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Careers Education and Guidance

In 2016, The Careers Department at Sir John Lawes School gained the ‘Investor in Careers Quality Standard’ and is currently undergoing reaccreditation.

The award reflects a commitment to achieving all 8 of the Gatsby Benchmarks, as highlighted as the indicator for good quality careers provision in the Department for Education’s Careers Strategy, Dec 2017.

It is hope that reaccreditation will be achieved by December 2019.

The Gatsby Benchmarks:

A stable careers programme. Every school and college should have an embedded programme of career education and guidance that is known and understood by students, parents, teachers, governors and employers.
Learning from career and labour market information. Every student, and their parents, should have access to good quality information about future study options and labour market opportunities. They will need the support of an informed adviser to make best use of available information.
Addressing the needs of each student. Students have different career guidance needs at different stages. Opportunities for advice and support need to be tailored to the needs of each student. A school’s careers programme should embed equality and diversity considerations throughout.
Linking curriculum learning to careers. All teachers should link curriculum learning with careers. STEM subject teachers should highlight the relevance of STEM subjects for a wide range of future career paths.
Encounters with employers and employees. Every student should have multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace. This can be through a range of enrichment activities including visiting speakers, mentoring and enterprise schemes.
Experiences of workplaces. Every student should have first-hand experiences of the workplace through work visits, work shadowing and/or work experience to help their exploration of career opportunities, and expand their networks.
Encounters with further and higher education. All students should understand the full range of learning opportunities that are available to them. This includes both academic and vocational routes and learning in schools, colleges, universities and in the workplace.
Personal guidance. Every student should have opportunities for guidance interviews with a career adviser, who could be internal (a member of school staff) or external, provided they are trained to an appropriate level. These should be available whenever significant study or career choices are being made.

Guidance

Students across all year groups are offered access to careers guidance, upon request, and all Year 11 students have a one-to-one careers interview.

In addition, drop-in sessions are offered on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday lunchtime, in the Careers Office, located in the library.

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The school has been awarded the full Quality Standard Award for careers provision, and in 2016 won The Herts Chamber of Commerce award in the category for 'Education in Employment'.

If you would like to find out more about Careers and Employability at Sir John Lawes School or if you are interested in providing support, please do contact Mrs J Power

Careers programme

Year 7

Adapting to a new community– ‘My new school’ transition unit in Life Skills
'Shadow a parent at work day' is encouraged during the Autumn Term Occasional Day

Year 8

Real Game in Life Skills lessons
Options Unit in Life Skills lessons
Access to guidance with Youth Connexions and Careers Co-ordinator
Spring term Options Evening with access to careers advisers and resources - for students and parents
Group work with Youth Connexions during the option process.
On-line research through programmes such as Kudos, Cascaid and Channel Mogo during Life Skills lessons.
Formal introduction to the Careers Library and resources
Access to individual, impartial careers guidance through YC Herts

Year 9

Careers lessons in Life Skills to support the options work in year 8
Access to guidance with Youth Connexions and Careers Co-ordinator
Spring term Options Evening with access to careers advisers and resources - for students and parents
Targeted students interviewed by Youth Connexions
Access to Careers Library
Access to individual, impartial careers guidance through YC Herts

Year 10

Week block work placement for all students – summer term
Preparation for Work Experience during Life Skills lessons
Access to guidance with Youth Connexions and Careers Co-ordinator
Targeted students interviewed by Youth Connexions
Lunch time drop-in sessions throughout the year
Access to Careers Library
Further exploration of careers websites
Access to individual, impartial careers guidance through YC Herts

Year 11

Careers unit taught in Life Skills lessons covering employment trends, CVs, Post 16 options, interview preparation, career exploration, rights and responsibilities in the work place, personal statements, and labour market information
Impartial, individual guidance interviews for all students through YC Herts
Post 16 Information Evening – with the opportunity for students and parents to speak to Post 16 providers, including local colleges
Morrisby career profiling service available
Apprenticeship information sessions for students and parents
Lunch time drop-in sessions with Youth Connexions throughout the year
Work related learning programmes available for targeted students
Careers Day with input from Sixth Form students, local employers and FE colleges
On line career exploration through Life Skills lessons including programmes such as Cascaid, Kudos, Channel Mogo, My Career Springboard, UCAS
Unlimited access to Careers Library

Sixth Form

Careers unit delivered through General Studies and Enrichment lessons
One week block work placement in Year 12
UCAS preparation through Enrichment Studies
Student mentoring
Access to individual, impartial careers guidance through YC Herts
Apprenticeship Evening for students and parents
Careers Fair with employer representatives
Youth Connexions and apprenticeships sessions for non-university students
Morrisby Profiling and interview sessions
Employer visits during assemblies and Enrichment lessons
Labour market information lessons
Introduction to The National Careers Service

Measuring Impact of Careers Programme

The school measures the impact of Careers Education and Guidance through the following methods and procedures:

Evaluation of work experience programmes in Year 10 and Year 12 (students, staff and employers)
Evaluation of curriculum careers programmes (students and staff)
Evaluation of YC Herts guidance interviews (students)
Evaluation of in-school guidance interviews (students)
Evaluation of external careers provision delivered by YC Herts (SLT and Head of Careers)
Formal faculty review of Life Skills incorporating careers education lessons (SLT)
Careers Fair evaluation (students and employers)
Parental Survey on careers provision (parents)
Evaluation of apprenticeship events (students, parents and employers)
Destination Data tracking (YC Herts and Head of Careers)

Date of next review

The school will next review the information published in September 2021

Work experience

Planning ahead - Year 10 and Year 12 Work Experience 2021

All Year 10 and Year 12 students will participate in a one-week block work placement in the summer term of 2022.

The dates for work experience in 2022 are as follows:

Year 12: Monday 23 May - Friday 27 May 2022
Year 10: Monday 27 June - Friday 1 July 2022

Please note: if you are not able to secure your own work placement, we also have a limited number of placements available which are sourced through Hertfordshire Services for Young People. Mrs Power will give more information regarding this during the Year 10 Information Evening and in the autumn term, for Year 12 students.

Year 10

A 5 day work placement for all year 10 students in July of each year.
The programme is co-ordinated in conjunction with Herts Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HCCI).
Commonly, the placements are a combination of around 120 sourced privately and 60 sourced via HHCI.
Prior to the week of work placement, a series of preparation lessons take place in school.
During the week students are visited by the year 10 Tutor Team to monitor progress and offer support.
Progress is also monitored through the school liaising with the placement supervisor.
Students review the work experience and write letters of thanks to their employer.
The work experience programme is seen to develop the key skills required for the work place, such as communication, group work, reliability, initiative and self-confidence
The experience receives favourable reviews form students, parents and employers.
The process is linked to to a Careers unit of work within the Key Stage 4 Life Skills curriculum which revolves around job applications and expectations in the workplace.

Year 10 Private Placement Form