Careers

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Church Stretton School is committed to careers information, advice and guidance across the whole school and the within the curriculum. The majority of careers education at the school takes place during PSHE lessons and on days when the timetable is collapsed. Church Stretton School works closely with the Careers and Enterprise Company within Shropshire Council. This relationship has resulted in the school being linked with our Enterprise Adviser. Our Programme is built around the Gatsby Benchmarks as adopted by Government in 2017. Ed Potter is a local businessman, Shropshire Councillor and former pupil who helps us maintain links with the local business community in Church Stretton and South Shropshire. We work closely with the National Apprenticeship Service, Shrewsbury Colleges Group, Ludlow College and Hereford 6th Form College, University of Worcester and University of Chester.

We use the Start Careers website which allows staff, pupils and parents to access Labour Market Information and progression routes into different professions and industries. This also allow students to maintain a record of their careers education and employer encounters during their time at the school. Sessions will take place for each Year group and opportunities to update records will be available both at home and in school.

 

Individual students with additional needs may well be offered bespoke programmes working with organisations such as RENU Hair Academy and Grease Monkeys via the Hope Initiative Garage.

Ms Chapman is our Careers Co-ordinator and main point of contact for the careers programme.  She facilitates the implementation of the Careers and Enterprise programme at Church Stretton School. Should you have any queries about the vast range of post-16 options, pathways and opportunities that lie ahead, parents are very welcome to contact her on 01694 722209 or via email at Andrea.Chapman@csschool.co.uk; students can find her in room B2.

Andrew Austin is our Careers Advisor.  He is local to Church Stretton, so knows the local market area well.  He is in school one day a week on a Wednesday, working one to one to help with Post-16 career planning in education, employment or training.  He offers impartial careers advice on all pathways and options.  All students will be given at least one appointment with Andrew, but if you feel there is an urgent need to see him as soon as possible, please have a chat with Ms Chapman in the first instance, who will be able to ensure that this can happen.

Aim Higher is a partnership of Higher Education Institutions which works with schools, academies and colleges to make sure that all young people have access to high quality, exciting and challenging experiences that enhance their careers education.  They aim to motivate, inspire and provide accurate and impartial information, advice and guidance about further and higher education.  They do this by delivering a range of outreach activities such as College, Apprenticeship and University Taster Days, Summer Schools, in-school Masterclasses and study support.  This work is known as ‘widening participation’.  We are very, lucky at Church Stretton School to be able to work with Aim Higher on a regular basis.  Along with the activities mentioned here, they are also very generous in supporting with the funding of many other activities that we co-ordinate with local FE providers. 

Here is a copy of their privacy notice:

Year 7

Students in this year will set up their Start accounts for use during their 5 years at school. In PSHE they will play The Real Game, looking at different choices they make in life. They will also receive their first employer encounter, working with the Army Outreach Team. These session allow students to discuss the careers available within the Army and during the workshop they will also look at leadership and team work skills which can be utilised across a variety of careers.

Year 8

In this year students will invite a guest speaker into their lessons to find out more about different occupations. They write formal letters as part of this process. Previously we have had an organic farmer, an astrophysicist and a professional footballer to name just a few. In January students will take part in a Careers Speed Networking Event. The students will talk to up to 20 different representatives of professions and organisations about what they do, and the route they followed to get into their profession. We have previously had representatives from the Police and Fire Service, the NHS, National Trust, Montgomery Waters and many other local businesses.

Year 8 students will also have a careers day in enrichment week. As part of this students will talk to local businesses, look at interview skills, take on engineering tasks requiring them to pitch an idea for investment.

Year 9

Year 9 students will receive a session in communication skills and job roles from our Job Centre plus Schools Liaison Worker. They will also look at taking their options for GCSE. During PSHE lesson they will work through a section of the curriculum entitled making informed decisions. SEND and other groups will receive careers interviews to look at option choices with Mr Overton. Students will also have the opportunity to work with our link advisor from the University of Chester to look at requirements for different careers paths. Opportunities are also available for students to take part in various workshops. These activities are funded by the National Collaborative Outreach Programme and have previously included sessions with a local artist and discovering the medical profession with through work with Medical Mavericks team. A visit from Positively MAD is also funded by this programme, working with our students to develop revision skills to aid both progression and organisation. The Royal Marine Commandos also deliver workshops on the roles and skills needed for their career.

The students will also visit Ludlow College to gain their first experience of a further education establishment. At the end of Year 9 Work Experience will be launched whilst working with our Enterprise Advisor, local business people will come in to talk to the students. Students will be briefed on what to expect and have a year to source their placement. Students will also receive a session from

Year 10

Year 10 will see students offered the chance to attend The Apprenticeship Show in Telford and Shrewsbury Colleges group open days. In addition and in collaboration with NCOP, students will be offered the chance to attend a taster day at either Worcester or Birmingham University. As an alternative to college The Apprenticeship Service will run an assembly and offer a workshop to give students further information about the opportunities they have on offer.

All students will attend a one week work placement in July, sourced by themselves to incorporate their own interests and choices. Each placement will be risked assessed by our partner at Education Business Links. The PHSE lessons in the summer term will be used to help with preparation for these placements.

Year 11

In September during Yr11 Assemblies and PSHE lessons students will receive talks from all the local colleges and post 16 providers. Students also receive guidance and allocated time during PSHE lessons to write personal statements and complete applications for college courses. The Rotary Club are invited in to conduct mock interviews with students to prepare them for their upcoming college interviews. Additionally, The National Citizenship Scheme (NCS) will be launched in school to allow students to help bridge the gap between school and the next step and gain valuable experience. There is also a trip to Hereford 6th College for those interested in attending this establishment. Individual careers interviews take place with all Yr11 students, with follow up interviews if required. Positively Mad will once again provide in school workshops to build on previous skills learn around both revision and organisation for the upcoming GCSE exams which can also be used later the world of work.

Careers Impact

The overarching measure of the impact of the careers programme in the school is the percentage of students who leave school after year 11 and continue in the world of education, employment or training. The vast majority of our students continue with some form of Post 16 education or training, our percentage is consistently above the Shropshire average.

202320222021
SchoolShropshireSchoolShropshireSchoolShropshire
94.4%93.7%98.1%93.7%94.9%94.9%

% of leavers who are in further education, employment or training

The careers programme will be reviewed annually in accordance with any updated statutory guidelines and where needed adaptations will be made to help achieve and maintain the standards for the Gatsby benchmarks.

Church Stretton School will assess the impact of its careers programme by collecting feedback from students, teachers, parents, and employers. Destination data will also be analysed to inform future planning of the careers programme.

Apprenticeship information can be found using the following links: