Careers@Loreto

PROVIDER ACCESS POLICY (last updated March 2023) - please click HERE to access our Policies and Procedures.

Intent

At Loreto College we aim to provide our students with the knowledge and understanding to make informed choices about their futures. We prepare our students to be confident, fulfilled young people, who are capable of meeting the challenges of their time.

“Students are well prepared for living in modern Britain.” Ofsted 2013

Careers education is covered in PSHE lessons, subject areas, and through whole school events. Speakers from a range of career backgrounds and industries are welcome into school to support careers education, and we have a careers fair every academic year.

The Careers Team is:

Mr P Downes (Senior Lead for careers education and independent advice and guidance & Assistant Head)
Mrs C Wicks (Careers Lead & classics teacher)
Mrs D Batchelor (Head of Careers & classics teacher)
Mrs B Christoforou (Head of Sixth Form & psychology teacher)

To contact us, please email careers@loreto.herts.sch.uk (01727 856206)

Implementation

Through PSHE lessons and (extra)curricular opportunities, students experience quality careers education and guidance, as outlined by the Gatsby Benchmarks, to enable them to make progress at every step of their personal and academic journey.

Details of our current programme for students, parents, teachers and employers can be found here: Careers Programme 2023 - 2024 (Homework diary)

All students have a copy of the programme in their homework diary.

Date of next review: August 2024

We work closely with the Careers and Enterprise Company and an Enterprise Adviser to regularly review and evaluate our careers, employability and enterprise provision. And further information about the Careers and Enterprise Company can be found here: Link

The Gatsby Benchmarks support our careers programme to ensure our students receive quality careers guidance and support.

The eight Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance:

A stable careers 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

Further information about The Gatsby Benchmarks can be found here: LinkFurther information about the Government’s Careers Strategy can be found here: Link

Key Stage 3

Dream & Discover

Students in Years 7 & 8 are encouraged to keep an open mind and find out about as many different career paths and industries as possible.

Deliberate & Decide

Students in Year 9, and their families, are offered tailored support and guidance from subject leads and members of the senior leadership team to ensure our young people make informed and sound GCSE choices during the options process.

Key Stage 4

Dedicate & Demonstrate

Year 10 and 11 students are supported academically and pastorally at every step of the way of these important years. They are given the skills and information they need to consider all their post-16 educational options, fully complementing their personal and academic progress.

Everyone receives impartial advice and guidance from a careers specialist employed by Hertfordshire County Council Services for Young People (SfYP). Students are given the skills and information they need to research independently.

In Year 11 vigorous tracking supports students to enable them to achieve their full potential. Students meet with the senior leadership team to review targets and consider career planning. The Sixth Form Information Evening prepares students for their next steps. Guidance is given on preparing a CV and writing letters of application. To enhance students' CVs, UCAS and apprenticeship applications, work experience and attendance on the National Citizenship Programme is encouraged during the summer break.

Key Stage 5

Students in Years 12 & 13 are offered careers guidance and provision at all stages of their further education experience. PSHE sessions and assemblies provide information about a range of higher education options, including applying to university, apprenticeships, T-Levels and school leavers’ programmes.

Speakers and external agencies advise students about all aspects of university life, including applications and finances. Support is given with the preparation of personal statements and the application process. Leadership and enterprise opportunities are available and positively encouraged. Work experience is arranged for all Year 12 students in the summer term. Students are encouraged to proactively organise their own placements and we also work with Services for Young People to ensure everyone experiences a meaningful week in the workplace. There are regular careers talks from speakers from a range of organisations. We also run an evening for parents about applying for apprenticeships and encourage students to attend the Apprenticeship Fair at the University of Hertfordshire in the spring.

Impact

Unifrog – The Universal Destinations Platform: launched in the Autumn Term 2020. This web-based platform offers robust and accurate functions to track students’ progress, give feedback, and write references.
Students are encouraged to review and reflect on their careers progress using the Careers Record – Programme which can be found in their homework diary.
Students can speak to or email the following members of the Careers Team anytime they need specific careers advice via careers@loreto.herts.sch.uk:

Mr P Downes (Senior Lead for careers education and independent advice and guidance & Assistant Head)
Mrs C Wicks (Careers Lead & classics teacher)
Mrs D Batchelor (Head of Careers & classics teacher)
Mrs B Christoforou (Head of Sixth Form & psychology teacher)

Year 13 Destination List can be found here: Link
Year 11 Destination Data is obtained by Services for Young People and shared with the school.
Evaluation surveys for students after key careers events.
Evaluation surveys for staff carried out annually.
School Council encouraged to add Careers to their agenda on a weekly basis.
Follow-up discussions in form time and lessons after key careers events.
Our annual careers fair is well supported by people across a wide range of professions, jobs and industries. More information about this event can be found here: Link

Extra Information

Unifrog

We are excited to have introduced Unifrog: The Universal Destinations Platform in the Autumn Term 2020 www.unifrog.org/sign-in

All students are able to access this web-based careers platform with their school email address.

Implementation has been as follows:

Key Stage 3: PSHE and ICT lessons encourage students to use Unifrog. They use the search functions to research career options and shortlist subject areas that appeal to them the most.
Key Stage 4: During the Year 10 Careers Day, students use the platform to create their own CV and start thinking about post-16 choices. In Year 11, it’s used as part of the Sixth Form Information Event as a way of supporting FE choices.
Key Stage 5: Students are encouraged to research HE options, rank different universities, apprenticeships and training programmes, helping them research the most suitable courses based on personal interests and grades.

Information for students and parents / carers about the local labour market (LMI):

Services for Young People have published this useful document about the local labour market and the choices available for students in the local area: Link

Working with parents / employers to help our students make life choices

We continue to create a list of individual and business partnerships to support our careers programme. Our aim is to provide good quality advice and guidance for our students and to offer worthwhile work experience placements. If you would like to get involved, please do make contact: careers@loreto.herts.sch.uk

Herts Opportunities Portal (HOP)

If students want to explore careers within Hertfordshire they should visit HOP (Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal). This site has been created for Hertfordshire students to find out about the local jobs in their home county. They will be able to find details about the types of jobs likely to exist now and in the future, find out about some of the big employers they might want to work for as well as information about apprenticeships.

www.hopinto.co.uk

Useful websites: