Careers and Education Guidance
Careers and Education Guidance
Our Careers department aim to provide excellent Careers provision for all. Careers Education & Guidance is provided throughout the school and embedded in the curriculum. In addition we have dedicated careers guidance & information which is delivered in three categories;
Universal; all pupils develop their careers knowledge and skills through assemblies, dedicated Careers PSHE lessons, tutorial time. External independent speakers will be invited in to speak to students throughout the year.
Concentrated; pupils identified by Learning Co-ordinators with a need for advice will have an interview with either the Careers Coordinator or where a more intensive guidance needs are identified will be referred to the Youth Connexions Advisor who visits the school weekly. Years 12 & 13 students intending to look for apprenticeships or employment are also identified and offered interviews as a priority.
Self-Referral; pupils and or their parent/carer may arrange an appointment to see the Careers Co-ordinator.
We support all pupils to consider a broad and ambitious range of careers to help our pupils’ develop high aspirations and understand where different choices can take them in the future. Our Careers Library is situated in the O’Brien library and is available to all students throughout St Mary’s. Our Careers Co-ordinator Mrs. Warren is available at break time and lunchtimes on Tuesday, Thursday & Friday’s to discuss careers and work experience. We also offer independent Careers Education and Guidance drop-in sessions for all year groups with our external independent advisor Hazel Revell who visits the school on set days throughout the year. Mrs Warren can be contacted by emailing; j.warren@stmarys.net.
Year 7 & 8
Pupils in Year 7 & 8 have dedicated Careers PSHE lessons. We focus on helping pupils identify that making good career choices means finding a job that combines their strengths, interests, preferences and personality traits. Students’ question the values of different job roles in society and we then introduce students to their career journey where they explore the decisions they need to take to help support their chosen career path.
Year 9
In Year 9 we focus on preparing students for choosing their GCSE options. In PSHE pupils define their personal goals and identify resources to help them research their preferences. At our annual Year 9 options evening parents and pupils can receive further guidance on their choices and the process involved. At this time we issue all pupils with their Options Selection List. Please see the following link 19 Questions to ask before choosing your GCSE's.
Year 10- Deadline for Work Placements is Monday 27th March
Year 10 Work Experience Monday 10th July - Friday 14h July 2017 - Letter Home to Parents
Work Experience Own Placement Form
Work Experiennce Parental Consent
In July all Year 10 pupils will undertake one week’s work experience. In preparation for this our PSHE Careers lessons introduce students to Fast Tomato, an online careers program for teenagers. Fast Tomato enables pupil’s to explore the many different career opportunities open to them and identifies careers suited to an individual based on their interests. This then gives pupils a focus when selecting work experience.
Youth Connexions Work Experience Guides
Year 11
Year 11 Mock Interview Day Evaluation 2016
Year 11 students can request to have career guidance interviews with our independent adviser who visits the school weekly throughout the year. In PSHE all Year 11’s are given guidance and support for preparing a Curriculum Vitae (CV) and practising interview skill techniques. We then invite friends of St Marys, from industry, to conduct Mock interviews. This is a fantastic opportunity for all students to put those skills into practice. Our interviewers’ then give pupil valuable feedback on their CV and their interview performance.
Students attend two Futures Meetings with a senior member of staff. In this meeting, students are given advice and talk though their options post-16. Students progressing to GCE A levels are encouraged to think carefully about their subject choices and how this may impact their Post 18 options. The Russell Group of universities Informed Choices provides information on facilitating subjects which are preferred by Universities.
For those considering alternative pathways to Sixth Form we provide details about apprenticeships and Open Days and can assist with applications. There are numerous Employers with options for school leavers who offer comprehensive apprenticeship programmes. For further information about apprenticeships please read A Parent’s Guide to Apprenticeships
Throughout the year, we invite speakers in to advise year 11 students about apprenticeships, university courses, volunteering and employment to develop students understanding of their options ensuring they make an informed choice at this critical stage of their education.
Sixth Form
At St Mary’s we encourage all Sixth Form students to explore their post 18 options, whether that is University, apprenticeships, employment, a Gap year or other education or training. Opportunities for exploring future choices are available throughout the two years of Sixth Form. Sixth Form students are able to seek permission for up to 5 absences per academic year to attend visits to explore these post 18 options.
All sixth form students have access to ‘Fast Tomato’ an online careers programme which enables pupil’s to explore the many different career opportunities open to them and the varied routes of entry.
Students attend sessions on how to write effective personal statements for both University and Apprenticeship applications. Each person applying through The Universities and College Admission service ( UCAS ) receives individual form tutor support and a one to one meeting with the Director of Sixth Form. Students seeking an alternative route will be invited to attend an individual guidance interview with our independent advisor. Students receive regular emails of University Open days, Summer Schools and Taster days. We also send email updates about apprenticeship vacancies and Gap years for those considering alternative routes. Please see the sixth form page for more detailed information regarding post 18 options.
Useful Websites for Careers Information
The following websites are recommended. This list is not exhaustive and a more extensive list of websites for particular career sectors can be found in our Careers Library.
nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk
St Mary’s Catholic School is not responsible for the content of external websites and does not necessarily endorse the views expressed within them. Websites are checked regularly but may be subject to change without notification.
