. Certainly, having this framework should help to make the whole ‘personal statement’ section seem less daunting. Good news for any families beginning the UCAS journey for autumn 2026 entry! As students looking to start their university courses in September / October 2026 will be the first cohort to experience the new-style personal statement section.
Get in touch: if you have any questions about the UCAS application process, the UK’s most prestigious universities, or the current top-earning degree courses, do get in touch. We can help with any aspect of your child’s education, whether they’re preparing for primary school or planning their post-graduate studies. We love to hear from you.
Enjoy the rest of the summer break. We’ll be back in touch in September.
“ Regency Education helped all three of our boys get into a wonderful school where they now thrive. ”
“ REGENCY EDUCATION WAS ABLE TO HELP US WITH EVERY STEP OF THE SCHOOL APPLICATION PROCESS ENSURING THE EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS OF OUR CHILDREN. AN INVALUABLE SERVICE. ”
“ REGENCY EDUCATION WAS ABLE TO HELP US WITH EVERY STEP OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS ENSURING THE EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS OF OUR CHILDREN - AN INVALUABLE SERVICE. ”
