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Careers Programme

We understand that it is important to develop yourself through careers, employability and enterprise education, as well as learning about careers and the world of work and developing your career management and employability skills. Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) forms an integral part of student life at Swanshurst School. We want to encourage all students to consider a broad range of careers and pathways that are right for them and use contacts from the world of work and further and higher education to help them understand where different choices can lead them in the future.

To support you with making decisions about your progression pathways and to investigate different careers you will take part in different activities and events to help you with this from Year 7 through to Year 13 which might include a visit to a university or attend a presentation/workshop with an employer. Resources to help you with your decisions can be found in the careers section on Firefly and also here on the school website. We continue to update the resources on Firefly and since March 2020 these now include virtual experiences that you can take part in. Opportunities that have already been added include virtual work experience; opportunities to take part in virtual led employer programmes; virtual university and college open day; virtual university subject days as well as opportunities to engage with apprenticeship providers.  We would encourage all of our students to continue to take part in these opportunities and to use the resources available to widen their knowledge and experiences of the world of work; progression routes and careers.

You will have access to different online resources to help you with your decision making and to be able to record your skills and experiences. Below are just a few examples of the activities that are in place to support you with making decisions about your progression.

Careers provision within the school and sixth form is mapped and gapped against the DfE Careers guidance and access for education and training providers, Statutory Guidance 2018 and also mapped against the Gatsby Benchmarks 1-8 and the CDI Framework for careers, employability and enterprise education. Every school should be using the Gatsby Benchmarks to improve their careers provision and these benchmarks are: 1. A stable careers programme; 2. Learning from career and labour market information; 3. Addressing the needs of each student; 4. Linking curriculum learning to careers; 5. Encounters with employers and employees; 6. Experiences of work places; 7. Encounters with further and higher education; 8. Personal Guidance

The programme is reviewed annually and we assess the impact of the careers programme with feedback from students, teachers and employers so that we can continue to provide and improve the quality of our careers provision. Students destinations are tracked to ensure that they can successfully move onto the most appropriate pathway for them. Download our information provider policy.

For further information please contact the school and ask for Mrs Beckford, Careers Leader.

Year 7

Spring Term

  • National Careers Week - Career Related Activities

Summer Term

  • STEM Experience Day (all year 7 pupils)

Year 8

Autumn Term

‘Which Way Now Day’ (all Year 8 pupils)

A day focusing on ‘how to make choices for KS4 pathway’.  Including interactive, multimedia presentations, practical activities, inspiring anecdotes and Introduction to ‘Kudos’- and ‘U-Explore’ (online careers website).  Pupils will also have the opportunity to interview women from the local business community to talk about their career pathways.


Spring Term

  • National Careers Week - Career Related Activities
  • Aimhigher ‘Explore Your Future’ career workshops for some Year 8 students
  • University Masterclasses –subject enrichment for some Year 8 students

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Summer Term

  • University Masterclasses – subject enrichment for some Year 8 students
  • University - Visit to a university campus (all Year 8 pupils)
  • STEM Experience Day– (all Year 8 pupils)

Year 9 STEM

Year 9

Spring Term

  • National Careers Week - Career related activities
  • University Masterclasses – subject enrichment for some Year 9 students
  • Career & Progression conferences/events for some Year 9 students
  • STEM for Girls Career Day for some Year 9 students

Autumn Term

  • Workshop ‘Good career planning starts with you’ - finding out what you are good at and which different jobs will inspire you (all Year 9 pupils)
  • Google it? Becoming a discerning user of careers information workshop (all Year 9 pupils)

Summer Term

Opportunity to meet Employers and preparing for Work Experience (all Year 9 pupils) including workshops on:

  • Meet employers to learn about different employment sectors, employability skills and labour market information
  • How to use U-Explore - START Start is an innovative and easy-to-use careers guidance software helping young people make better and more informed choices about their career path. Connected to live labour market information and course data, Start allows users to create a personal profile which generates suitable jobs, qualifications and new destinations to explore. Ideal for schools and colleges, students and parents, Start is free to use
  • C.V. writing and covering letter and how to apply for work experience
  • Attend various interactive workshops to support career aspiration

Year 10

Autumn Term

  • Building my work skills workshop – looking at how students’ skills connect up to the working world ‘employability skills’ – all Year 10 students
  • How different Pathways help build skills and invest in future success and Build your career journey workshops – all Year 10 students

Spring Term

  • National Careers Week - Career Related Activities
  • University Masterclasses – subject enrichment for some Year 10 students
  • Student Leadership conference with employers for some Year 10 students
  • Career & Progression conferences for some Year 10 students
  • Visits to employers – subject enrichment for some Year 10 students

Summer Term

  • Work Experience (all Year 10 pupils)
  • ‘A Day in the Life of a Sixth Former’ – preparing for Post 16 & Post 18 
  • Unifest University - Summer residential for some Year 10 students
  • Career interviews with external careers advisor (all Year 10 pupils)
  • A taster day at college (some Year 10 pupils)
  • Apprenticeship presentation from Project Ask (all Year 10 pupils)
  • University Summer School for some Year 10 students
  • T - Level presentation
Progression including accessing www.ucas.com & registering with www.unifrog.org – online resource to compare universities & apprenticeships including Labour Market information (all Year 10 pupils).  Attend progression event showcasing Level 3 subjects (A Levels & BTECs) (all Year 10 pupils)

Year 11

Autumn Term

Spring Term

Summer Term

  • Sixth Form Induction Day including preparation work for Post 16 subjects
  • Careers and progression advice on GCSE results day

Year 12 & 13

Autumn Term

  • Workshops on how to use: www.ucas.com (university), www.getingofar.gov.uk (apprenticeships), www.unifrog.org (online platform for comparing universities & apprenticeships), www.icould.com (subject career videos and labour market information)
  • Careers Interviews with External Careers Advisor for some students
  • Higher Education Presentations (for all Sixth Form students)
  • Apprenticeship Presentations (for all Sixth Form students)
  • Mock assessment day including employer mock interviews for all Year 12 students
  • Visits to employers – subject enrichment for some Year 12/13 students
  • University Masterclasses – subject enrichment for some Year 12 students
  • Career & Progression conferences/events for some Year 12 students
  • Employer career presentations & workshops in school for some Year 12 students
  • Realising Opportunities Programme (Year 12 students)
  • Access to Birmingham Programme (Year 13 Students)
  • Pathways to Birmingham Programme (some year 12 students)
  • Healthcare Conference at local universities (some year 12 students
  • Social Mobility Foundation Programme – internship (some year 12 students)
  • Sutton Trust Summer School
  • UNIQ Summer School – Oxford (some year 12 students)
  • Urban Plan full day workshop for some Year 12 students
  • Work Experience to support Post 18 Progression Applications (for all Year 12 students)
  • Medic Mentor conferences (some year 12 students)
  • Routes into the Professions – Medicine, Engineering, Law Programme (Some Year 12 Students)
  • Workshops on Employability Skills, C.V. writing and work experience (all Year 12 students)
  • Undergraduate mentoring with Aston University for some Year 12 students
  • Workshop & role play on understanding employability skills

Pixl

Spring Term

  • University Masterclasses – subject enrichment
  • Career & Progression conferences/events
  • Visit to the What Career, What Uni Event for some Year 12 & 13 students
  • Visit to apprenticeship events & conferences for some Year 12 & 13 students
  • Visits to employers – subject enrichment
  • Higher Education presentation from Oxbridge for some students

Summer Term for Year 12

  • UCAS Convention
  • Work Experience (for some students)
  • Practice Interviews with employers
  • University Open Day visits
  • Personal Statement Workshops inhouse and at local universities
  • University Subject Taster Days (for some students)
  • University Academic Enrichment Summer Schools (for some students)
  • Oxbridge Summer Schools (for some students)