We aim to provide excellent careers provision for all, inspiring students to aim high with aspirational career goals, to foster a love of learning and respect which will help them to flourish as they begin their career journey into the world of work.

Our Careers Leader, Mrs J. Knight, supported by Ms C. Wilkin (SLT) are available daily for careers support and can be found in the Careers Office in the Sixth Form Centre, or contacted via info@stmarys.net / 01279 654901 ext 258.

We support all pupils to consider a broad and ambitious range of careers to help our pupils develop high aspirations and understand where their choices can take them in the future.

We use the online destinations platform Unifrog for career research, industry information, university and apprenticeship searches and for logging our careers events. We also have a Careers Library, which is situated in the O’Brien Library and is available to all students at St Mary’s. It is updated regularly with Labour Market Information and resources for the students to peruse. In addition to the library, Sixth Form students can access an abundance of university prospectuses and further reading resources within the Sixth Form centre.

Vision Statement

St Mary’s Catholic School Careers Related Learning Programme seeks to equip all pupils with the information and the skills needed to research, plan for and begin their chosen career path, irrespective of race, sex or academic ability.

Our mission is to;

• Support pupils to consider a broad and ambitious range of careers and further education choices
• Help pupils develop high aspirations and understand where different choices may take them in the future, so they are inspired and motivated to fulfil their potential.

Commitment

Governors and staff are committed to;

• Providing a planned programme of activities to which all students are entitled and will have access
• Supporting young people to achieve their full potential and empower them to plan and manage their own futures
• Ensure that no student is disadvantaged in progressing to an appropriate opportunity in education, training or work.
• Involving young people and their parents and carers in a programme of activities and further developments.
• Fulfilling our statutory requirements of securing independent impartial face-to-face careers guidance for pupils in year 8-13 that includes information on the full range of options available to them
• Maintain and excel at achieving all eight Gatsby Benchmarks as per the guidelines suggested by the DfE.
• Supporting young people to sustain employability and achieve personal and economic wellbeing throughout their lives

 

St Mary’s Catholic School offers a broad based curriculum for careers.  Aside from Careers and work related education (CWRE) which is delivered during PSHEE, and special events, such as the Year 11 Mock Interviews and Careers Carousel, many aspects of careers skills are delivered  within the curriculum by other departments within the school via their teaching, for example decision making, research skills, self-awareness, etc.

Our Careers Education and Guidance policy has the following objectives in line with the eight 8 Gatsby Benchmarks for Careers Excellence when delivering the careers programme in school:

 

GB1                To plan and provide a stable careers programme for our learners

GB2               To expose students to relevant labour market information (LMI) and use real-time LMI tools such as Unifrog

GB3               To address the needs of all students, including targeted interventions, personal guidance prioritisation and the use of adapted resources.

GB4                To link curriculum learning to careers

GB5                To provide opportunities for students to encounter employers and employees

GB6                To support students to obtain work experience placements at year 10 and 12

GB7                To provide opportunities for students to encounter further and higher education

GB8               To provide impartial, independent personal guidance through a qualified Adviser.

 

This policy has been developed in consultation with governors, staff and the Careers & Enterprise Company. It is reviewed yearly.

CEIAG The Careers Related Learning Programme at St Mary's aims to provide students with the skills, knowledge and understanding to support the 6 core aims of the CDI’s framework:. These six skills are the learning areas that our careers programme and interventions focus on for life long career development:

• Grow throughout life; grow throughout life by learning and reflecting on yourself, your background, and your strengths.
• Explore possibilities; explore the full range of possibilities open to you and learn about recruitment processes and the culture of different work places.
• Manage careers; manage your career actively, make the most of opportunities and learn from setbacks.
• Create opportunities; create opportunities by being proactive and building positive relationships with others.
• Balance life and work; balance your life as a worker and/or entrepreneur with your wellbeing, other interests and your involvement with your family and community.
• See the big picture; see the big picture by paying attention to how the economy, politics and society connect with your own life and career.

Learning Outcomes

The overall intention of the careers provision is to:

• Help all students to develop awareness of their aspirations and skills.
• Ensure all students are aware of their options and opportunities for their next steps to enable them to make informed decisions.
• Gain knowledge of and understand the working world.
• To recognise and develop an invaluable set of life and employability skills essential for a successful career.
• To ensure all students have access to high quality Careers Information.
• To receive unbiased careers informative advice and guidance tailored to individual needs.

The Careers Curriculum at St Mary’s is designed to be an aspiration raising, skills building and awareness journey starting in Year 7. Each year group has a careers aim, and through the delivery methods of the careers curriculum, we aim to achieve our learning outcomes.

 

Year Group	Careers Aim	Theme
7	Introduce students to careers education, encouraging curiosity and self-awareness by exploring interests and beginning to develop key employability skills	Explore
8	Raise aspirations by broadening students’ awareness of career pathways and deepening their understanding and application of employability skills	Discover
9	Support informed GCSE Choices by linking subjects to career pathways, while continuing to develop employability skills and personal strengths	Connect
10	Strengthen employability skills and applying them in real-world contexts through meaningful work experience and employer engagement	Build
11	Reflect on personal skills, experiences, developing confidence and communication through mock interviews and preparation for Post-16 Pathways	Apply
12	Explore Post 18 opportunities through university and employer engagement, work experience and super-curricular development, building strong foundations for future applications	Develop
13	Prepare for successful transitions beyond Sixth Form through personalised support with university, apprenticeship and employment applications, including interview preparation and decision making.	Achieve

 

In alignment with our Year Group Careers Objectives, we have clear objectives for Students, Parents and Staff.

Student Objectives:

• To develop invaluable life and employability skills essential for a successful career.
• To develop an awareness of their individual strengths, weaknesses and skills and knowledge of how these link to future careers, education and training.
• To ensure they are well informed on careers and work related learning so they can make informed choices about their future.
• To take responsibility of their own attitude, behaviour, punctuality and attendance in order to succeed as an adult in the workplace.
• To make use of the careers resources provided such as the Careers Library and Unifrog.

Parent / Carer Objectives:

• To fully support St Mary’s Catholic School in its development and implementation of the Careers programme by being involved in careers activities such as mock interviews and being a guest speaker.
• To engage in regular careers discussions at home and support students with career planning tasks.
• Parents will be informed of the careers software used by students and will be asked to encourage learners to continue to access the software outside of the school day.
• To support their child in seeking appropriate work experience placements.

Teacher and Tutor Objectives:

• To deliver the Careers Curriculum as organised by the Careers Leader.
• To ensure they provide purposeful conversations during form time and lessons to explore career development and career management.
• Ensure they support linking curriculum learning with careers and provide enterprising opportunities in their own subject areas through schemes of work and designated careers weeks.
• Act as role models for students.

Delivery of Careers related Learning:

St Mary’s Catholic School offers a broad-based curriculum for careers delivered through:

• PSHEE lessons and ‘drop down days’
• Form time activities
• During Curriculum lessons
• Assemblies
• Events, such as mock interviews, trips, work experience and Careers Carousel etc.
• Guest Speakers, such as employers and Higher Education Providers.

Our Careers Policies can be found below.

Information to be reviewed July 2027

“Mrs. Knight has been an incredible source of guidance and encouragement throughout my university application journey. She’s taken the time to really get to know my goals and has supported me every step of the way — from helping me refine my personal statement and choose the right universities … Her patience, insight, and genuine belief in me have made such a difference, turning what felt like an overwhelming process into an exciting and achievable goal". L. Pini