Prospective students enjoy insightful webinar on the Law Foundation
On Thursday 1st July, a webinar was hosted by the team at Kings London for students interested in preparing for further study in Law or Humanities with Kings. It covered information about our programmes, the Law Foundation course in particular, and offered participants the chance to meet some of this year’s cohort.
Victor and Rachel are both from Singapore and following their studies at Kings London this year have been offered places to study Law at prestigious King's College London. During the webinar, both students were asked questions by Foundation Course Director Rizwana, and also by some of our webinar attendees, with some of the comments within their answers summarised here:
Victor
"Overall the experience was good, albeit stressful. It was very satisfying, and I got to learn subjects that I am interested in rather than - in Singapore - going through the normal high school track…I wouldn’t have been able to learn about law or politics. I think it helped me learn more about the subject in general and also opened up doors to different universities in the UK and around the world."
In Singapore you have exams, you know the format and you know what you’ll be asked. You don’t go past the syllabus and the teachers don’t teach you anything extra, which isn’t the case at Kings. You learn a lot more about your subjects and it feels less restricted."
Rachel
'Similar to Victor, I found the programme really fulfilling and even though I was learning online I still managed to learn a lot and found my teachers really supportive. I think the skills and knowledge I gained during this course will help me during university and for university applications. When I took the law module, I believe the knowledge that I gained will give me a better foundation for when I study law at university.
(The Foundation) is actually quite similar to the A-level syllabus in Singapore – I studied History and I found that my History module here was similar.
I made friends from all around the world, even online – from Hong Kong, France, Belgium, South Korea – we have bonded over many different things. It was a truly unique experience for me. I’ll be going to London this September hopefully and I’m really excited. I hope I can finally go to Kings to meet my teachers in person!"
Studying at Kings London
Participants were first of all introduced to Kings London Principal Adam Whitbread, who gave an insightful overview of the school, highlighting its excellent location close to Central London but with an English village type feel, and its friendly community.
He also commented on the very grown-up and informal environment nurtured within the college in preparation for university, and the huge passion and expertise that all of our teaching staff have for and in their specific subjects — including law.
The next input was from Foundation Course Director at Kings London, Rizwana, who reassured students with a promise to look after them in all aspects of their life at Kings, and explained some of the language focused elements of the Foundation programmes — Communication and Study Skills modules and IELTS preparation.
She also explained the role of Kings’ Welfare Officers, who are on-hand to help with any non-academic issues, and the extracurricular activities on offer at the school.
The Kings Law Foundation
Director of Academic Studies at Kings London Danny Carroll then spoke specifically about the Law Foundation programme, highlighting the following key facts:
- It is one academic year (3 terms) in length.
- Applicants need to have completed 11-12 years of schooling, and have a minimum IELTS score of 5.5.
- On average there are 21 hours of lessons per week, with a substantial amount of self study.
- The course is accepted by the majority of UK universities currently accepted by the Singapore Bar.
- The course is of A-level quality, and is based on A-level syllabus/taught by A-level teachers
He also explained some of the key course outcomes, namely that it will:
- develop critical thinking and argumentation skills that are useful skills for university
- give students real confidence based on in depth and comprehensive knowledge
- raise students’ English to university level so they can thrive and succeed to their best possible potential
- ensure a sound understanding of law in society, criminal law, civil processes and sources of national and international law
Assessment and structure
Finally, Danny outlined the assessment procedures and course structure and content for the Law Foundation.
In terms of assessment, students are assessed at end of each term with those results contributing to a final overall grade. This represents an ongoing progress and development, with students incrementally gaining higher levels of attainment.
CSS skills classes and /data handling and IT courses are also both assessed. As Danny pointed out, the Data module is proving to be of particular value to our students as they move on to an educational landscape dominated by the use of technology.
As for the course content, the three-term programme is separated out as follows:
Term 1 – Legal Process
- Civil and criminal process; jurisdiction of courts and principles of sentencing
- Legal personnel and lay participation; judiciary, roles of barristers and solicitors, lay magistrates and juries
- Sources of law: legislation, precedent and European law
Term 2 – Contract Law
- Formation and terms of the contract
- Sale and supply of goods
- Vitiating factors
- Discharge of the contract
- Remedies
Term 3 – International Law
- Sources of international law
- International legal personality
- International institutions
- The relationship between international and domestic law
- Jurisdiction and immunity
Additional electives broaden students’ sense of intellectual curiosity and work and study with other students.
Economics, Maths and Government/Politics are some of the most popular, although there are a variety of options – students receive lots of support to help them decide which additional modules would best help augment their study.
Law in London
Finally, Danny spent some time explaining why studying Law not only in the UK, but specifically in London, is particularly prestigious:
- London is the heart of the British legal system, and where Parliament sits.
- Students on the course have the privilege of going on frequent educational visits to some of the top centres if law in the country: the Royal Courts of Justice, the Old Bailey, the Inner and Middle Temple, and the Houses of Parliament.
Specialist UCAS support and advice
Al de Beaumont, our specialist UCAS advisor and coordinator in the college hosted the next section of the webinar, talking about the transition from law foundation to a top uni. University and Colleges Admissions Service (centralised admissions service).
This year UCAS counsellors were allocated based on expertise so a Law teacher would hold weekly meetings with each Law Foundation student – offering course advice, rankings information, and support with completing the application and writing a personal statement. They are also responsible for writing a reference and providing predicted grades.
LNAT support
UCAS counsellors will crucially also offer specific coaching for the LNAT exam and interview, which students are only able to sit once in any academic cycle.
Acceptance and progression from the Law Foundation
The final part of the webinar looked at some of the universities former law students have progressed to – many of which are considered amongst the best in the UK, and therefore the world:
- Durham University
- UCL
- University of Bristol
- Lancaster University
- University of Exeter
In an important update, students were also given information on Australian and NZ Universities, which now also accept students from the Law Foundation course – including the University of Sydney, the University of Melbourne and he University of Auckland.
Next steps
A big thank you to everyone who participated in the webinar, and please get in touch with us at enquiries@kingseducation.com should you have any further questions.
