The programme we have in place for Careers Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) is very effective for our students as evidenced by the fact that the number of students from St Thomas More Catholic High School who are NEET, either at the end of Year 11 or the end of Year 13 are very low compared to national figures.
VISION
Every student, regardless of their background or ability, will leave St Thomas More Catholic High School with a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of all of the opportunities available to them in the world of work, and the skills and ambition that ensures they follow a pathway that allows them to be as successful as they possibly can be.
Careers Education plays a key role in fulfilling our mission statements, particularly:
- To encourage everyone to strive to do their best and to strive for the highest standards in all areas of activity.
- To give individuals the opportunities to develop their full potential as human beings, and to encourage and challenge them to do so.
- To help children grow into confident, open, resourceful young people with a sense of responsibility and of service.
The careers programme is shaped by the Gatsby Benchmarks and the statutory guidance. The School Careers Lead Mrs Merchant is responsible for the leadership of CEIAG. The school successfully applied to become a part of the North East Ambition Careers Hub, and is also part of both local and regional careers networks.
The school currently holds the Skills Builder Bronze Award highlighting our commitment to high-quality essential skills education for employability.
A key focus is that careers should be seen to be everyone’s responsibility within school, and subject staff are expected to include reference to careers and employability skills within their subject areas, increasing their relevance to students. Staff CPD includes Careers Education as a regular focus.
A key priority is that all activities and external partnerships are sustainable and are not just ‘one offs’, and that every child is able to access the many opportunities available.
CAREERS TEAM
THE CAREERS PROGRAMME for EACH YEAR GROUP
This is reviewed annually by the end of the autumn term.
MEASURING IMPACT
The School assesses the impact of its careers programmes on students by completing an annual student survey and analysing destinations data in line with activities that they have taken part in at school. In addition, the views of students and parents will be surveyed after key events .e.g. the Post-16 taster day, Information Evenings, Year 10 Work Experience etc.
A Careers governor takes an active role in the development of careers education and visits the school on a termly basis.
FE / TRAINING PROVIDER ACCESS
This section below sets out the school’s arrangements for managing the access of providers to students at the school for the purpose of giving them information about the provider’s education or training offer. This complies with the school’s legal obligations under Section 42B of the Education Act 1997.
Pupil entitlement
All students in Years 7-13 are entitled:
· to find out about technical education qualifications and apprenticeships opportunities, as part of a careers programme which provides information on the full range of education and training options available at each transition point;
· to hear from a range of local providers about the opportunities they offer, including technical education and apprenticeships – through options events, assemblies and group discussions and taster events;
· to understand how to make applications for the full range of academic and technical courses.
Management of provider access requests
A provider wishing to request access should contact Mrs A Merchant, School Careers Leader.
Telephone: 0191 258 8340
Email: abmerchant@stmschool.org.uk
Opportunities for access
The school offers a comprehensive Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance programme. Please speak to our Careers Leader to identify the most suitable opportunity for you.
The school will make a suitable space available for discussions between the provider and students, as appropriate to the activity. The school will also make available ICT and other specialist equipment to support provider presentations. This will all be discussed and agreed in advance of the visit with the Careers Leader or a member of their team.
Providers are welcome to leave a copy of their prospectus or other relevant course literature with the Careers Leader so that they can be displayed in the Careers Section of the school library.
WEBSITES & RESOURCES
Pupils in school have access to a careers library with books from https://www.how2Become.com
Details of the guidance for careers can be found by clicking the link below, for further information on how we meet this statutory document (in addition to the information on this page) contact Anna Merchant using the contact details above.
Careers_statutory_guidance_September_2022
LMI Data: Average earnings per week
Click on the links below to find the average earnings per week for different jobs and in different areas of the country.
Average earnings for occupations
Careerometer
Click on the link below to find out more about possible careers.
Useful Websites:
National Careers Service: a comprehensive careers website with job profiles, outlining: the skills required, main tasks, pay levels and career prospects for hundreds of different jobs. In addition, valuable guidance on the different stages involved in getting a job.
i could: helpful videos about a wide range of job roles, plus a quiz to find out about the range of jobs which might suit you.
UCAS: a very helpful website for students thinking of applying to higher education. Also contains valuable information on different options, including apprenticeships.
Fire it up: A site which tells you all about apprenticeships and has links to apprenticeship vacancies.
BBC Bitesize: This part of the BBC Bitesize website includes information about a range of careers, as well as how to develop key employability skills.
Newcastle College: Delivers a range of courses and apprenticeships at post-16 and post-18, based in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Tyne Met College: Delivers a range of courses and apprenticeships at post-16 and post-18, based in Wallsend.
Unifrog: Students in KS4 and 5 will have a login for this site.