Careers Team & Programme

Our school has a critical role to play in preparing our young people for the next stage of their education or training and beyond.

Our expectations are high, so every student is challenged appropriately and acquires the skills, knowledge and attitude for lifelong learning and that employer’s value.

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Introduction to our Careers Programme

Our school has a critical role to play in preparing our young people for the next stage of their education or training and beyond. Our expectations are high, so every student is challenged appropriately and acquires the skills, knowledge and attitude that employer’s value.

We recognise that an effective careers programme contributes to raising aspirations, improving motivation and overcoming barriers to success. Our careers programme is designed to help every young person to realise their potential and enhance their employability. They will learn the skills necessary to navigate and manage their own careers and contribute to the well-being of themselves, their families and the wider community. Students will have raised aspirations, have gained experience of meeting employers and workplace environments, be more adaptable and resilient and therefore be able to make more well-informed decisions about their transition pathways.

Our Careers Lead - Ben Vickery can be contacted via email: bvickery@crowdyshill.swindon.sch.uk or 01793 332400.

Careers Education

The aim of our Careers curriculum is to ensure that all Crowdys Hill young people get an excellent programme of education, advice and guidance based upon their own needs. We will provide opportunities to be inspired by local workplaces, regular interviewing practise, enterprise events and regular visits to meet with local provision of further education, voluntary opportunities and local employers. Primary > Key Stage 1-2 > Year 1-6 Elements of Careers education is imbedded into all Primary teaching. Our Primary age pupils have an introduction to the work of work through introductions of key factors. READ MORE ▾

Secondary > Key Stage 3-4 > Year 7-11 Students have a timetabled weekly Careers lesson where they focus is on developing their own individual employability skills and how they can transfer these to work towards their chosen pathway. The curriculum focuses on developing our pupils’ independence with a focus on employment. Students are taught that Careers is not just about employment but a lifelong pathway. Through our extensive curriculum, they will learn the skills needed to navigate this journey. In addition, all subjects across the key stages identify career education elements and incorporate these when lesson planning. Independent Careers advice is offered to pupils considering leaving education after Year 11 or those choosing alternate education provision other than Crowdys Sixth Form. Sixth Form > Key Stage 5 > Year 12-14 Our World of Work curriculum in Sixth Form focusing on employability. Students are encouraged to assess personal strengths with a focus on transferable skills. They are encouraged to investigate local job opportunities, different jobs and careers and what they mean in terms of lifestyle, budgeting and a good work/life balance and develop economic awareness. Students are given the opportunities to attend careers talks, fairs, college open days and taster days with employers. We help make pupils ‘work-fit’ by assisting with CV and cover letter writing, interview skills and job search techniques. Independent Careers advise is offered to pupils consider leaving education or those choosing to move to an alternate education provision.

Work Experience Programme

Pupils in Year 11 are offered the opportunity to carry out work experience. This is based within the school and some of the roles available include: • Receptionist • Admin Assistant • Teaching Assistant • Kitchen Hand • Farm Technician • Assistant Caretaker • Cleaning Operative • IT Support Technician READ MORE ▾

Sixth Form pupils are interviewed to gather their future career aspirations. Where practical, a specifically tailored work placement is then built, either within the school or with local businesses, where the student attends the placement for half or one whole day a week for a period of 6-8 weeks. We have strong partnerships with companies in many industries including: • Early Year Child Care • Education • Catering • Hospitality • Production and Fulfilment • Sports and Leisure • Motor Vehicle Maintenance • Acting and Entertainment • Building and Construction • Hair and Beauty • Charity • Retail For students who require additional support, we arrange accompanied workplace visits to find out more about businesses such as shops, sports centres, hospitals and cafes.

Career Related Activities

We have a number of whole school and Key Stage 3-5 Careers events throughout the school year. Careers Week > Enterprise Through the course of one week, classes across the entire school are challenged to start a small business enterprise and come up with a product or service to sell to other pupils. On Friday, the hall is transformed into the WinterFest, a marketplace where pupils and teachers can browse and buy items made by other classes throughout the afternoon. Anything from cookies to keyrings, movie tickets to Christmassy sweat treats. READ MORE ▾

Careers Week Dragons Den Students in secondary school and sixth form (Year 7-14) take part in a Dragons Den Challenge. They must come up with a product or business idea and present to ‘The Dragons’ on Friday. They need to work as a team and work to their strengths, give their product or business a name and create a brief presentation to explain their proposition. They may also create prototype mock-ups of their product if relevant. The Dragons, consisting of members of guest judges, Careers Ambassadors, the school leadership team, provide constructive feedback and suggest whether with they would invest in the proposition. Aspirations Day Students and teachers are encouraged to come to school for one day dressed in the outfit or uniform for the job they aspire to do when they leave school. There are prizes and house points for the children who have shown initiative and really thought about what they want to be when they grow up. Focus On Your Future Focus on YOUR future is a conference event for students from Year 9 to Sixth Form, and their families, to help think about their future. It’s never too early, or never too late, to look at what support and options are available when children transition from secondary school to sixth form, college or employment. We invite representatives from a range of local organisations to help guide and advise pupils. Careers Ambassadors Across the secondary school and sixth form we have ten Careers Ambassadors. They are asked to apply for the position and explain why they are best suited for the role. They act as role models through peer mentoring and sharing of information and support the management of whole school careers related events. They meet regularly with the Careers Lead to discuss future careers events and share ideas.

The Gatsby Benchmarks

Our careers programme is underpinned by the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks.

These benchmarks are a framework of 8 guidelines that schools work towards to provide the best career provision for its students as possible:

Benchmark 1:	A stable careers programme
Benchmark 2:	Learning from career and Labour Market Information
Benchmark 3:	Addressing the needs of each student
Benchmark 4:	Linking the curriculum learning to careers
Benchmark 5:	Encounters with employers and employees
Benchmark 6:	Experiences of the workplace
Benchmark 7:	Encounters with further and higher education
Benchmark 8:	Personal guidance

We regularly review our careers programme through the Compass evaluation tool against the Benchmarks and this data is then used to feed into our career’s development plan and drive future improvements.

Gatsby Benchmarks