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
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
Destinations
Policy and procedures
Useful links
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 2021.
The dates for work experience in 2021 are as follows:
- Year 12: Monday 24 May - Friday 28 May 2021
- Year 10: Monday 28 June - Friday 2 July 2021
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
Year 12
- One week block work placement in Year 12 was introduced in 2018