Applicaa Futures

A Guide to Applicaa Futures: Supporting Students in Post-16 Education

Applicaa Futures is a powerful system designed to revolutionize how secondary schools support Year 10 and 11 students as they explore and apply for post-16 education. This guide will walk you through the key features of Applicaa Futures and how to use them effectively.

Key Features of Applicaa Futures

Applicaa Futures includes three essential tools to streamline the application process:

• OneReference – Manage and send Year 11 references more efficiently.
• ApplicaaOne – Provide students with access to every post-16 course in the UK.
• Destination Tracker – Easily track applications, offers, and enrolments.

1. OneReference: Simplifying the Reference Process

The first tool in your Applicaa Futures form is designed to significantly reduce your referencing workload. Once a profile is created for each student, references can be reused for multiple applications. The system incorporates a universal template based on common reference questions from over 800 Sixth Forms and colleges across the UK.

Setting Up OneReference

1. Access Your Applicaa Futures Form

• • Existing Admissions+ Users: Applicaa Futures has been added as a form in your system. If it is not visible on your dashboard, contact Applicaa support for assistance.

• • New Users: Request a free Applicaa Futures system by completing a short form. Once verified, you will receive access.

2. Complete the Onboarding Steps

There are a few steps you need to complete before you can start using OneReference:

• Import staff to allow them to log in and complete any references assigned to them.
• Add Year 10 and/or Year 11 form groups – This enables you to assign groups to the relevant staff members.
• Bulk import your students and their predicted grades.
• Invite students to ApplicaaOne – Where they can explore local post-16 opportunities.

3. Creating and Editing References

To create or edit a reference for a student you are responsible for, simply click the pencil icon to open their profile.

Complete the reference responses, and when you are finished, you can either click 'Save' to return to the student list or 'Save & Go to Next Student' to continue working through your list.

By pressing 'Save', OneReference will begin sharing this data with any schools in the Applicaa network that the student has applied to.

How Does Reference Sharing Work?

With Applicaa Futures, your Year 11 students can apply to post-16 institutions using their ApplicaaOne profile. 25% of Sixth Forms and colleges in England, including 50% in London, use Applicaa for admissions.

When you create a reference with Applicaa Futures, one of two things will happen:

1. Schools Using Applicaa

• Once a reference is completed, the system auto-fills required questions for any Applicaa Sixth Form or college.
• If additional questions require manual input, you’ll be notified. Otherwise, the reference is automatically completed and shared with the student and institution.
  
  

2. Non-Applicaa Sixth Forms and Colleges & Other Organisations

• You can manually share references with non-Applicaa schools, apprenticeship providers, or employers.

• To share, open the student’s OneReference record, click 'Share', and enter the recipient’s email.

Tracking and Managing References

• The system acts as a central hub, showing all shared references (automatic & manual).
• Share references individually or in bulk from the main table.
• Use the 'Status' column to track completed references and apply filters by form group or year group.

2. ApplicaaOne: The UCAS-Style System for Post-16 Applications

• OneSearch – Students can browse over 18,000 post-16 courses and institutions in the UK, register for open days, and check eligibility based on predicted grades.
  
• OneApplication – Students can create a single profile and application that can be reused for multiple submissions, allowing them to track their applications through to enrolment.
  
• CareersHub – For students still exploring their options, CareersHub provides tailored guidance with resources on career paths, job markets, and educational requirements.

3. Destination Tracker: Monitoring Student Progress

The last tool in your Applicaa Futures form is the Destination Tracker, which provides powerful insights into the progress students are making and helps identify those who need support with their post-16 destinations.

Features of the Destination Tracker:

• Live Data Access: View real-time data and status updates.
• Manual Updates: Add and update additional destinations manually.
• NEET Risk Calculation: Automatic assessment of NEET risk.
• Dynamic Reporting: Easily share destination data with local authorities.

When a student uses their ApplicaaOne profile to apply to a Sixth Form or college within the Applicaa network, the system links their applications together, allowing them to track their progress within their Applicaa One account.

When you add the student (and their email address) to Applicaa Futures, the destination data from their ApplicaaOne profile will be visible to you as their home school. This data may include applications to other Applicaa schools (with automated application, offer, and enrolment statuses) and/or non-Applicaa schools (where the student manually links their application and updates the status).

Important Note: When students join ApplicaaOne, they are explicitly asked to consent to the automated reporting of their destinations back to their current home school.

What If My Students Already Have an Applicaa One Profile or Use a Different Email?

When students sign up for Applicaa One, we request the following to ensure they are matched to their current home school profile, even if they use a different email:

• ULN (Unique Learner Number)
• Two email addresses:
  • Their school email address
  • Their personal email address

Once the school confirms a matching profile with the same email or ULN, students must approve the tracking request by confirming the school’s request via an email notification. This ensures appropriate handling of their personal data and explicit consent as defined by GDPR.

How Can We Track Non-Applicaa Destinations?

Both staff and students can manually report destinations outside the Applicaa network, along with their current status. Applicants can update this through their Applicaa One profile, while staff can do so via the Destination Tracker in Applicaa Futures using the ‘+’ button next to the relevant student.

You should regularly update the status of any manually added applications to ensure accurate NEET risk calculation. To update, click the pencil icon next to the relevant application and select the correct status when available.

How Is NEET Risk Calculated?

A student is flagged as at risk of becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) if:

• No applications have been started or submitted.
• All submitted applications are considered “inactive”:
  For Applicaa network applications, an application is marked as inactive if:
  • Application Status:
    • Declined
    • Incomplete
    • Deadline Missed
  • Offer Status:
    • Declined
    • Withdrawn
    • No Offer Will Be Made (new status coming soon)
  • Enrolment Status:
    • Declined
    • Automatically inactive after 20 September if enrolment status is not “Enrolled”.

For non-Applicaa schools (manually added by you or the student):

• Application Status:
  • Withdrawn
  • Rejected

If none of the above applies, the student is NOT at risk of being NEET.

How Are Statuses Displayed in the Destination Tracker?

For Applicaa network applications, statuses change as the student progresses through the application, offer, and enrolment stages:

• Step 1: Application Stage
  • Application Started: Incomplete
  • Awaiting Reference: Awaiting reference
  • Applied: Completed and awaiting further action
  • Withdrawn: Application withdrawn
• Step 2: Offer Stage
  • Offered: Received an offer
  • Offer Accepted: Accepted the offer
  • Offer Withdrawn: Withdrawn by institution
  • No Offer Will Be Made: Not considered further (new status coming soon)
• Step 3: Enrolment Stage
  • Enrolment Pending: Awaiting enrolment next steps
  • Details to be Checked: Verifying enrolment details
  • Ready to Enrol: Awaiting enrolment
  • Enrolled: Successfully enrolled
  • Enrolment Waiting: Awaiting enrolment confirmation
  • Enrolment Declined: Enrolment declined by the student or school

For non-Applicaa schools, you can manually add the following statuses:

• Applied
• Offer Accepted
• Offer Received
• Withdrawn
• Offer Rejected
• Enrolled