Careers information for parents

Through our whole-school and Sixth Form careers guidance approach we aim to:

increase our students’ awareness of themselves and others
introduce and develop an awareness of the world of work leading to economic wellbeing
explore strategies in making choices and decisions
raise awareness of opportunities in employment, training and further/higher education.

Throughout school and Sixth Form students use START, a web-based careers platform. START allows students to research careers, employers and future study options. It is an invaluable careers platform for mapping out career routes and finding apprenticeships and job opportunities they are interested in. START is available from any digital device. Parents can explore START for free, without registering an account. Explore START here and watch the video in the parents section to gain a better understanding of the platform and tips on how you can support your child’s career path.

We also hold Working Lunches where we invite organisations from all business and education sectors in to speak to students so they learn about the opportunities out there and routes to access them. These are available to students in all years.

Careers guidance overview by year group:

Key Stage 3

Year 7	Year 8	Year 9
Awareness of career possibilities and exploring own skills. Issues around gender stereotyping considered. Year 7 Careers Morning using START.	Developing career knowledge of possible careers. Local labour market information. Year 8 afternoon with Business - use of START to explore careers options and look at personal profiles.	Careers learning linked to qualification choices. Year 9 careers afternoon - 12 businesses discussing entry routes and qualification requirements - aimed at broadening ideas and information.
		GCSE Option choices informed by career aspirations.

Key Stage 4

Year 10	Year 11
Careers learning linked to post-16 choices including apprenticeships, colleges, and companies. Choice of 3 more-closely tied to career aspirations. 'Moving on into Year 11' day at the end of Year 10.	Careers learning focussed on CV building, cover letters and interview skills. External careers advisor. Interview morning in Dec - all students with individual interview tailored to their interests.
	Post-16 choices informed by career aspirations.

Key Stage 5

Sixth Form
Access to external careers advisor. UCAS talks. University talks and visits including Oxbridge. Apprenticeship talks. Support with UCAS personal statements and applications. Support with apprenticeship choices and applications.
Post-18 choices informed by career aspirations.

Our careers programme is evaluated against the Gatsby Benchmarks. Here are our current results which shows our strengths and areas for improvement. Watch a video to find out more about the Gatsby Benchmarks.

Watch video

Here are some useful resources you could look at for more information to support your child in their education and careers journey:

Year 9 Options booklet 2022-24

Sixth Form curriculum booklet

Virtual Work Experience (VWEX) programme – a way of getting virtual work experience with employers all over the country, not just limited to Cumbria and Lancashire.

Help to advise on the future of work and the changes that will affect careers with the Future of Work Guide.

UCAS

BBC Bitesize – careers

U-Explore – a digital platform to support young people’s careers guidance

Find an apprenticeship

Become an apprenticeship

Understanding apprenticeships

Local colleges: Kendal College, Lancaster & Morecambe College, Myerscough College.