Nuffield Foundation 6th form placements

[Muminwestlondon]

DD has applied for a Nuffield Foundation this summer via her school. School is superselective and has a lot of science students, many of whom want to do it for medical applications etc. DD is worried because she saw her reference from her biology teacher and it only consisted of a couple of lines (less than a quarter of the available writing space). I assume they take more notice of what the teacher has written rather than the student? DD has her heart set on the placement because she is passionate about biology but thinks she won't now get a place. Does anyone know of any alternatives (London area but willing to travel anywhere) as she will be devastated if she is not chosen.