S5/6 Top Up
What is the Top-Up Programme?
The Top-Up Programme has been designed to help senior school pupils prepare for higher education and make informed choices about their futures.
What are the aims of Top-Up?
Participating in the Top-Up Programme:-
- helps prepare students for higher education;
- helps students decide if higher education is the right option for them at the present time;
- equips students with key skills and provides useful tips and advice for successful study;
- introduces students to campus life, including lectures, seminars, the library and student I.T. needs;
- helps boost student confidence;
Who is Top-Up for?
The Top-Up Programme is for those students in 5th or 6th year of secondary school who are planning to enter college or university after school, or considering that option. It is offered to pupils in schools taking part in the GOALS Project.
What are the benefits of Top-Up for my students?
Top-Up is a rigorous, academic programme that introduces students to lectures, seminars, tutorials, library resources and student computing facilities as well as equipping them with the key critical skills they will need to be successful higher education learners.
The Programme is designed to foster and promote critical and conceptual thinking and independent learning, as well as key requirements of successful university-level study such as note-taking and making skills, decision–making skills, and essay-writing skills.
The Top-Up Programme is designed to help make the transition from secondary school into higher education as smooth as possible.
When does Top-Up take place?
Top-Up runs in schools from December to March. It lasts for thirteen sessions, eleven held in schools and two at one of the GOALS higher education institutions. All sessions are facilitated by fully trained postgraduate tutors and also involve higher education staff and undergraduate students.
The campus-based sessions involve attending higher education lectures; participating in a seminars/tutorials; attending student life workshops; and practising research skills within a university library and computing lab.
Information on how Top-Up is assessed and how it can help in the admissions process.