CAREERS AND HIGHER EDUCATION
At STAHS, our Teach to 25 philosophy means everything we do is geared towards preparing our pupils for their next steps. We encourage our pupils to think beyond the obvious choices and turn their passions into careers. Young people head off from STAHS well prepared, not just for navigating the sometimes challenging path through young adulthood, but also for meeting the demands of earning a degree and/or professional qualifications and embarking on their first career.
Our Careers and Higher Education Teams sit at the very heart of the School. They oversee well-resourced programmes designed to help STAHS pupils understand how the skills and knowledge they are acquiring now can be transferred and applied to any number of exciting post-secondary education and career choices open to them.
We draw on the experience and knowledge of our staff, expert advisors and – perhaps most significantly – our own incredible network of alumni, parents and friends to provide our pupils with the very best guidance and support.
From Careers
Breakfasts to workshops with alumni currently or recently at university, STAHS pupils have regular access to a huge variety of inspirational and informative role models and advisors.
As someone currently on her third career (I became a teacher after working as a research scientist and engineer and then as a civil servant), I know how fluid professional lives can be. I know first-hand the value of dexterity, risk-taking and
understanding one’s own strengths and transferrable skills. I am incredibly proud of the way in which our School inculcates these attributes.
With both formal and informal activities available throughout a pupil’s time at STAHS, they leave the School fully prepared to take their next steps. However, our Careers and Higher Education support doesn’t end when a student leaves the Sixth Form. One of the real values of a STAHS education is the ongoing professional and social support provided by the School and through our active and highly-engaged alumni network. A STAHS education truly is an ‘education for life’.
Amber Waite Head
2 3
CAREERS AND HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMME YEAR
9
Careers events focusing on identifying skills and potential future careers
Careers breakfast
With STAHS parents to learn about a range of careers and to develop networking skills.
Work shadowing
A day to experience the world of work and to identify the skills used in the workplace.
Morrisby Careers Aspirations Assessment
Pupils can start to understand their own interests and growing skill set and research potential careers.
YEAR 10/11
Careers events focusing on developing workplace skills
Morrisby Aptitude test
Discovering more about pupils’ strengths, ambitions and goals.
Careers networking event
Meeting professionals from a range of careers and developing networking skills.
Interview with independent careers advisors
Supporting students to make informed decisions.
Alumni breakfast
Recent leavers talk to Year 11 students about their university experiences.
Next 10 event
An opportunity to meet and learn from alumni who reflect where current Year 10 students may be in 10 years’ time, representing a range of academic and career paths, and to look at potential pathways, including the recruitment process; followed by teamwork and leadership development activities.
Higher education
UK UNIVERSITIES HE evening
Options are explored, including university (both in the UK and abroad), professional and degree apprenticeships and training schemes, as well as how their choices now may impact on their future options.
A Level options day
Experience Sixth Form life.
Moving On Up day
A taster of the Sixth Form Stretch Programme and how to prepare for Sixth Form and bridge the gap between GCSE and A level study.
OXBRIDGE Oxbridge Conference
Students are invited to attend the annual Oxbridge Conference to learn about studying at Oxford or Cambridge from current students.
Open days
Students are invited on a school-led trip to either Oxford or Cambridge.
MEDVETDENT MedVetDent Society
Pupils are invited to attend weekly sessions to develop their interest in and gain a better understanding of careers in Medicine, Veterinary Science and Dentistry.
4 5
SIXTH FORM YEAR 12
Careers events
Our Sixth Formers enjoy a rolling two-year programme of events with professionals from a range of careers in which the students have expressed an interest. They are also invited to several events focused on workplace skills, including workshops run by industry professionals with expertise in recruitment, mentoring and staff development.
Higher education
UK UNIVERSITIES Personal statement workshop
Students take part in a workshop to help them get started on their personal statements. Each student is assigned a mentor from the relevant department(s) to provide guidance and feedback until their UCAS application is submitted.
UCAS fair trip
We visit a UCAS Discovery Exhibition where students can speak to representatives from over 100 higher education providers.
Summer holidays
Students continue to engage with super-curricular activities, work experience and summer schools. Students also finalise personal statements.
Higher education information evening
Parents and students are invited to learn more about post-18 education in the UK and abroad through a variety of talks and workshops.
OXBRIDGE Admissions test and interview preparation
Preparation for admissions tests and interviews continues with the support of subject specialists through the Sixth Form Stretch programme.
MEDVETDENT UCAT course (external) or similar
Students receive guidance on how to prepare for the UCAT admissions test during their Med/Dent sessions but are also given the opportunity to attend a bespoke course in Trinity term of Year 12.
7 6
Reliability, dependability and integrity are attributes both valued and developed at STAHS.
YEAR 13
Higher education
UK UNIVERSITIES Students submit applications
Every student meets with both the Head of Higher Education and the Head of Sixth Form for a final review of their UCAS form before submission.
Student finance Diploma session
Students are walked through the details of tuition fees, maintenance loans and applying for student finance.
Students confirm their firm and insurance choices
Students meet with the Head of Higher Education and receive feedback on aspects of university life, such as tuition fees and accommodation, to help them decide which UCAS offers to accept.
OXBRIDGE Meetings with the Special Applications Co-ordinator and the Head of Sixth Form
Every Oxbridge candidate meets with the Special Applications Co-ordinator for a final review of their UCAS form before submission.
Mock interviews
Alumni, academics, and professionals provide mock interviews and additional practice for those students applying to Oxbridge and other competitive courses.
MEDVETDENT BMAT course (external) or similar
Students will prepare for their BMAT during specific prep sessions but are also given the opportunity to attend a bespoke course run in school.
8 9
STAHS ALUMNI LIFELONG SUPPORT
Being a part of the STAHS alumni community
Once a student leaves STAHS, they become part of our worldwide alumni community –a phenomenal global network of former students and staff, who are interconnected and truly extraordinary.
This provides social benefits, such as reunions, as well as ongoing careers advice and support, with access to a wide variety of events and resources. Working with our alumni community, we ensure that their huge wealth of knowledge and experience can provide opportunities for both current and former pupils.
How our alumni support current pupils
Every week we have a different alumni supporting pupils with careers and HE decisions. Some will deliver webinars and talks about their career paths. With representation from a wealth of different sectors and jobs, they talk about their decisions and experiences and offer advice for those interested in finding out more about a particular career path.
Our alumni series provides a snapshot of the careers that STAHS alumni have gone into, including details of their role progression and training, to assist pupils with their own decision making.
This interaction with alumni develops further in Sixth Form. We support Year 12 and Year 13 students who would benefit from having a more detailed one-to-one conversation with alumni, either about their university course or their job, through our mentoring programme.
Sixth Formers are invited to start attending alumni careers and networking events. This includes the opportunity to hear from inspirational alumni speakers in focused careers talks, which have previously covered starting a creative business and changing career.
Helping our alumni community
Careers support continues once students have left. As well as running a range of careers and networking events throughout the year, we also
have a dedicated alumni portal where alumni can seek one-to-one advice and support from an alumna careers volunteer. Whether they want an informal chat to answer specific questions about a sector or industry, CV review, work experience in a particular field or advice about setting up a business, our alumni community has a breadth of knowledge and experience to support former pupils wherever their careers progress. Our portal also hosts a jobs board, where members of the community can post different opportunities, including jobs, work experience, internships and volunteering roles.
Whatever path our alumni choose to go down and wherever life takes them, we are here to support and help them stay connected to STAHS.
10 11
St Albans High School for Girls
Townsend Avenue, St Albans, Hertfordshire AL1 3SJ
info@stahs.org.uk
Admissions: 01727 853 800
FSC
Date of printing: 09/2023
stahs.org.uk
