Careers and Education Guidance
Weekly School Careers Bulletin - W/C Monday 27th June 2022
Careers Overview
To access UNIFROG information please click on the logo below:
Our Careers department aims to provide excellent Careers provision for all. Mrs Gaulton, our Careers Leader, is available daily for any advice and guidance, she can be found in the, her office in the Sixth Form Block where there is a dedicated Careers area. Careers Education & Guidance is provided throughout the school and embedded in the curriculum.
‘The Careers department is extremely proud to announce that it has achieved all eight of the Gatsby Benchmarks. The benchmarks are a framework for good career guidance developed to support schools in providing students with the best possible careers education, information, advice, and guidance. View the certificate 8-Gatsby-Benchmarks-EAN-school-certificate-STMC-march-21-2.pdf ’
Our designated Careers Leader is Mrs Gaulton, she can be contacted on 01279 654901
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 PSHEE 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 Leader or where a more intensive guidance needs are identified will be referred to our independent advisor who visits regularly throughout the academic year. 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 Leader.
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 Leader is available 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 who visits the school on set days throughout the year.
National Careers Week - 7th - 12th March 2022
To access National Careers Week information please click on the logo below:
National Careers Week (NCW) is a celebration of careers guidance and free resources in education across the UK. The aim is to provide a focus for careers guidance activity at an important stage in the academic calendar to help support young people leaving education.
This year’s theme for NCW2022 is: It’s all about YOU ....... Taking control, Exploring, Finding, Learning, Dreaming, Believing
Empowering Positive Change through Careers Education
The National Careers Week Team hope that you can join them this year. You can link up with other families, schools, colleges, universities, careers companies and businesses celebrating careers by using #NCW2022 on social media
National Apprenticeship Week - 7th - 13th February 2022
To access National Apprenticeship Week information please click on the logo below:
National Apprenticeship Week 2022 is the 15th annual week-long celebration of apprenticeships. The week brings together businesses and apprentices across the country to shine a light on the positive impact that apprenticeships make to individuals, businesses and the wider economy. The theme for National Apprenticeship Week 2022 will be 'build the future'; reflecting on how apprenticeships can help individuals to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career, and businesses to develop a talented workforce that is equipped with future-ready skills.
To access Hertfordshire’s National Apprenticeship Week information please click here
Careers Week Key Documents
National Careers Week Events & Resources
Parents Guide to National Careers Week
Supporting Young People in East Herts
Careers Programme
We deliver a structured Careers and IAG curriculum which is reviewed on an annual basis. the next review is due to take place in September 2022. Each aspect of the careers programme is evaluated for its impact and effectiveness through evaluation forms and group discussions.
To access the Careers 2021 Years 7-13 Programme please click on the link below:
My School Careers Journey by Avisha Jayakody
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.
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.
Additional careers support that year 12 and 13 students receive includes the following:
- On-site Academic and Industry speakers
- Talks from former students
- Opportunity to have an appointment with an Independent Careers Advisor
- Help with sourcing work placements
- Personal Statement and CV Preparation
- Tailored support for Oxbridge and other competitive entrance courses such as Medicine
- Mock Interviews
Employer Engagement
We recognise and value the importance of working with local employers in order to support our career provision at the school. We are extremely keen to establish links with employers who will be able to enrich our students’ education and show them new possibilities within the world of work. We engage with over 100 different employers through work experience placements for our year 10 students. Over 30 employers and other education providers attended our careers carousel and another 30 professionals attended our mock interview day for year 11 and 13 students. We welcome further support from employers specifically those within the finance and law industry.
For next academic year we are seeking employers to support our Careers Carousel, Year 10 work experience, year 12 work placements and mock interview day. If you are able to help us with any of these events please contact Kerry Gaulton, Careers Leader at info@stmarys.net
Guidance for Parents/Carers
Parents and carers play a very significant role in helping students make informed choices about their study options and decisions about their future careers. Parents and carers are encouraged to talk with their child about their options and future aspirations. We value parents and carers input and encourage you to attend activities at school such as GCSE and A Level options evenings. We would also appreciate any offers of help with our Careers Carousel and Mock Interview day.
Should you wish to discuss your child’s future please contact their form tutor in the first instance, or Mrs Gaulton, our Careers Leader via email info@stmarys.net
Year 10 Work Experience, 4th - 8th July
Work Experience - A Guide for Parents
Work Experience Parental Consent Form
Year 10 Work Experience Update - letter home to parents March 2022
In July all Year 10 pupils will undertake one week’s work experience. In preparation for this the pupils will have Careers PSHEE lessons to help prepare them for the world of work, this will include, health and safety at work and laws surrounding work.
Year 12 Work Experience, 27th June -1st July 2022.
Mock Interviews
Mock Interviews for all Year 11 students will take place in November each year. 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.
Futures Meetings
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
Labour Market Information
Current Labour Market Information can be found here: Living and Working in East Herts, Living and Working in East Herts 2. Labour Market Information We believe it is important for all of our students to understand the Labour Market because this will help them to make realistic choices about their future. During our recent Careers Week, all the students were shown the following short video to help them understand the Hertfordshire Labour Market. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxEnwYjtk5w&feature=youtu.be
The Careers and Enterprise Company
We are signed up to The Careers and Enterprise Company – The Enterprise Advisor Network –programme. The is a free provision managed locally by Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership to support us to achieve all 8 Gatsby Benchmarks by August 2020 – a target set by the department for Education in their Careers Strategy (Dec 2017).
Further information about The Careers and Enterprise Company can be found here:
https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/
Further information about The Gatsby Benchmarks can be found here: https://www.gatsby.org.uk/education/focus-areas/good-career-guidance
Destination Data
CAREERS NEWS
Year 11 Futures Day - Friday 14th January 2021
Last week we held a Futures Day for Year 11 students. The aim of the day was for students to reflect upon their mock exam results and to help them make informed choices for their post 16 options. To help students with this we held a variety of talks from colleges, universities to apprenticeship providers. Students then had the opportunity to carry out their own research based on the information they had received with a dedicated PSHEE session using Unifrog to research different careers, courses and apprenticeships.
Mock Interview – November 18th 2021
Last week students from Year 11 and 13 took part in our annual mock interview day. This was the first time we had been able to hold the event since 2019 so it was great to be able to bring this fantastic opportunity back for the students. There was an air of nervous anticipation as the students waited patiently for their allocated interview time. A large number of Year 11 students had taken the opportunity to come dressed in smart interview attire rather than their uniform which added to the occasion. In preparation for the interview students had received CV writing and mock interview lesson preparation sessions. With CVs tightly clenched in their hands and nervous glances at their peers the students waited to be called forward. With a few words of encouragement from me as they entered the hall, and a few deep breaths, one by one the students made their way to their interviewer. For the majority of them this was their first experience of an interview situation. As they confidently made their way to the table with their head held high they sat down to begin. 15 minutes later the students thanked their interviewer and made their way out of the hall. This time smiles of relief lit up their face and the realisation that they had just completed their interview experience gave them a newfound confidence, one student stands out in my mind as he came out of the hall with the happiest expression saying, ‘that was the best thing ever.’ It is great that we are able to build students employability skills and prepare them for the world of work, giving them the skills and confidence needed for the job application process. In a world where it is common for people to change careers 5 times during their lifetime getting the skills to navigate the job application process is invaluable.
I hope that all of the students are proud of the way they conducted themselves during the day. I received a great deal of good feedback from our interviewers.
“…I was very impressed with the standard of interviews and maturity of the students that I spoke with.”
“…I have done a large amount of “Young Person” interviewing in my career – we are talking three figure numbers – and the standard of the Year 11 and 13 students that I interviewed was generally very high (indeed better than a lot of second year university engineers I have interviewed). The CVs were good and the interviewees were obviously well prepared. They are a credit to their families and St Marys.”
“All the students were so polite, really switched on and so friendly a real credit to your school. Your students were prepared and every single one had a CV and took the interview seriously. They took the feedback constructively. At the end of the interview I ask them to reflect before I give feedback. They were all very honest about areas they could have improved on. I can very honestly and genuinely say that I would have offered every student that I interviewed a job. They were polite and all had very positive approaches.”
Well done Year 11 and 13
Careers Carousel – September 29th 2021
After the disruption, caused by Covid, for almost the last two years it was amazing to be able hold our annual Careers Carousel this week. With a great deal of careful planning, we were able to go ahead with this fantastic event, albeit on a smaller scale from in the past. With a mix of employers and educational institutions in attendance, the Sports Hall was full to the brim with talk of careers and future prospects. The day started with an atmosphere of excitement and eagerness that at last things were starting to get back to a new kind of normal and events such as this were finally able to happen again. Employers were putting the finishing touches to their stalls as the first students enthusiastically lined up outside to see what awaited them. Year 9, 10 and 11 got the chance to visit multiple employers throughout their allocated time slot. The buzz of career talk filled the air as students gained as much information as they could. ‘What qualifications do I need to be able to do this?’ competed with ‘Is there any work experience that you think would be helpful?’ Questions were being answered and students were absorbing the information ready to be used again in the future when planning their next steps. For most of the students, this was their first experience of career planning and it was a delight to hear some of the questions they were asking and to hear the students saying they had found a career they would like to pursue when they were older. At the end of the day when the last of the stalls were being packed away, a sense of calm descended on the Sports Hall once again. A huge amount of information had been shared throughout the day and it felt like it had made a real difference to some of the students.
Year 13 Enrichment Event – September 14th & 16th 2021
Students from Year 13 had the opportunity to take part in a 2 day enrichment event to help prepare them for their next steps. Students listened to guest speakers from a variety of universities. The University of East Anglia discussed the UCAS journey and preparing for Higher Education. The University of Essex gave the students an informative session on writing personal statements, and we were delighted to welcome back our former Head Girl, Laura Regan, to give the students a careers talk from her time at Imperial College London. Students also had the opportunity to take part in 2 great workshops run by Amazing Apprenticeships. The first was a recruitment and application workshop to help students understand the process of searching and applying for an apprenticeship. The second workshop was a mock assessment centre. The students were given a group task to complete for which they received helpful advice and guidance about how assessment centres work and what employers are looking for. Students also took part in a valuable financial workshop giving them lots to think about for the future. It was a great opportunity to really think about their future career path and give them the tools needed to help them make that next step in the educational and career journey.
The following websites are recommended for information. This list is not exhaustive and a more extensive list of websites for particular career sectors can be found in our Careers Library.
https://university.which.co.uk/
nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk
https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk
https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/
https://amazingapprenticeships.com
https://www.ratemyapprenticeship.co.uk/
https://www.ucas.com/further-education/apprenticeships-and-traineeships/post-16-apprenticeships
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.
