My move into S5: Rowan’s story

Going into S5 after summer? You probably already know that it’s such an important, exciting school year. It’s time for you to plan your route towards that job or course you dream about.

Rowan has been there and done it! Now going into S6, he’s the perfect person to give you the lowdown on your year ahead. Here’s his advice and top tips to thrive as an S5 pupil.

S5 is a big jump

The jump from S4 to S5 is perhaps the biggest you’ll make in secondary school. Your courses will all be taught at a much faster pace.

Higher courses are comparable to Nationals in terms of size. But they must be taught in half the time – one year! Without a doubt, getting used to this is the hardest part of the transition.

S5 requires a lot more work than S4 and you really need to focus.

You’ll have a fun year

Despite what I said in the last section, S5 is more fun.

Teachers trust you much more, you get a lot of freedom and your subjects are tailored to you which makes them more interesting.

Your subjects are more specialised. You’ll study certain topics in depth rather than covering a wider range of topics more broadly like you did in S3 and S4. Because you’re now in control of your own learning, you’ll need to do a bit more work at home.

It’s time to think about the future

At this stage of your life, you’ll start looking beyond school. Some of your classmates will have left to go into work or college. So if you’ve stayed on, college, uni, apprenticeships and careers become big focusses.

I found that S5 was the time to buckle down and try to guarantee good results. I was constantly told that it’s the most important year of secondary school and that certainly was the case.

Here are my top tips for those starting S5

1. Give this year your full focus and try hard to get the grades you want.
2. Jump at any extra opportunities you get offered by the school.
3. Enjoy the year, because it passes very quickly.

We’re here to help you in S5 and S6

You probably already know about your school careers adviser. When you start S5, it’s a good idea to meet with them and chat about your career goals or next steps.

Drop in and see your careers adviser! They’ll help you make choices about your future and provide you with tools, advice and guidance to move forward. They can discuss lots of topics with you like career paths, applications and work experience.David HooperCareers Adviser, Skills Development Scotland

And My World of Work has lots of tools and advice to help you during your senior phase at school.

From making your option choices to applying for a job and planning your career, we’re here to support you.