Careers Advice

Roles and Responsibilities

Careers and enterprise education, advice and guidance across Sheringham and Stalham High Schools are delivered by two fully qualified careers advisers, Tash Drury and Vaidehi Ranavaya who are employed by the school. They are supported by Jayne Melhuish, Deputy Headteacher for Support and Guidance. They ensure that all advice is independent and impartial and in the best interests of the young person.

Careers Leader: Jayne Melhuish
Careers Adviser at Sheringham Sixth Form: Vaidehi Ranavaya
Careers Advisers at Sheringham High School: Natasha Drury and Vaidehi Ranavaya.
Careers Adviser at Stalham High School: Vaidehi Ranavaya.

Rationale

In our schools, we work with students to help them gain an understanding of their needs, in terms of planning for any aspect of their future education, work or training, and ensuring their well-being in line with the personal development agenda.

Their needs may span a wide range of issues from highly sensitive to more routine support. For example, they may need information about selecting a post-16 destination, apprenticeship, or university place, support for planning a gap year, or advice about option choices at GCSE or A Level. Sixth Form students receive regular information from their tutors and via an assembly programme, about careers events, information on open days at university or anything relevant, to support them with making informed choices about their future.

When necessary, we also provide personal guidance on any aspect of personal development and crisis support, for example, to a young person who is at risk of becoming homeless, or who is dealing with a drug misuse problem. We support all of our young people with their mental health, to help them to prepare for times when they might feel under pressure; for example, in the lead up to examinations and make referrals to outside agencies when necessary. We always ensure that all students are fully informed and included in any decisions or actions taken which may affect their well – being. We are fully aware of our obligations to safeguard our students and ensure that we follow our child protection procedures if there are concerns of a safeguarding nature.

Statutory Duties

Our Careers Policy states how the school meets its statutory duty issued under Section 45A of the Education Act 1997 by the Department of Education. Our policy also outlines our obligations to achieve the Gatsby Charitable Foundation’s Eight Benchmarks for developing and improving careers provision. This is in line with the Government’s revised Statutory Guidance published in July 2021. Our policy complies with the duty to ensure that there are opportunities for a range of providers to access our students in order to give them information about a wide range of choices available, including technical education and apprenticeships (Baker Clause).

The Gatsby Benchmarks

Our CEIAG programme is structured around the guidance given by the Gatsby Benchmarks.
This constitutes a framework of 8 Guidelines (Benchmarks) that define the best careers provision in secondary schools.

The eight Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance

A stable career programme
Learning from career and labour market information
Addressing the needs of each pupil
Linking curriculum learning to careers
Encounters with employers and employees
Experiences of workplaces
Encounters with further and higher education
Personal guidance

Measuring the Impact of the Careers Programme

Stalham Destinations data
Y11 leavers 2021 Cohort

Sheringham Destinations data
Y11 leavers 2021 Cohort

Full time education - 94.20%
Apprenticeship - 2.90%
Unknown - 1.45%
NEET - 0%

For the full report click here >

Full time education - 94.17%
Apprenticeship - 4.17%
Unknown - 0%
NEET - 0%

For the full report click here >

Compass report – to follow

Links to useful careers resources

Post-16 Career Pack 2021
Careers Related Learning at Home 2020
Sixth Form Careers Resource Feb 2021 (Sheringham High School only)
Careers Guidance Action Plan Template
Careers Resources for Specific Subjects

shutterstock_671771551 (Medium)

Students’ Entitlement

Our careers programme is intended to meet the needs of ALL students. It is differentiated and personalised, to ensure progression and to strengthen students’ motivation and attainment at school. We aim to: promote self-awareness, confidence and aspiration, to improve employment prospects, widen participation in Higher Education and to challenge stereotyping or discrimination by promoting equality and diversity of opportunity.

Our careers programme is designed to ensure that students develop a plan of action for their future, based on:

An understanding of the changing Labour Market – meaningful information about what jobs are available, now and in the future, and on both a national and local level, and choices and qualifications required to get into those jobs
Knowledge of the study choices available to them, after Year 11 and Year 13, including: the full range of opportunities within Further and Higher Education and through apprenticeships/traineeships and technical education qualifications.
Practical encounters with employers through: attending talks, events and career fairs, visiting speakers, mentoring and enrichment activities
Experience of workplaces through: visits, volunteering, part-time jobs or work experience as and when a student specifically requests a Work Experience Placement
Career management skills and essential life and employability skills such as: how to manage finances, develop a CV, compete an application form or prepare for an interview
An appreciation of how what they are learning in their lessons in school is important and relates to the world of work
An understanding of themselves and their own interests, skills, likes and dislikes, talents and aspirations and how this affects the choices they make, in relation to future opportunities. This is achieved through: individual careers guidance and by providing tools and information for self-guided careers research.

Students will receive:

Careers-related lessons and activities which are both discrete and embedded within the curriculum. All subjects will incorporate transferable skills links to the world of work.
Guided time in Form to consider future education and career choices
Access to careers and labour market information resources via a range of media and delivery channels
One-to-one Career Guidance interviews providing impartial guidance from an advisor qualified to at least level 6 (degree level) and hold the Qualification in Career Development (QCD)
An individual personalised summary and Careers Action Plan with resources following the Careers Guidance meeting to take away with them
Support for decision making and deciding Post-16 options such as further education, apprenticeships or training.
A range of opportunities to meet employers and employees, inside and outside of the classroom, to develop an understanding of employment opportunities
A range of opportunities to meet further education and training providers and understand the full range of Post-16 pathways including apprenticeships, traineeships and further education.

Students can expect to be:

Treated equally with others
Given careers information and advice that is up to date and impartial
Treated with respect by visitors to the school who are part of the Careers Programme
Given extra help if they have additional / special needs

For students, please see attached the Post-16 Careers Pack for guidance, information and career resources >

Linking Curriculum to Careers (Gatsby Benchmark 4)

Careers and enterprise education is part of, and included in all students’ standard lessons, linking curriculum to real world career paths as well as local Labour Market Information.

Teachers are informed of, and involved with, the planning of the careers programme through INSET sessions. They include links to careers in their Schemes of Work and refer to transferable skills throughout lessons by using the Building Learning Power / Growth Mindset principles, which are:

Resilience, Resourcefulness, Reciprocity and Reflectiveness.

Some children may already have a career path in mind and may be preparing for the transition from school to Further or Higher Education, or employment with training. Alternatively, perhaps they are still a little unsure of which direction they want to take. Parents and carers are more than welcome to contact the school and make an appointment with one of the Careers Advisers in order to provide more support and to help the young person to make an informed choice about his / her future. We recommend that parents encourage their children to explore all options so that they can be confident they are making an informed choice that is right for THEM. We do our best to encourage all of our students to discuss the choices they make with parents/carers. However, any parent who would like to contact an adviser for further advice or support for their child is very welcome to make contact.

Personal Guidance (Gatsby Benchmark 8)

Personal Guidance is a one-to-one careers guidance meeting between the student and a qualified careers advisor. Students in year 10 are offered at least one meeting and students in year 11 are offered another meeting. Students with additional needs and support are seen several times. Students are seen by Level 6 and 7 (Degree and Masters level) Careers Advisors to fulfil Gatsby Benchmark 8.

Students will receive a personalised Careers Action Plan with a summary and useful websites. Please see the template for further information on what to expect >

Evaluation and monitoring: We ask students how clear they feel about their future plans and how clear they feel about next steps. This is monitored through year 10 and 11 to see their journey, build their confidence and evaluate personal guidance.

Information for Employers/Providers

We are eager to engage with employers / providers to ensure our careers programme has maximum impact in preparing our students for the world of work.

Please see our statement on Provider Access for Careers Advice and Guidance (Baker Clause)

This policy statement sets out our arrangements for managing the access of providers to students at Sheringham High School (and Sixth form) and Stalham High School, for the purposes of giving them information about the Provider’s education or training offer. This complies with the schools’ legal obligations under Section 42B of the Education Act 1997.

If you are interested in participating in any of our events, do not hesitate to contact:

Sheringham High School: Tash Drury - ndrury@sheringhamhigh.co.uk
Stalham High School: Vaidehi Ranavaya - vranavaya@nnat.org.uk
Sheringham Sixth Form Vaidehi Ranavaya - vranavaya@nnat.org.uk

Careers Programme

Below is our intended Careers Programme which outlines some of the work we undertake throughout the year and how it maps to the Gatsby Benchmarks.

It is important to note that this programme is subject to change, particularly during the pandemic.

Year Group	Activity	Date	Gatsby Benchmark
11	* Individual one to one appointments with school careers adviser, which are a follow up to the initial year 10 discussions. Priority given to those who have been identified as having particular need i.e. SEND and those at most risk of becoming NEET (not in employment, education or training).	Autumn Term	1,2,3,8
	* Careers advisers offer appointments with parents and their children at parents’ evenings and during the school day.		1,2,3,8
	* Advisers assist year 11 students with post 16 applications to colleges, sixth forms and training providers using the Help You Choose online application process.		1,2,3,8
	* Monitoring and tracking of all students by advisers who report any concerns to the appropriate calendared meeting.		1,3
	* Careers advisers help to identify students who may benefit from visits to Higher Education institutes including Cambridge university.		1,3
	* Careers advisers help to identify students who may benefit from attending additional visits and extra-curricular activities including Further Education visits and STEM events.		1,3
	*Targeted support for students to make choices about which Taster Day they attend at Sheringham High School, the A level day or the level two day. These days offer valuable help to students to make informed choices for their future career.		3, 4, 7
	*Targeted support for all students to help achieve their plans for the future		1, 2
	*Provide information to students about college and post 16 open days and help them to access these events.		7
	*Interview preparation for post 16 interviews for individual students		1, 2, 3
12 and 13 (Sheringham High School only)	*Follow up and confirm the destinations of Year 11 leavers		1, 3
	* As part of Sixth Form induction, students are encouraged to attend a team-building event, held at outside provision with a view to developing communication skills and community spirit.	Autumn Term	5
	* Individual one to one appointments with careers adviser for students whom have been identified by Head of Sixth Form or Sixth Form Tutors as having particular needs with regard to making A level subject choices, post 18 option decisions and university course choices.		1,2,3,8
	*Year 13 students given priority to ensure successful transition to post 18 provision.		1,3,8
	* Year 12 students on the one-year courses seen for one to one careers guidance appointments.		1,3,8
	* Careers adviser assists Year 12 students to find and secure work experience placements.		1,2,3,5,6,8
	* Careers adviser attends Sixth Form parents evening.		1,2,3,8
	* SMSC day devoted to a London / Cambridge visit with all the opportunities this affords. This visit is designed to support students A level curriculums. This includes visits to galleries and museums.		1,2,3,4,5,6
Year 9	* Students participate in SMSC day projects, which links subject areas to the world of work.	Autumn Term	1,4,5
Year 9	*SMSC day visit to a variety of organisations, such Duxford or Parliament with opportunities to discuss and explore the type of job opportunities on offer		1,5,6
	* Students start their GCSE pathways.		1
	* During Philosophy & Ethics lessons, students assisted to prepare for the careers event in the Spring Term. This includes identifying personal strengths and weaknesses, looking at local labour market information and employability skills.		1,2,3,4
Year 8	*SMSC day activities linked to developing employability skills such as team work and problem solving.		1,,5,6
Whole School	* One to one appointments with careers and personal adviser to discuss and gain support with issues of a personal nature that impact on their learning and development. Appointments initiated through self-referral or referral from tutors or school staff.	Autumn Term	1,2,3,8
	* Careers information, advice and guidance intervention given to any student who request an appointment.		1,2,3,8
	* The assembly programme addresses opportunities to explore the world of work and depending on the age group addresses issues such as introduction to careers, post 16 choices and the labour market locally and nationally.		1,2,4,5
11	* Individual one to one appointments with school careers adviser for those students identified during the Autumn Term as needing further support with post 16 planning.	Spring Term	1,2,3,8
	* Post mock exam analysis, which enables students to focus on post 16 option choices.		1,3,8
	*Assembly to support planning for the future		1, 3, 8
12 and 13 (Sheringham High School only)	* Monitoring and tracking of year 13 destinations.	Spring Term	1,3
	* Arranging one to one careers and guidance appointments for those identified as at risk of becoming NEET.		1,2,3,8
	* Offering appointments to year 12 students identified as not wanting to apply to university.		1,2,3,8
	*CV workshop for those not going to university		1, 3, 5, 8
	*Continue to support students to find work experience placements		1, 5, 8
	*Assembly to consider the benefits of taking a gap year for 12 & 13		1, 3, 5, 8
9	* Careers advisers to organise and attend the careers events for year 9 students with the support of the careers lead.	Spring Term	1,2,3,4,5,7
	*Preparation for the careers event		1, 3, 5, 7, 8
10	* One to one careers guidance appointment to introduce students to post 16 options.	Spring Term	1,2,3,8
	*Visit to Cambridge to participate in workshops delivered by world famous scientists about the impact they have made on scientific research.		1, 3, 4, 5
	Visit to UEA for students to take part in workshops related to future careers		1, 3, 4, 5
Whole school	* One to one appointment with careers and personal adviser to discuss and gain support with issues of a personal nature that impact on their learning and development. Appointments initiated through self-referral or referral from tutors or school staff.	Spring Term	1,2,3,8
	* Whole school assembly programme with themes supporting careers; for example, information sharing on scientists (male and female) who have had a major impact on our daily life.		1,2,4,5
	Careers week: whole school focus on careers in tutor time. Various activities; quiz; information gathering etc.		1, 3
8	Visit to parliament with opportunities to speak to local MP and others about their job roles		1,4,5,6
7&8	Assembly to introduce careers and activities to do with their tutors in tutor time		1, 3
11	* Monitoring and tracking of post 16 destinations. Appointments offered to those students who have not made applications, received offers or are at most risk of becoming NEET.	Summer Term	1,3
	* Careers advisers attend GCSE results day to offer advice and guidance to any students who have not achieved entry requirements for their preferred destination.		1,2,3,8

12 and 13 (Sheringham High School only)	* Careers adviser supports students and tutors with UCAS applications.	Summer Term	1,3,8
	* Continued tracking and monitoring of year 13 students and offering one to one appointments when needed.		1,2,3,8
	* Individual appointments to support post 18 options, primarily for those planning alternatives to Higher Education.		1,2,3,8
	* University visits.	Summer Term	1,3,7
	* Visit to UEA for the UCAS Higher Education Fair.		1,3,7
	* YR 12 Futures week, working with employers and education and training providers to enable students to explore the full range of post 18 opportunities.		1,2,3,5,7,8
	* Continued monitoring of year 12 students on one-year courses.		1,3
	*Work experience for Year 12		1, 5, 6, 8
	* Attendance at A level results day.		1,2,3,8
	Provide information for students about university open days.		1, 7, 8
Year 10	* Continuation of initial one to one careers guidance appointments to introduce students to post 16 choices and options.	Summer Term	1,2,3,8
	* Visits to University and Colleges as appropriate.		1,3,7
	* Futures days looking at employability skills, post 16 opportunities and wellbeing.		1,2,3,4,5,7
Year 9	SMSC day theme preparing for the future, linking curriculum areas to employment opportunities; e.g. finance		1, 4, 5
	Visits to UEA, local business and North Norfolk Railway provide links between the world of work and the curriculum.		1, 5, 6
Year 8	* YR 8 supported with their GCSE option choices.	Summer Term	1,2,3,8
	* SMSC day including employer visits linked to STEM subjects		1,2,3,4,5,6
Year 7	*SMSC day activities linked to developing employability skills such as teamwork and problem solving.		1, 6

Post 16 and General Careers Advice Websites:

https://helpyouchoose.org/content/ - Norfolk County Council’s comprehensive site for Post-16 Choices and Applications for College and Sixth Forms

https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/ - Government website with job profiles, information and skills assessment

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/ - general careers information and advice about pathways leading from particular degree courses

https://www.informedchoices.ac.uk/ - Russell Group information to inform A level choices for particular degrees/career paths

www.icould.com – inspiring careers-related videos and the Buzz Test to explore your own career-related aptitudes

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/careers - careers information, news and videos from the BBC

https://barclayslifeskills.com/young-people/ - advice and employability skills

https://www.youthemployment.org.uk/employment-help-young-people/

https://worldskills.org/skills/ - maps your skills and talents to career areas

https://www.e4s.co.uk/ – Employment for students – part-time, holiday jobs, internships, gap years

https://successatschool.org/ - general information about career areas including work experience and support for producing CVs or preparing for interviews

Apprenticeships:

www.apprenticeshipsnorfolk.org - Lots of information for prospective apprentices, employers and parents.

www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk – Government National Apprenticeship Website – find and apply for apprenticeships

www.amazingapprenticeships.com – information and guidance for student and parents and links to live vacancies and national schemes

https://www.notgoingtouni.co.uk/ - advice and vacancies for all alternatives to going to university including apprenticeships, employment, gap years

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University:

https://www.ucas.com/ - centralised admission system for university and key advice about uni and degree-level apprenticeships

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/applying-for-university/university-life - Articles and support on all aspects of university

https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/ - tool for comparing university courses based on grades and league tables

https://www.theuniguide.co.uk/ - advice on how to choose a course and a university

https://www.whatuni.com/ - tool for finding courses and ranking and shortlisting choices

https://discoveruni.gov.uk/ - statistics and official information about university courses and graduate destinations

https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings - The Complete University Guide League Table

https://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-interactive/2021/sep/11/the-best-uk-universities-2022-rankings - The Guardian League Table

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/applying-for-university/alternatives-to-university - Alternatives to university

Key Labour Market Information:

https://www.icanbea.org.uk – explores potential career opportunities across Norfolk & Suffolk

https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/ - information about the 350 job roles available in the NHS – the UK’s largest Employer

https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/ - information about Civil Service jobs across all departments including military – also a key Employer

https://www.thebigbangfair.co.uk/careers-at-the-fair/ - digital careers fair for STEM careers

https://discovercreative.careers/ - one-stop shop for ideas of careers in the creative industries

Gap Year

https://www.goabroad.com/articles/gap-year/plan-my-gap-year - Planning a gap year

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/gap-year/7-steps-to-the-ultimate-gap-year - Planning a gap year

https://brightknowledge.org/education/gap-years-pros-and-cons - Pros and Cons of a gap year

https://www.thecareerbreaksite.com/blog/how-to-avoid-bad-gap-year-companies - Avoiding bad gap year companies

https://www.ucas.com/alternatives/gap-year/gap-years-ideas-and-things-think-about - Gap Year Ideas from UCAS

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/gap-year/gap-year-opportunities - Opportunities for Gap Year

https://www.independent.co.uk/student/gap-year/gap-year-ultimate-listings-guide-8106456.html - Ultimate Listings of organisations

https://yearoutgroup.org/ - Gap year travel inspiration and advice

https://www.bunac.org/ - Ideas for gap year adventures

https://www.gap360.com/ - ideas for gap Year adventures

National Careers Week >

Sheringham HS_ (57)

Careers Advice

Careers Policy >

Provider Access Policy >

Roles and Responsibilities

Rationale

In our schools, we work with students to help them gain an understanding of their needs, in terms of planning for any aspect of their future education, work or training, and ensuring their well-being in line with the personal development agenda.

Statutory Duties

The Gatsby Benchmarks

Measuring the Impact of the Careers Programme

Links to useful careers resources

We are eager to engage with employers / providers to ensure our careers programme has maximum impact in preparing our students for the world of work.

Post 16 and General Careers Advice Websites:

Apprenticeships:

University:

Key Labour Market Information:

Gap Year

National Careers Week >

Our Schools