Careers

Careers education and guidance programmes play a major part in helping young people choose pathways that suit their interests, abilities and individual needs. A robust careers programme helps to put school learning into a wider and more relevant context, and helps raise aspirations. The Avon Valley School careers programme helps our students to plan and manage their careers effectively, ensuring progression. It is ambitious and aspirational, promotes equality of opportunity, celebrates diversity and challenges stereotypes.

The AVS careers lead is Mrs Lisa Owen lowen@avonvalleyschool.uk and the full time careers advisor is Mr Chino Ogali (cogali@avonvalleyschool.uk).

The careers policy can be viewed in the policies section of the school website and is reviewed bi-annually. The next review will be in March 2024.

The careers programme runs from year 7 to year 11 and each year group are given a wide range of opportunities to engage with and find out about the world of work. Students will:

Receive a programme of specific careers related lessons in PSHE
Have access to Careers resources and information in a variety of places including tutor boxes, google classroom and the school website
Receive information relevant to your year group through assembly and tutor time and through specific Careers Splash days
Have access to an onsite Level 6 qualified careers advisor
Be given the opportunity to meet a variety of employers
Be given the opportunity to attend careers events on and off site
Complete a week’s work experience in year 10
Have the opportunity to take part in a university visit
Take part in a mock interview and careers fair in year 11
Learn to write CV’s and personal statements

Summary of the AVS careers programme.

Careers education is an integral part of Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE), splash days and tutor periods. The Avon Valley School has its own dedicated Careers Advisor and provides careers education and opportunities for all students. The programme includes:

Year 7 – Grow throughout life

All Year 7 students cover the topics. Settling in to AVS, Growth Mindset, Equality for all, Careers: Grow throughout life and How to stay safe in PSHE. There is a careers SPLASH day along with a number of assemblies and presentations which help students to start thinking about their future including what qualifications are needed for which careers, the importance of EBacc subjects (English, Maths, Science, Computer Science, Languages, History and Geography) and thinking about university and apprenticeships.

Year 8 – Exploring the possibilities

Exploring possibilities is the theme of this year. Students are supported in choosing their option subjects so they complement any career they might choose to follow in the future. Students have the opportunity to be a duty student for a half a day. There is a careers SPLASH day along with a number of assemblies by employees and employers. In PSHE students study a unit entitled Looking after my money in the spring term.

Year 9 – Creating opportunities

In PSHE students study the topic Careers: Creating possibilities and Me Me Me. Students have a problem solving splash day.

Year 10 – Balancing life and work

This year the focus is on the World of Work. In PSHE students look at Careers: Balancing life and work and Show me a little RESPECT in PSHE. A splash day begins to prepare students for work experience where preparation for work experience is completed. All students write a letter to an employer and take part in a pre-visit, prior to spending a week at work experience placement. Work experience is compulsory for all year 10 students. During this year many students apply, interview for and receive roles of responsibility within the school as prefects, allowing students to develop their leadership skills. There is a number of assemblies by employers and employees.

Year 11 – Managing my career

This year focuses on Life after AVS. Students have several assemblies from local post 16 providers and have opportunities to visit many of the providers. In PSHE, students focus on Careers: Managing my career and time is spent preparing for mock interviews that all participate in. A careers fair is held where students hear about Apprenticeships, university life and local businesses. All year 11 have a careers interview that parents are welcome to attend. Furthermore, students have several encounters with the National Citizenship Service (NCS) with many participating in their summer placement.

All years

The AVS Careers Advisor is present at the parents’ evenings for year 8 -11. All students participate in National Careers Week where they experience a wide range of jobs and careers within their curriculum subjects and look at labour market information regarding these jobs. All students can participate in the school council. Students are offered the opportunity to participate on trips, both within curriculum areas and those organised by the careers office. STEM opportunities are offered in addition to this.

Students’ careers activities are comprehensively tracked though COMAPSS+ and internal systems. These are reviewed annually to manage agreed action plans and create next steps.

Monitoring and evaluation takes place through:

Lesson observations and learning walks
Student voice
Student feedback on their experience of the careers programme
Informal feedback from external partners and parents
Evaluation of work experience by students and employers
Annual parental evaluation
Destination data post 16 and post 18

STUDENTS

All year groups

Your year group Google Career Classroom will have up-to-date information relevant to you.

The websites below could give you some ideas of future careers:

https://www.startprofile.com/ - Start is a free, online careers platform, designed to connect 11-18 year olds with their future career potential

https://icould.comI Could provides 1000 different video clips of personal careers stories and helps students explore different careers routs and pathways

www.talkingjobs.net Video links to specific careers

www.planITPlus.net Head to the schools section and careers. Click on subject careers box and you can find lots of jobs relating to your favourite subjects, along with relevant labour market information about the jobs you have chosen.

The following websites may be of use to students and parents:

Future destinations: 6th form

www.ashlawn.org.uk Ashlawn School

www.biltonschool.co.uk Bilton School

www.lawrencesheriffschool.net Lawrence Sherriff

www.lutterworthcollege.com Lutterworth college

www.princethorpe.co.uk Princethorpe

www.southamcollege.comSoutham College

www.rugbyhighschool.co.uk Rugby High School

Future destinations: College

Https://wcg.ac.uk Warwickshire College

https://www.moulton.ac.uk – Moulton College

www.hoet.co.ukHeart of England Trainers

www.stratford.ac.uk Stratford college

Future destinations: Apprenticeships

https://amazingapprenticeships.com/about-ask/ Amazing Apprenticeship

www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk/apprenticeshipsearch Find an apprenticeship

https://the-amtc.co.uk/myfuture/Midland Group Training

Future destinations: T Levels

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introduction-of-t-levels/introduction-of-t-levels government website with further information

https://www.tlevels.gov.uk/ government website with further information

https://wcg.ac.uk/page/979/t-levels T Levels at WCG

Future Destinations: University

https://www.ucas.com/ A great site to help those wanting to go to university to think about their A-Level choices and they can also start looking at personal statements on the site.

When applying to any of these post 16 providers it is essential you apply using the most updated form and USE AN EMAIL ADDRESS THAT IS CHECKED OFTEN

Alumni

If you would like to be part of the AVS alumni, please complete the form using the link below.

Data collection form https://forms.gle/pcpJundg9FxU3WfH9

Parents/Carers

Parents/Carers are an important source of careers information and guidance. Where can you get up-to-date sources of information? Below are some signposts to impartial information.

· Regular posts on your child’s Careers Google classroom and as a Google Guardian you will be able to see these posts.

· Websites listed above

· Mr Ogali (AVS careers advisor) cogali@avonvalleyshool.uk is available to email for impartial careers advice

· Mrs Owen/Mr Ogali will keep you up-to-date via email with events your child could go on, open evenings and important deadlines for post 16 planning as well as informing you of careers events that have taken place in school through the school newsletter.

· Mr Ogali attends all parents’ evenings for year 8-11 as well as options evening and appointments can be made via the online booking system.

· Start Profile https://www.startprofile.com/ - Start is a free, online careers platform, designed to connect 11-18 year olds with their future career potential. You are welcome to set up an account. It has lots of local LMI.

If you would like more information, or would like to participate in a careers event, please contact Mrs Owen lowen@avonvalleyschool.uk for further information

Teachers

The eight Gatsby Benchmarks are the core dimension of good careers and enterprise provision in schools. They have a key role in raising young people's aspirations and promoting access to all careers pathways, enabling all young people to develop the skills and outlook they need to achieve career well-being and underpin the DfE guidance to schools on meeting their statutory responsibility for careers guidance.

Careers and labour market information

https://www.startprofile.com/ - Start is a free, online careers platform, designed to connect 11-18 year olds with their future career potential

https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/ National careers service

http://www.lmiforall.org.uk/widget/LMI for all. The widget can be used to explore and compare key information about occupations to support the process of identifying potential careers.

https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/ Nommis - A one stop shop for labour market information

https://icould.com/I Could

https://www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk/ have great careers sections (Real Jobs) with job profiles and it is perfectly pitched for their target audience

Employers

As an employer/employee could you help the students at AVS by:

· Attending school careers fair

· Delivering presentations on your companies specialist area within a curriculum area or an assembly

· Attending mock interviews

AVS can support your company in the following ways:

· Promoting vacancies

· Promoting apprenticeships

· Promoting volunteer placements

· Providing employees with opportunities to develop their employability skills (plan, organise and deliver presentations to audiences of different sizes and develop communication skills)

Please contact Mrs Owen lowen@avonvalleyshool.uk if you would like further information about employer engagement at AVS.