At Pittville School our careers program is delivered throughout Years 7 to 11 through:
- Our personal development curriculum
- Dedicated presentations to parents and students during school and after school
- Post-16 Careers Evening
- Assemblies
- Guest speakers
- Tutor sessions
- One to one careers interviews
- Work Experience
- Workshops and competitions
- Careers TEAMS
- Unifrog platform
Year 11
This is a crucial year for students as they apply for post-16 places as well as preparing for GCSEs. In England students are required to stay in some form of training or education until their 18th birthday. The options are:
- Full-time education e.g. at a school or college.
- An apprenticeship, T-levels or traineeship.
- Part-time education – as well as being employed, self-employed or volunteering for 20 hours a week or more
Our aim is to ensure that all students have appropriate places that will prepare them for their chosen careers so it is vital that they think carefully about their applications. Support is provided with writing applications, producing CVs and personal statements, interview techniques and selecting courses. The most common destinations for our students are Balcarras, Bournside, Cleeve, Cirencester College, Gloucestershire College and Hartpury. Other destinations include Pate’s Grammar School, Sir Thomas Rich’s School, Crypt, Stroud College, Cheltenham Town, Stage Door Learning, local apprenticeships and the armed services.
What our support looks like:
- Careers education in RSHE sessions
- Parental information evening on applications
- One to one careers interviews for targeted students with careers advisor and available for other student on request.
- Careers drop in for all students at lunchtime with careers advisor
- Exam results day schools careers advisor available
- Post 16 assemblies: FE College, 6th form college, school 6th form providers, Apprenticeship service
- National Citizen Service assembly and lunchtime drop in
- RSHE day activities: Mock interviews for all students Apprenticeship talk, University talk, Virtual talks/activities from external organisations, Careers Fair.
- Schools Careers Adviser meetings available at progress evenings
- Target setting, reflection & recording of careers related activities on Unifrog
- Post 16 (September guarantee) survey & consent form completion
Year 10
Year 10 begin the process of looking at their post-16 options and take part in work experience at the end of the summer term. Each student being responsible for organising their own placement. Support is provided during tutor time and through independent careers advice. This is a key opportunity for students to experience life in the workplace, learn new skills and find out about the sort of career that will suit them. This is also forms an important part of applications to post-16 providers.
What this looks like:
- Careers education in RSHE sessions
- CV writing session
- Taster day at local FE college
- Curriculum lessons linking subjects to career opportunities.
- Work Experience information evening to parents/carers & students
- Work experience placement
- Virtual work experience placement (for those without in person placements)
- One to one careers meetings for identified students with careers advisor (summer term)
- Careers Advisor meetings available at parental consultation evenings.
- Intended post 16 destination survey
- Future skills questionnaire
Year 9
Year 9 students will choose their Key stage 4 courses during Year 9. This process starts at the end of the autumn term when students will hear about the options process and is completed at the start of the spring term. Parents and students have opportunities to speak to teachers and our careers advisor before they make their final choices.
What this looks like:
- Careers education in RSHE sessions
- Progress evenings and options evenings
- Careers lunchtime drop in sessions with careers advisor
- Curriculum lessons linking subjects to career opportunities
- Assemblies/subject talks to support future choices and opportunities
- Careers Adviser meetings available at progress evening
Year 8
Year 8 students begin to look at the skills that will be valuable to them in employment. They look at their relationships and the network of people they have around to support them and extend their understanding of the range of employment opportunities available to them.
What this looks like:
- Future skills questionnaire in Year 8 during drop down day
- Careers education in RSHE sessions investigating different types of jobs
- Looking at life opportunities
- Curriculum lessons linking subjects to career opportunities.
- STEM related assemblies highlighting career opportunities.
- National Careers and National Apprenticeships Week activities
- Reflection and recording of careers related activities on to Unifrog to create individual e-portfolio of careers learning
Year 7
Early careers education begins by teaching children how to recognise their own skills and talents and how to set targets for themselves. They are introduced to some of the employment and qualification opportunities available to them in later life. They complete the Future Skills Questionnaire early in year 7 to help us meet that cohort’s needs.
- Registration and set up on Unifrog
- Careers related learning on types of jobs on Drop Down Day
Assessing the impact of our provision
- Evaluation of our careers programme is designed to enable us to examine what we do, consider how we can improve it and provide stakeholders with a summary of this.
- This will include gathering information from the students about how they feel about their experiences in relation to the careers programme. Students will complete the Future Skills Questionnaire (FSQ) at multiple points during their school career
- Published destinations data will also support the evaluation of our careers programme over time.
- It is our aim to provide students with both experiences of the workplace and / or encounters with employers. These encounters and experiences will take place as part of curriculum lessons / workplace visits / assemblies / attending Careers Fairs and Events
Gatsby Benchmarks
The eight Gatsby benchmarks of Good Career Guidance are:
- A stable careers programme
- Learning from career and labour market information
- Addressing the needs of each pupil
- Linking curriculum learning to careers
- Encounters with employers and employees
- Experiences of workplaces
- Encounters with further and higher education
- Personal guidance
These benchmarks are used to put together our careers programme and ensure our students receive high quality careers provision at Pittville School.
