Year 11 Taster Days: 13th January 2026

Your timetable for the day has been sent as a PDF attachment to the email sent confirming your place on the Taster Day. This may appear at the bottom of the email. We have tried to timetable as many of your chosen subject choices, however, in some cases this may not have been possible due to subject clashes, high numbers, or your timetable already being filled with subjects you chose as a higher preference.

We may have changed the day you are attending if your chosen subjects were full on your preferred day but spaces were available on the alternate date, and you had ticked ‘yes’ to the question on the booking form asking if we could do this.

If there were any gaps in your timetable we have allocated enrichment sessions for you to attend. Again we have tried to allocate your preferred choices, however this may not have always been possible. Further details on what these sessions are can be found below.

Please note that we are unable to swap any of the timetabled sessions, or the day you are due to attend. 

If we have not been able to allocate all of your preferred choices, we hope you can still experience College life and gain an understanding of some of the subjects you’re interested in.

Due to changes in the curriculum offer for September 2026 A Level Statistics and A Level Geology are no longer offered and therefore sessions are not running on the Taster Days.

Lunch/Enrich – where there is a gap in between sessions for you to get lunch we have highlighted this on your timetable. As well as having a break and getting something to eat, this is also an opportunity to visit the activities detailed in the ‘Enrich – Experience some of our activities’ leaflet that will be given to you on arrival. 

If your timetable comprises of only A Level subjects you may have two opportunities to do this and can therefore choose when to have lunch and when to visit the Enrich activities.

Break times - if you have a gap of 15 minutes in between sessions, this is when the normal College breaktimes fall. If you have any sessions that run back-to-back, ending and beginning at the same time, please don’t worry. The tutors will be aware that some students may be arriving to the session a few minutes later due to travelling time between classes.

Enrichment sessions
We have tried to allocate the enrichment sessions you had selected on your booking form where timetabling allowed, after your subject sessions have been allocated. In some cases we may have had to change or add additional enrichment if there were not enough subjects to fill the day or these sessions were full. The enrichment sessions running are:

Future Ready: Your Skills Uncovered
Join our lively careers session to uncover the skills employers actually love — and how you can grow them while having an amazing time at uni. Plus, discover how the Brilliant Futures Pledge can help you shine, stand out, and feel totally ready for whatever comes next.

Well-being: Coping with Change & Resilience
In this session we will explore what “resilience” means in everyday life and how to cope with changes, pressures, growing independence, and uncertainty. We’ll focus on practical strategies for managing stress, understanding emotional responses, staying grounded when things feel overwhelming, and knowing when and how to seek support. The session will be informal, interactive, and centred on real-life techniques you can start using straight away and continue to build on as you move through College and beyond. You will also receive an overview of the wellbeing and safeguarding support available at York College and how to access it.

Shaping Your College Experience 
Discover how to make the most of your time as a student! This session explores the exciting world of extracurricular activities, from sports and societies to volunteering and creative clubs. It will provide an overview of supportive services on offer to you whilst you study. You’ll also learn how to have your say through Student Voice, shaping the experience for yourself and others.

Project You – Personal & Professional Development
York College offers Personal & Professional Development sessions (called PPD) to support A Level and Vocational students as part of their weekly tutorial sessions and wider enrichment. During the Taster Day session we’ll complete a session on developing students’ Team Work, Problem Solving and Communication Skills.

Quiz Solving Maths/Boosting Your Vocabulary 
Think you know York College? Come and try our number based interactive online quiz! Boost your word power and get some steps in! Have a go at our Run, Remember and Write game.

Enrich: Experience Some of Our Activities
Try some of our enrichment activities ranging from esports to debate club and karaoke to mindfulness – we’ll provide all the information about what you can try when you arrive at the start of the day. There will also be the opportunity to get information and advice about starting at College including application support, apprenticeships and bursaries.

Please arrive at College between 8.30am and 8.45am. We’ll have lots of friendly faces around to meet you and advise you through registration which will be:

Step 1: Enter through the main College front doors and join the registration queue. We'll give you a wristband to wear so we know you're a York College student for the day, as part of our visible ID policy for safety, and some information leaflets so you know where to find things during the day.

Step 2: The queue will lead you to our registration desks - these are arranged alphabetically by surname. Go to the desk which has the letter your surname begins with and let us know you're here. 

Step 3: After that you can enjoy some breakfast pastries and drinks in one of our social lounges, where you can speak to our staff who will be on hand to answer any queries you have. We’ll have lots of staff around to direct you where you need to go.

Step 4: You should make your way to the classroom for your first session of the day which starts at 9.15am. This is detailed on your timetable that we have sent to you. The first part of this session will be a Welcome presentation to give you important information about the day, then you’ll continue in the same classroom for your subject taster session. 

Step 5: Follow your timetable for the rest of the day.

If at any point you're not sure where you need to go just ask a member of College staff and they'll show you. All staff wear College staff lanyards. You can see where your sessions will be on our College floor map, which you can view here.

During the lunch break you can buy some food from our catering outlets (you’ll find information about what’s available here) or you can bring your own food to eat in our social areas.

Everyone’s timetable will finish at 4.00pm or 4.15pm, which is when you will leave College. 

For safeguarding purposes we request that you stay on the College site for the duration of your Taster Day. 

If you need to leave College earlier than your timetable states, you must visit the Schools Liaison Team at the Information Point at the front of the atrium to notify them of your departure and sign-out.

You should bring a pen and some paper to make notes.

You will need some money to buy lunch, a snack or drink if you wish to do so. 

You do not need to wear school uniform, but please try to dress appropriately as some subjects will be practical.

Please note the requirements below if you are doing any of the following sessions:

Vocational Creative Practice 3D Design/T Level Craft & Design Level 3 – you will need to wear sturdy footwear, no trainers or sandals (safety boots are available to borrow), trousers need to be worn (no shorts or skirts and tights) and long hair must be tied back, no loose jewellery and clothing. Aprons will be provided. 

Construction subjects (Bricklaying, Carpentry & Joinery, Electrical Installation, Painting & Decorating, Plumbing) – please wear suitable footwear for a workshop environment (no open toe shoes) and clothes that you don't mind getting dirty due to the practical activities in some of these sessions, particularly bricklaying and painting & decorating.

Vocational Hairdressing/Barbering, Beauty Therapy and Hair & Media Make-up – in order to participate in the activities please don’t wear false nails/nail extensions or any expensive jewellery and bring accessories to tie your hair back if you have long hair.

Vocational Gym Instructor/Personal Training, Sports Coaching, and Sport & Exercise Science – please wear (or bring to change into) sports kit and footwear suitable for light physical activity.

Vocational Music Performance & Production – you are welcome to bring your own instrument to use in the Taster Day session, although we do have plenty of guitars, bass, piano, keyboards and drums for students to use if you prefer not to.

Vocational Performing Arts Acting, Dance & Musical Theatre – please make sure you bring or wear loose clothing and suitable footwear (including socks) for indoor exercise.

A Level Drama & Theatre Studies – please make sure you bring or wear loose clothing and suitable footwear (including socks) for indoor exercise.

College Coaches
If you plan to use a College coach to travel to and/or from the Taster Day the College Coach timetable can be found here as well as on our Travel & Transport page. You should check this page the day before travelling in case there have been any changes to routes or pick-up times or there are any traffic diversions in place.

It is free for you to use the College coach on the Taster Day. You should use your confirmation email sent on 15th December (or print a copy) as your College coach travel voucher to show the driver as you board.  Please note that tickets for public transport routes are not free for students using them to attend the Taster Days.

Public transport
You can find details of other bus companies that stop outside or close to York College with the Journey Planner on the transport page of our website, in the section Local services (for areas not served by the College buses), to find routes and pick-up times. Please note that tickets for public transport routes, including the service from Thirsk and Easingwold, are not free for students using them to attend the Taster Days. 

Arriving by car
If you’re getting a lift by car there will be no College car park charges in operation on the Taster Days, so there are no charges whilst dropping-off and picking-up.