Delivering career guidance
Ask an expert: Interactions tool & Gatsby Benchmarks
4th October 2019
An interview with Unifrog Area Manager and Gatsby Champion, Charley Fowler What is the Unifrog interactions tool? The Unifrog Interactions tool is a tool for both students and teachers... Read more >
Introducing Unifrog themed weeks
5th September 2019
Here at Unifrog HQ, we’ve been busy putting together a programme of themed weeks which we hope you’re going to be as excited about as we are! What are themed weeks? Drawing on the findings from our recent Horizons report and from speaking to teachers and careers counselors at partner schools, we’ve chosen six important issues surrounding careers education that matter to you... Read more >
Disadvantaged schools leading the way for careers education
9th May 2019
Schools in less-affluent areas are performing the best against the Gatsby Benchmarks. We take a look at why this might be and what it means in the long run for careers education... Read more >
The real barriers blocking Oxbridge, and how your students can overcome them
5th February 2019
It’s long been suspected that the race to secure an offer from Oxbridge isn’t a fair one, but few could predict exactly how much the odds are against you if you don’t attend a fee-paying school... Read more >
The knowledge of experience: Canada’s push to bridge the school-work gap
9th January 2019
Last August, the Government of Canada announced that they’ll create 60,000 work placements to help post-secondary students develop important work-ready skills... Read more >
New Launch - The Unifrog Network
30th October 2018
On 17th October 2018, we officially launched our brand-new Facebook group – the Unifrog Network. With more than a hundred new members within its first week of launching, it’s already proving to be a huge success... Read more >
Goals - Getting into a History programme at university
13th June 2017
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Should you encourage school leavers to go to University?
4th April 2017
Sylvia Nankivell explores the pros and cons of encouraging students to go to university. The big question in the heads of many school leavers is “should I go to university?” With increased tuition fees, the normalisation of undergraduate degrees and a financially turbulent job market, the decision is no longer a simple one... Read more >
Case Study: Falmouth College
22nd March 2017
Dr Matt Fox from Falmouth College explains the impact Unifrog has had on his students, staff school. Falmouth College first started using Unifrog in 2015 and since its introduction the number of university applications and apprenticeship applications have risen... Read more >
Raising Aspirations, Achieving Potential and Improving Careers Guidance
18th January 2017
Last year at Unifrog we ran our first series of 'Progression Conferences' at schools across the country - the events were focused on careers guidance, post-school destinations and maximising student success... Read more >
Case Study: Cheltenham Bournside College
16th January 2017
Student Impact Unifrog has proved an invaluable tool for providing our students with high quality information, advice and guidance on university and apprenticeships... Read more >
Case Study: Allerton High
13th December 2016
Before we started using Unifrog in our school, we had a number of challenges related to supporting students to find and apply to a range of opportunities... Read more >
Hitting the Gatsby Benchmarks
23rd November 2016
A brilliant blog post by Sarah on how Unifrog supported her students to think about future opportunities along with hitting the Gatsby Benchmarks. One of my main priorities when taking up my current post as Head of Sixth Form, was to improve the quality of Information, Advice and Guidance to students, enabling all of them to set their sights higher... Read more >
University isn’t for everyone: how to help your students write killer CVs
4th November 2016
University isn’t for everyone: Degree Apprenticeships, School Leaver Programmes, and how to help your students write killer CVs. Our Founder and Director, Alex, gives his thoughts on how to help your students get to their next step... Read more >
Who will your Unifrog Champion be?
25th October 2016
Alex shares how he and his school have successfully embedded Unifrog ito it's careers programme and empowered students to support the delivery. Who will your Unifrog Champion be? We became a Unifrog school last spring and since September have begun using it fully for IAG including for personal statements, UCAS references and from half term we will be rolling it out from Year 9... Read more >
Five ways to boost your students' employability
8th May 2016
Another piece from guest blogger Liz Posford from Careers Unlimited on what schools can do to improve students' chances of getting a good job... Read more >
Are your students happy? What can you do about it?
3rd May 2016
Our guest blogger Liz Posford from Careers Unlimited has been thinking about what we can be doing to make sure our young people are happy... Read more >
Time, money and expertise: how to negotiate the barriers to a good progression programme in schools
28th April 2016
John Hillis, one of our area managers reflects on what stops many schools giving their students the best possible information and advice about careers and how these barriers can be negotiated... Read more >
Getting the most out of higher education events and careers fairs
20th April 2016
Our guest blogger Liz Posford from Careers Unlimited has some tips for the shy sixth former: how do you best squeeze the juice out of careers and higher education events? Conversation starters for higher education events and careers fairs Once again, it’s that time of the year when higher education events happen, with universities, gap year organisations and sometimes potential employers gathering to show their wares to curious sixth form students... Read more >
Exploring alternative routes to gaining a degree
11th April 2016
At a time when students are increasingly concerned about the costs of going to university and the competitiveness of the graduate jobs market, it is worth researching alternative ways to gain a Higher Education qualification... Read more >
Introducing Guest Blogger, Liz Ponsford
5th April 2016
Liz will be writing weekly blogs for Unifrog, the series of blogs aims to offer practical advice to teaching staff to support them to inspire their students to take an active role in their future progression... Read more >
5 pieces of careers advice to NOT give your students
5th April 2016
Liz Ponsford, an independent careers adviser, will be writing a series of blogs that will feature on the Unifrog Blog. She will be writing from her experience and giving great advice! Here's her first article: The 5 worst pieces of advice that classroom teachers can give when talking to students about their future careers [image2] 1... Read more >
MOOCs in UK Education
4th April 2016
In visiting sixth form leaders on an almost a daily basis, I often allude to MOOCs and the potential benefits to their students. I get a mixed response, with the majority saying, “What’s a MOOC?” and, “What does it stand for again?!” For those that didn’t know, MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Course... Read more >
Paul Murphy MP’s report on Welsh students’ access to Oxbridge, and the birth of the Seren Network
21st March 2016
Are student aspirations as high in Wales as they are in England? Paul Murphy MP was appointed as Oxbridge Ambassador to Wales in May 2013 to establish the reasons behind the decline in Welsh applications and admissions to the universities of Oxford and Cambridge... Read more >
Helping pupils to access information on the full range of options
14th March 2016
Helping pupils to access information on the full range of options – an analysis of the DfE’s report, ‘Careers Guidance and Inspiration on Schools, March 2015’ The government’s most recent major report on Careers Guidance, ‘Careers Guidance and Inspiration in Schools, March 2015’, sets out that every school should provide “high quality” and “independent” careers guidance on students’ full range of options, so that pupils can make informed decisions about their futures... Read more >
Good Career Guidance
7th March 2016
Through my job I visit many schools and colleges. Without exception these schools understand and value the importance of good careers guidance. That is where the similarities end, for it appears no two schools have the same overall approach to providing this and a stronger roadmap is required... Read more >
Soft Skills in Schools
29th February 2016
In times gone by professional qualifications – so called 'hard skills' – seemed to be far and away the major factor for employers in choosing graduates and school leavers... Read more >
Are degrees the key to success? Another look at the Apprenticeship vs. Degree debate
22nd February 2016
Did you know that level 5 Higher Apprenticeships lead to greater lifetime earnings than undergraduate degrees from non-Russell Group universities? Recent research has delivered a robust challenge to the view that degrees are the best way to maximize income in your career... Read more >
2020 Vision: Everything you need to know about the rise and rise of apprenticeships
15th January 2016
One of the most positive shifts in education over the last few years has been the almost tangible increase in the prestige of apprenticeships. This shift stands to reason... Read more >
How do you choose your medical schools?
11th May 2015
Following on from our first blog last month outlining the application process, this month we are going to focus on one of the key components of UCAS, namely selecting 4 medical schools... Read more >
What to know about the medical school application process?
12th April 2015
The Medic Portal (TMP) provides expert advice for students, teachers and parents facing the tricky, and ever-changing, medical school application process... Read more >
Advising students on studying abroad: Ireland
5th March 2015
What’s Ireland ever given the world beyond Guinness and rainy summer holidays? Lots, actually. With just 4.5 million inhabitants, Ireland is a small country that punches way above its weight when it comes to its contribution to world culture... Read more >
Choosing FE: learning when to say goodbye
13th February 2015
Exams are looming; open days are happening and the recruitment fight is beginning between school sixth forms, Sixth Form Colleges, and FE colleges. Teachers and lecturers have been given targets for how many students they need to sign up to their courses if these courses are to be viable... Read more >
Advising students on studying abroad: Canada
12th January 2015
Second largest country in the world, Canada is known for its astonishing mountains, lakes and prairies, but also for its multicultural and friendly society... Read more >
The role of IAG in maintaining aspirations
5th January 2015
In recent years, raising and maintaining aspirations among disadvantaged young people has become an almost obsessive focus for many people working in education, and in social policy more generally... Read more >
Why should you encourage your students to study abroad?
20th October 2014
UK education is well-recognized around the globe, so it is no surprise that its universities are strong at attracting foreign students. In 2012-13 there were over 425,000 international students in the UK (making up 18% of the total UK student population), according to the UK Council for International Student Affairs... Read more >
A-level results - should the worst happen, how well prepared are your students?
13th August 2014
Many students are now celebrating across the country, but the TES is reporting that according to a recent poll, 54% of A-level students have no idea what they will do, should they fail to get into their top two university choices... Read more >
Good career guidance: a How-To guide from abroad
3rd July 2014
It's well known now that schools in the UK have a statutory duty to provide independent career guidance – this became law in 2012. Schools' duty is to present guidance to their students in an impartial manner, inform them about the range of options available, and provide guidance that takes into account the pupil’s best interests... Read more >
Is 'Vocational' still a dirty word?
22nd June 2014
In her first two blogs on apprenticeships, Eleanor Bernardes, Associate at LKMco, explained what you need to know about apprenticeships and what you should consider when choosing one... Read more >
What you need to know about apprenticeships in the UK
4th June 2014
In her next two blogs Eleanor Bernardes, Associate at LKMco explores a much neglected side of education in the UK: apprenticeships. In this blog she introduces apprenticeships and in her next she turns to the tricky question of picking an apprenticeship... Read more >
What are you doing with your life? How we can help students decide what happens post GCSEs
4th November 2013
What support do we give students who are choosing their path after GCSEs? From 2010 the government began dismantling Connexions, the national service for careers advice which included a UK-wide network of career advisers who were based in dedicated centres but also spent time in schools... Read more >
The ignored middle: what should they do next?
24th October 2013
When I was teaching I romanticized the struggle of the bright but poor child. A lot of teachers do the same, perhaps because in students who are stopped from excelling academically purely by their background, the injustice of wasted potential is so clear... Read more >