Sixth Form Conference 2025

Conference Agenda

Start

Sessions

Speakers

9:00 AM – 9:20 AM
^{(20 mins)}

Registration & Refreshments

Tea, coffee, and pastries on arrival
Networking with admissions professionals
Explore exhibitor stands showcasing the latest in admissions technology

9:20 AM – 9:35 AM
^{(15 mins)}

Welcome & Agenda

Discover how Applicaa and ApplicaaOne are revolutionising school admissions, streamlining processes for schools, and enhancing the student journey.
Agenda

Lucy Curtis

Head of Onboarding

Applicaa

Guthrie Denniston

CEO

Applicaa

10:00 AM – 10:20 AM
^{(20 mins)}

Marketing Your School & Admissions Strategy

Digital marketing strategies for schools & colleges
TikTok & Instagram: Engaging prospective students
Success stories of schools using social media to boost applications

Zahira Jaigirdar

Founder

The Social Vision

9:35 AM – 9:55 AM
^{(20 mins)}

Optimising Events for Admissions Success

Open Days and Events
QR Code: leveraging the power of tracking attendees
Turbocharge sign-ups by embedding on ApplicaaOne

Nicola Entwistle

Product Manager

Applicaa

Lizzie Avery Francesca Egan

LaSWAP

10:20 AM – 10:40 AM
^{(20 mins)}

Sponsors Speaker - Study Mind Partnership

10:20 AM – 10:40 AM
^{(20 mins)}

Networking & Refreshments Break

Breakout Sessions

Overcoming Common Challenges and Finding Solutions

Secondary School

Post-16

10.40 AM - 11.00 AM
^{(20 mins)}

Secondary School

Pre Admissions

Additional Phases
Offers
Meetings

Post-16

Offers & timetabling

Creating options, using offers to inform groups, etc
Options Modelling: How data can support student subject choices.

11.00 AM - 11:20 AM
^{(20 mins)}

Secondary School

Post Enrolment

Transition Tool
Form Groups (Sorting Hat)
CTF Collection

Post-16

B16 Audit & Compliance

Ensuring compliance, be audit-ready
Bursary16+ functionality
Dispelling myths about the bursary fund

11: 20 AM - 11 :40 AM
^{(20 mins)}

Secondary School

GCSE Options

Options modelling: How to guide students effectively

Post-16

Enrolment Day Overview & Updates

Multiple Enrolment Visibility
Bulk Pre-enrolment of Internals
Sharing GCSE Grades
Managing waiting lists
Enrolment Reporting

11.40 AM - 12.00 PM
^{(20 mins)}

Secondary School

In-Year Admissions & Managing Transfers

Using Applicaa for mid-year applicants
Handling local authority lists &last-minute enrolments
Managing conditional offers & waiting lists

Post-16

Enrolment Day: Applicaa Windows App

Applicaa’s Enrolment Windows App
How to prepare and practice

12.00 PM – 12.50 PM
^{(50 mins)}

Lunch and Networking

Meet the Applicaa team for live product demos
Connect with peers and discuss best practices

12:50 PM – 1:00 PM
^{(10 mins)}

Unleashing the power of the Community: unsung heroes are leveraging and supporting each other

How the new Applicaa Community can take your school processes to the next level

Amanda Grainger

Director of CS

Applicaa

1:00 PM – 1:25 PM
^{(25 mins)}

The Careers People: Identify and support young people at risk of being NEET

Applicaa Futures – The Future of Admissions: Discover How Digital Tools are Shaping Student Tracking and Transition

Centralising
Post-16 & Post-18 Destination Tracking
Future innovations in digital admissions technology

Jess Pieri

Founder

Careers People

Courtney Green

Careers Leader

Stratford Academy

Nicola Entlewistle

Product Manager

Applicaa

1:25 PM – 1:50 PM
^{(25 mins)}

Standardising Admissions Across Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs)

Managing admissions at Year 7, Year 12, & In-Year
How MATs can centralise data collection for better efficiency
Ensuring consistent admissions processes across all schools

Elaine Harper

Trust Admissions Manager

Leigh Academy Trust

1:50 PM – 2:05 PM
^{(15 mins)}

Educational Neuroscience and insights into the teenage brain

Jeremy Dudman Jones

Learnus

2:05 PM – 2:25 PM
^{(20 mins)}

The Role of Taster Days in Student Engagement

How Sixth Forms use taster days to engage students
Using the Taster Day feature for the New Year 7 Taster Day

Lucy Curtis

Head of Onboarding

Applicaa

Julianna Sosnowska

Director of Student Admissions

Long Road 6th Form College

2:25 PM – 2:50 PM
^{(20 mins)}

Education beyond the Curriculum

Local Challenges and School Challenges

Michael Pieri

Associate Deputy Headteacher

Heron Hall Academy

2:50 PM – 3:10 PM
^{(20 mins)}

ApplicaaOne - September, Stats usage, Reviews, videos of the kids (TikTok)

Revisit the genesis
Usage stats
Celebrate engaged users
Demo of the search area and roadmap

Antony Wamua

COO and Product Director

Applicaa

3:10 PM

Thanks you and Goodbye

Lucy Curtis

Head of Onboarding

Applicaa

Guthrie Denniston

CEO

Applicaa

Watch videos from our last conference

Enrolment day panel discussion

Managing taster days in the summer term

Getting off to a great start at Sixth Form

How LDE UTC is revolutionising student enrolment

How to enagage and retain your high attainers

Streamlining year 11 references

Streamlining taster days with Admissions+

Planning the perfect Sixth Form Open Day

Enrolment day panel discussion

Speakers

Robin Dearing

Data & Systems Manager

St Dominic's Sixth Form College

Tom Kennedy-Fowler

Co-Headteacher

Urmston Grammar Academy

Nathan Hatch

IT & Operations Manager and Data Protection Officer

London Academy of Excellence Tottenham

Summary:

Enrolment day for sixth forms is a crucial event, shaping the experience of incoming students and ensuring a smooth transition from GCSE to A Level studies. Three experienced leaders - Tom Kennedy Fowler from Urmston Grammar, Nathan Hatch from London Academy of Excellence, Tottenham and Robin Dearing from St. Dominic’s Sixth Form College - share their insights into managing enrolment efficiently using Applicaa. Read more...

Managing taster days in the summer term

Speakers

Sam Gale

Ks5 Progress Manager

Central Foundation Girl's School

Summary:

For years, organising Sixth Form taster days has been a logistical challenge. From managing student registrations to ensuring they attend the correct sessions, the traditional process is time-consuming and paper-heavy.
Read more...

Getting off to a great start at Sixth Form

Speakers

Tom Maric

Former AHT & Head of Sixth Form

Bentley Wood High School for Girls

Summary:

September is here, the time when Sixth Form students return, settle in and adjust to their new academic environment. You’ve worked hard to get these students to commit -through conversations, open houses, parent meetings and countless reassuring messages - but how to do you ensure they stay confident about their choice? Read more...

How LDE UTC is revolutionising student enrolment

Speakers

Sonya D-Arcy-Kilroy

Marketing, Events, Learner Admission & Wellbeing Lead

London Design & Engineering UTC

Summary:

Since opening its doors in 2015, LDE UTC has been on a mission to provide a forward-thinking, hands-on education focused on engineering, design, and architecture. However, as any school leader knows, getting students through the door is just as crucial as providing an excellent learning experience. Read more...

How to enagage and retain your high attainers

Speakers

Jeremy Dudman Jones

Assistant Head Teacher

Greenford High School

Summary:

In an ever-changing educational landscape, retaining students for post-16 study is becoming increasingly competitive. Gone are the days when students saw their secondary education as a seamless seven-year journey within the same institution. Many are now actively exploring alternative provisions, making it vital for schools to adapt and ensure their offering remains attractive. Read more...

Streamlining year 11 references

Speakers

Celine Nembhard

Careers and Enrichment Lead

Deptford Green School

Summary:

Managing Year 11 references is a challenge faced by many schools, particularly those without a Sixth Form. This issue was highlighted in a recent conversation with Celine, Careers, Enrichment and Progression Manager at Deptford Green School in South London. Her insights into the complexities of reference requests and student applications shed light on the urgent need for a more centralised and efficient process. Read more...

Streamlining taster days with Admissions+

Speakers

Mary Wood

Summary:

Managing taster days for prospective students can be a daunting task, with countless moving parts to coordinate. However, our speakers share their insights on how even the most complex aspects of the admissions process can be simplified using Admissions+ tools. Read more...

Planning the perfect Sixth Form Open Day

Speakers

Shane Ryan

Camella Ervin

Kelly Tollhurst

Summary:

Sixth Form admissions is a fiercely competitive landscape, where schools must consistently innovate to attract and retain students. Our speakers share their thoughts on running effective open evenings, engaging both internal and external applicants, and ensuring a seamless admissions process. Read more...

Download a copy of the full presentation

What our guests said about the day

Hearing about other schools' experiences and how they utilise parts of Applicaa that we do not currently use.

—

Kingsdale Foundation School

The variety of ideas regarding open evenings and retaining your existing students were really useful. The presenters offered lots of ideas and it was good to be able to share thoughts and ideas with fellow colleagues.

—

Edgbarrow School

The helpful tips about retaining current year 11s into sixth form and how to enhance open events.

—

SGS Berkeley Green UTC

Hearing how other schools/colleges are using some of the programmes, so I could compare to what I currently do and if I can change how I do things. Liked the variety of speakers/topics.

—

Boston High School

Realising that we are doing a lot right and getting some great tips from the speakers

—

Titus Salt School

The variety of speakers and the chance to chat to a member of the Applicaa team at the end.

—

Hayes School

The event was jam packed with helpful information, particularly around enrolment days and how to support with taster sessions.

—

Royal Greenwich Trust School

Hearing about the similarities and differences of other sixth forms. The talks on marketing, social mobility, apprenticeships and funding

—

Cleeve Park School

Forum chats about how to improve/tweak open evenings, enrolment day, retention etc. I picked up many hints and tips that I hope to use this year!

—

Saint Cecilia's Church of England School

The range of topics discussed, and the short snappy nature of each talk - just enough time to cover everything needed and have Q&A without dragging on as can sometimes happen!

—

Long Road Sixth Form College

General networking. Getting insight into the Taster Day function of Applicaa as well as the bursary section.

—

Urmston Grammar School

The sessions regarding open evening and the applications/ enrolment processes at other institutions

—

Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School

Getting to hear about different providers' processes and how Applicaa's systems are used to facilitate them. I thought the speakers were great and offered many interesting perspectives

—

Long Road Sixth Form College

Excellent sessions, all very relevant to Heads of Sixth Form and a good mixture of sessions to do with vision and more operational

—

Roundwood Park School

The opportunity to speak to members of the Applicaa team in person and to hear of other schools managing their admissions and gain an understanding of what practices are put in place.

—

Langley Park School for Boys

Hearing about the products and how they have helped schools become more efficient. Lots of hints and tips to take away.

—

North Start Community Trust LTD

I enjoyed the well-located venue, the informative talks (especially Sonya D'Arcy-Kilroy's), and learning about Applicaa updates while chatting with their staff. I'd love to hear more from keynote speakers about how Applicaa supports their work.

—

Skinners Kent Academy

Meeting others in similar roles/facing similar issues. Hearing panel discussions.

—

City of London Academy Islington

Hearing about other schools' experiences and how they utilise parts of Applicaa that we do not currently use.

—

Kingsdale Foundation School

—

Edgbarrow School

The helpful tips about retaining current year 11s into sixth form and how to enhance open events.

—

SGS Berkeley Green UTC

Hearing how other schools/colleges are using some of the programmes, so I could compare to what I currently do and if I can change how I do things. Liked the variety of speakers/topics.

—

Boston High School

Realising that we are doing a lot right and getting some great tips from the speakers

—

Titus Salt School

The variety of speakers and the chance to chat to a member of the Applicaa team at the end.

—

Hayes School

The event was jam packed with helpful information, particularly around enrolment days and how to support with taster sessions.

—

Royal Greenwich Trust School

Hearing about the similarities and differences of other sixth forms. The talks on marketing, social mobility, apprenticeships and funding

—

Cleeve Park School

Forum chats about how to improve/tweak open evenings, enrolment day, retention etc. I picked up many hints and tips that I hope to use this year!

—

Saint Cecilia's Church of England School

The range of topics discussed, and the short snappy nature of each talk - just enough time to cover everything needed and have Q&A without dragging on as can sometimes happen!

—

Long Road Sixth Form College

General networking. Getting insight into the Taster Day function of Applicaa as well as the bursary section.

—

Urmston Grammar School

The sessions regarding open evening and the applications/ enrolment processes at other institutions

—

Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School

Getting to hear about different providers' processes and how Applicaa's systems are used to facilitate them. I thought the speakers were great and offered many interesting perspectives

—

Long Road Sixth Form College

Excellent sessions, all very relevant to Heads of Sixth Form and a good mixture of sessions to do with vision and more operational

—

Roundwood Park School

The opportunity to speak to members of the Applicaa team in person and to hear of other schools managing their admissions and gain an understanding of what practices are put in place.

—

Langley Park School for Boys

Hearing about the products and how they have helped schools become more efficient. Lots of hints and tips to take away.

—

North Start Community Trust LTD

—

Skinners Kent Academy

Meeting others in similar roles/facing similar issues. Hearing panel discussions.

—

City of London Academy Islington

Meet this year's speakers

John Brennan

Chief Commercial & Communications Officer

Institute of School Business Leadership

speakers_bio_here

Will Conolly

Former Assistant Principal
Regional Sales Manager (Applicaa)

Hockerill Anglo-European College

Hello, I am Will Conolly. Having spent 13 years working in a secondary school fulfilling a number of different roles including PE Teacher, House Master and Assistant Principal, I began working for Applicaa in the summer of 2023. I had become aware of Applicaa and their products as the school I was working at had just started to use Admissions+. It struck me how this product would streamline and improve our admissions processes, which I had been heavily involved in for a number of years. It is great to be able to work for a company who not only have fantastic products, but one which positively impacts school life for both students and staff, cutting down on unnecessary workload so that student outcomes can be prioritised.

Zak Cooper

Regional Sales Manager (Applicaa)

speakers_bio_here

Lucy Curtis

Former Deputy Head of Sixth Form (non-teaching)
Head of Onboarding (Applicaa)

Tupton Hall School (Derbyshire)

My name is Lucy Curtis and I am Head of Onboarding. I lead our team of Customer Success Managers and I've been working here since October 2021. Prior to that, I had previously trained as a secondary school English teacher and then moved into the pastoral side of education, where I eventually moved into the role of Deputy Head of Sixth Form. I used Applicaa to manage Post 16 Admissions in my time there, so I've been where you are now! I love my role here, and being able to work with education providers across the country to build their confidence in using their own Applicaa products.

Guthrie Denniston

Former Teacher of Geography
CEO and Co-Founder (Applicaa)

Greenford High School

Hi, I’m Guthrie, Co-Founder and CEO at Applicaa. Before launching Applicaa, I worked at Greenford High School in London as a Geography teacher, alongside my co-founder Tim Dixon, who was Head of Sixth Form.
We created Admissions+ after seeing first-hand how schools were losing students after Year 11 due to manual, outdated processes. What started as a simple solution to improve Sixth Form enrolment has now grown into a platform used by over 2000 schools, helping streamline admissions and bursary management nationwide.

Nicola Entwistle

Former Communications Manager
Product Manager (Applicaa)

Colfe’s School

Hi, I’m Nicola. I joined the Applicaa Product Team in autumn 2024 after working for over 20 years in marketing and communications across the IT and education sectors. Before joining Applicaa, I was part of the admissions team at an independent school where I used Admissions+ — and I was so impressed with the platform that I decided to make the leap and join the team!
As a Product Manager, I now work closely with teams across the business — from development and design to customer success and sales — always championing a seamless and user-friendly experience for every school using our products.

Lee Fitzmaurice

Head of Sixth Form

The Campion School

I have been an Assistant Headteacher at The Campion School; an all-boys Catholic school with a mixed Sixth Form, for the past 3 years. I oversee our deployment of Admissions+ for the whole school. As a Subject Leader, I had been involved in Sixth Form admissions days for the past 10 years and these were always long and chaotic, sometimes lasting over multiple days! We started using Admissions+ to simply digitise the process of external applications, but it has completely streamlined the way we enrol students in both Years 7 and 12. I would describe our excellent admissions team as Admissions+ ‘power users’ and we are continually finding creative, new ways to get the most out of the platform.

Amanda Grainger

Former PA to MAT Head of Sixth Form
Director of Customer Success (Applicaa)

Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership Trust

My name is Amanda & I have been with Applicaa since May 2021. In my school role I was responsible for admissions, bursaries and many other elements of administration for multiple sixth form sites.
I used Admissions+ in this role, and when I joined Applicaa I brought the idea of creating a bursary platform for sixth forms.
At Applicaa I oversee the Customer Success teams, from Onboarding, to Technical Support and Subscription Management.
I am passionate about saving time by streamlining processes using automation and technology - there are never enough hours in the day when you work in a school!

Elaine Harper

Trust Admissions Manager

Leigh Academy Trust

With 15+ years in education, Elaine serves as Trust Admissions Manager at Leigh Academies Trust, where she leads a team of 9. Her passion lies in creating efficient and professional admissions experiences for students and parents across 17 secondary academies spanning four local authorities. By implementing solutions like Applicaa, she and her team are significantly reducing the administrative workload for academies.

Katie Hullah

Regional Sales Manager (Applicaa)

speakers_bio_here

Zahira Jaigirdar

Founder and Creative Director

The Social Vision

I’m Zahira Jaigirdar, the founder and creative director of The Social Vision, a short-form content agency dedicated to helping businesses go viral and build a strong online presence with engaging, scroll-stopping content. While my team and I work across various industries, we’ve built a strong reputation in the education sector—generating over 45 million organic views through strategic, platform-native content.
At the event, I’ll be sharing how schools can harness the power of social media to increase visibility, build trust, and ultimately boost admissions using short-form content. I can’t wait to show you how to make social media work for your school!

David Johnson

Assistant Head

King Alfred's Academy

speakers_bio_here

Jeremy Dudman Jones

Former Assistant Head Teacher

Greenford High School

speakers_bio_here

Sally dan ver Meer

Admissions Manager

Saint Cecilia’s Church of England School

I have been the Admissions Manager for Saint Cecilia’s Church of England School for 6.5 years. I am responsible for ensuring a smooth process of application and admission for Year 7, Year 12 and In-Year applicants. During Covid, we became aware of many of the limitations of our systems for gathering information, some serious research later, we discovered Admissions+ and have not looked back! We are now three years into our journey with Applicaa, and use their forms for all aspects of the process, from gaining references from vicars for the Year 7s to enrolling our Sixth form applicants.

Michael Piera

Assoc. Deputy Headteacher (Head of Year 13 Sixth Form)

Heron Hall Academy

Current Associate Deputy Headteacher at Heron Hall Academy. Been here since September 2024.
I have been a teacher since the last century (1997) and have held various positions including Head of Year, Behaviour Improvement Programme Manager, AHT (Head of Upper School).

Subject specialism is Economics and Business Education, but I have also taught Maths and PE.

Away from teaching interests centre around football - playing, watching, coaching, refereeing, reading and podcasting.

Jessica Pieri

Founder

The Careers People

Our mission is to ensure students have all the information they need to make informed choices about their future and the tools to build a life they love. We believe that in order for students to make informed choices, they have to have the right knowledge, experiences and guidance. We do this by offering a range of products to schools nationally that support their careers programmes and providing high quality, creative guidance to students in certain regions.

Mandy Sangha

Former Deputy Operations Manager and
Sixth Form Manager
Head of Marketing (Applicaa)

Bentley Wood High School

After five years at Bentley Wood High School, where I held a variety of roles including Office Manager, PA to the Head and SLT, HR Manager, Deputy Operations Manager, and Sixth Form Manager, I gained a deep understanding of the operational challenges schools face — especially around admissions and enrolment.
During that time, I used Applicaa’s platform for three years and had the smoothest, most stress-free enrolment day of my career. That experience made such a lasting impression that I jumped ship and joined Applicaa myself!
Now, three years on, I’m proud to be heading up the Marketing Department at Applicaa — sharing our mission with schools across the UK and helping them transform their admissions processes.

Julianna Sosnowska

Director of Student Admissions

Long Road Sixth Form College

speakers_bio_here

Suki Gill

16-19 Curriculum and Funding Adviser

HFL Education

Suki Gill, 16-19 Curriculum and Funding Adviser at HFL Education has over 20 years’ experience as a post-16 leader. Before joining HFL, she taught post-16 students and adults and served as the 16-19 Lead at the Learning and Skills Council. She has a Degree in Economics, a Masters in Management, and a PGCE, and utilises the skills gained in each to provide national expertise in post-16 funding policy and curriculum planning. Suki gives reassurance and support to post-16 leaders and helps organisations to optimise their post-16 offer and resources.

Courtney Green

Careers Leader

Stratford School Academy

As the Careers Leader overseeing two school sites, I have seen firsthand how Applicaa Futures is transforming the way we manage and support student progression. By seamlessly integrating student data through Applicaa One, the platform has empowered our form tutors, Heads of Year 11, and myself with a complete, real-time view of every learner’s application journey. The destination tracking and main profile features have significantly streamlined our reference processes and, more importantly, ensured that every student is guided toward the right post-16 pathway. Applicaa’s responsiveness and receptiveness to evolving their tools has been demonstrated throughout, and I am excited for its roll out to more schools.

Be a speaker at our 2025 conference

Bringing together leaders in education, admissions and ed-tech

Bringing together leaders in
education, admissions and ed-tech