Careers

NHS Careers Competition

Year 8 students participate in the NHS Careers Competition. The competition is introduced to the students by the Head of Careers. This aims to develop employability and enterprise skills as well as educating them about careers available within the NHS. This is intended to help students think about what they might want to do in the future. The competition is designed to encourage students to research different roles in the NHS, thinking about the roles and responsibilities of different jobs.  Once the groups have chosen a career that interests them, they will then create an advertising campaign. The winning group from each class will go forward to enter the National Competition.

SWPS £10 Challenge

All Year 9 students participate in this competition during the PSHCE lessons. The aim of the challenge is to help students develop their understanding of the different factors involved in setting up and running a business. They gain an insight into being an entrepreneur, understand how different departments in business work together and learn how to communicate and share ideas in a business team.

The challenge is designed to encourage students to be innovative and work well together as a team, as well as getting students to think about some of the fundamental elements of running a business. They are appointed specific roles to suit their skills and learn about the importance of those roles in business.

GCSE Options

The options programme starts with the Parents’/Carers’ information evening in the autumn term. Careers implications of GCSE options are explained and consultations with the Head of Careers are offered and arranged where necessary.

Careers lessons

Formal careers lessons continue

are prepared by the Head of Careers, as part of the PSHCE curriculum. The aim of the course is for students to understand the rapid developments in the world of work and to develop their research, ICT, team-working, communication and presentation skills. The following specific areas are covered: 

· Options post-16, including an explanation of the implications of A level  choices and how to choose

· Exploration of careers software (e.g., Higher Ideas) and on-line resources

· Further consideration of the changing world of work 

· Starting to write CVs and covering letters

 

Morrisby Psychometric Tests

All students participate in the Morrisby psychometric testing and reporting, delivered by an external careers advisory company.  The Morrisby tests can offer advice to students regarding A level options and university degree courses, as well as relevant career suggestions based on their test results. The assessment measures their verbal, numerical, abstract, spatial and mechanical aptitudes. This is then combined with the results from additional questionnaires which assess their career interests, their talents, motivations, work preferences and personality type. They analyse all of this information and then present the results back to students in the form of an interactive website and a report. Students can see their recommendations, find courses and investigate the various careers in more detail. This can also be downloaded in a report.

Careers Seminars

All students in Year 10 and above are invited to attend interactive careers seminars covering a wide range of industries. They can sign up for these on Firefly and can attend the sessions they are most interested in. The seminars allow them to have an interactive experience of what jobs might involve; the opportunity to deepen their knowledge about the careers they are interested in; and ask questions to support their future choices.

Careers lessons

Formal careers lessons continue, organised by the Head of Careers, as part of the PSHCE curriculum. These lessons are focused on preparing a CV and letters of application for work experience at the end of the summer term.

Work Experience

Students are responsible for organising their own work experience placements over the summer holidays between the end of their GCSEs and the start of Sixth Form. Guidance on appropriate places to conduct work experience may be given by the Head of Careers and/or form tutors where necessary. In order to ensure that this is clear and to fulfil the school’s duty of care, the Head of Careers communicates in writing to parents/carers to reiterate that work experience placements are conducted at the parents’/carers’ own risk and also to advise that parents/carers satisfy themselves that the work experience placement is suitable and safe for their child. The Head of Careers conducts an assembly in the spring term to explain to students the importance of undertaking work experience and the support that can be offered to them.

Information Evening

A Sixth Form Information Evening is held in the autumn term when subject staff are available to discuss A level options with students.  The implications of the transition to Sixth Form study are explored. 

Internal Interviews

Every student has a personal interview with a member of the Senior Leadership Team, at which their options post-16 is discussed, in addition to any conversations they choose to have with their Tutor, Head of Year, Head of Sixth Form and Head of Careers. 

Higher Education Fair

A Higher Education Fair is held in the spring term, where universities and local school students are

invited to attend. Year 11, 12 and 13 students explore their university options.

Higher education programme

The vast majority of students submit a UCAS form, either for immediate or deferred entry. A few apply direct for Art foundation courses, or to Music or Drama College. Further details are contained in the Higher Education Policy. The resources of the Careers Centre are available to support the application process. The Head of Careers offers guidance through a presentation on other options other than University including sponsored degrees, apprenticeships and work placements.

Medics, Dentists and Vets

A comprehensive programme of activities is provided for those students interested in applying for medicine, dentistry or veterinary science at university. Support is provided for admissions tests (UKCAT and BMAT) and specific advice is provided in terms of personal statements and UCAS applications.

SWPS Enterprise Programme – Peter Jones Tycoon

Students in Year 12 have the option of taking part in the SWPS Enterprise programme. Students attend meetings organised by the Head of Business and Head of Economics who oversee the programme. They are given guidance on how to write a business plan and key considerations when starting their own business. The students then take part in the Peter Jones National Tycoon competition, where they set up and run their own business with a business loan from the competition organisers. Students are supported by weekly meetings throughout the process and are given input and guidance on aspects such as financial accounting and budgeting.

Life skills         

Students have guest speakers incorporated into their Life Skills programme run during PSHCE sessions. These speakers will discuss various career options that they have undertaken, often from past students. The Head of Careers also runs sessions discussing alternative paths instead of university including Sponsored degrees and apprenticeships to ensure students have access to relevant and up to date information before choosing their next steps.

Centigrade

All students take part in Centigrade testing in the autumn term. Centigrade is a higher education selection programme based on a specially designed questionnaire, which matches students' interests and abilities to a degree, foundation degree and HND course. The personalised feedback report helps students by highlighting a manageable number of courses where they seem to be well matched, and by challenging their choices when they may not be soundly based. It can reveal a wider potential for higher education and help students to complete their UCAS applications.

UCAS preparation 

There is a Higher Education evening in the spring term for Lower Sixth students and their parents/carers and an in-house UCAS workshop, run by the Head of Sixth Form and supported by Sixth Form tutors in the summer term.

Oxbridge Preparation

Our Oxbridge programme supports those students interested in applying for Oxford and Cambridge. The programme runs throughout the Sixth Form and involves meetings with students, specific Oxbridge training sessions, with then the detailed preparation for Oxbridge interviews devolved to individual departments.

InvestIN Partnership

Due to the partnership that SWPS have established with InvestIn, we are offered the opportunity to have workshops each term run by a representative from InvestIn. These workshops cover topic areas such as communications skills and interview technique, perfecting a CV and job applications and public speaking and presentation skills. They also include a talk about networking and the increasing importance

of sites such as LinkedIn to improve chances of job success.

Higher Education Fair

A Higher Education Fair is held in the spring term, where universities and local school students are invited to attend. Year 11, 12 and 13 students explore their university options.

Post -18 preparation 

Support continues for students applying to university and college, in line with the Higher Education Policy. Those few students not intending to apply to university or college are identified and advice and support is offered by the Head of Sixth Form and by specialist interviews with the Head of Careers.

Advice about employment or training

Those few students not intending to apply to university or college are identified and advice and support is offered by the Head of Sixth Form and by specialist interviews with a careers consultant.

InvestIN Partnership

The school has established a partnership offering student discounts to attend external summer programmes in various industries such as Law, Medicine, Psychology, Business, Investment Banking and Engineering, as well as internship opportunities. These are open to all senior school students and students are regularly updated on the course and programmes on offer.

Higher Education Fair

A Higher Education Fair is held in the spring term, where universities and local school students are invited to attend. Year 11, 12 and 13 students explore their university options.

Links with industry

Various links with industry have been developed, to help students develop the skills required by the world of work