Careers Support at St Benedict's

EXP LORE FUT .URES

CAREERS INFORMATION GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT AT ST BENEDICT’S

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL

WELCOME to the St Benedict’s Careers Department!

Understanding what motivates individuals is what fuels our passion and interest in working with young people to achieve the best possible outcomes, whatever their start point or situation. Our own early experience of work has absolutely convinced us of the value of any, and all, work experience: even more important to find out what we don’t enjoy, than to find out what we do.

We look forward to discovering your child’s pathway!

Throughout Year 11 we received valuable advice from Mrs Hopgood, Mrs Norris and OPs (Eden and Elliot) on workplace conduct and thinking about our future careers. Our work experience wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the Careers Department.

Edmund and Matthew, Year 11

I attribute much of the success of my application journey to the support from the Careers Department. Their dedication to helping with Personal Statements and University applications is invaluable and highly commended by the Sixth Form community.

Tessa, Year 13

SOWING SEEDS

St Benedict’s is exceptional in having two full time careers professionals staffing the department: this means our programme is uniquely responsive to the individual needs of the pupil, from Year 7 to Year 13.

Embedded in the life of the school, and reflecting the Benedictine ethos, we are also guided by the national framework of the Gatsby Benchmarks which reflect the National Careers Standards.

And because we are former industry professionals, our experience is rooted in careers outside of education, meaning we genuinely understand the job market and appreciate the reality of the workplace beyond school.

The Gatsby Benchmarks

These are the UK standards against which school careers provision is measured.

St Benedict’s achieves highly against each of these benchmarks!

1. A stable careers programme

2. Learning from career and labour market information

3. Addressing the needs of each pupil

4. Linking curriculum learning to careers

5. Encounters with employers and employees

6. Experiences of workplaces

7. Encounters with further and higher education

8. Personal guidance

WHAT WE DO

Support for highly competitive pathways – including Oxbridge, Medic, Vet and Dentistry and engineering, finance and tech degree apprenticeships

81% of our pupils achieve their preferred university, with 73% being Russell Group or Top 10 based on previous 5 years results

Support for overseas university applications

Full support for degree apprenticeships

Unlimited access for careers advice from Year 7

Our unparalleled support from Year 7 to Year 13 and beyond – we also support leavers with Year 14 applications – includes state of the art content for lessons and careers focused and higher education events, informed by our personal contacts with a wide range of industry professionals including OPs and parents. We also work closely with the Teaching and Learning Support Centre, embracing neurodiversity to achieve the best possible outcome for each pupil.

With an ‘open door’ policy for pupils and parents alike, we use coaching and facilitation one to one and in groups to develop core transferable skills required to succeed in the constantly shifting workplace. From Year 7, we show pupils how academic and co-curricular activities enhance these!

I was really impressed by the way the careers mentors spoke directly to Cameron, offering their thoughts on how their careers progressed but also asking him what interested him and suggesting what he might like to concentrate on.

Year 8 father following the St Benedict’s Careers Fair

We are excited by creating opportunity! These are some of the areas we focus on:

• Encounters with providers of new opportunities in degree-level apprenticeships and higher education

• Interactions with those already in the world of work: OPs, parents, professional contacts and partners

• Work experience in Year 11

• Tailored personal guidance, with two opportunities for impartial careers interviews with external providers in Year 10 and Year 12

• Differentiated and personalised intervention and support for applications – university, apprenticeships, overseas, competitions.

• This includes personal statement development, CV design, appropriate online presence, online and face to face interview practice, online assessment centre support.

We expect to see each pupil individually at least three times for university guidance, and for the majority it’s much more. There is no limit on the number of appointment available to pupils.

OUR OBJECTIVE is to help pupils and the adults they become work out their natural strengths, talents and interests, and begin to match these with what they want from the world of work.

OUR MOTIVATION is to share our expertise and experience with young people, especially when struggling to understand what their pathway might be.

OUR ROLE is to provide support from Year 7 to Year 13… and beyond.

KEY ENGAGEMENT POINTS WITH PUPILS:

Transitions at Year 9, Year 11, Sixth Form

Our interaction with year groups and forms increases and becomes more personalised as pupils advance though the school. By Sixth Form and Year 12, all advice is 1:1 and tailored to the individual.

EXPLORE EXP MIDDLE SCHOOL

FIFTH FORM

SIXTH FORM

ailored Careers Information, Guidance and Advice on university

PARENT ENGAGEMENT

Our doors are open for parents of all year groups too!

For parents of Year 12 pupils, where the first child is making an application or where parents have not been educated in the UK, we offer a UCAS welcome breakfast in the Michaelmas term.

We also run information evenings and careers breakfasts throughout the school year to which parents and pupils are warmly invited! These include:

• Army Careers & Scholarships evening (with CCF)

• International Universities Evening

• Degree Apprenticeship evening

• Gap Year information

• St Benedict’s Lecture Series

• Introduction to UCAS

• Student and Finance Accommodation

• ‘Fireside chat’ careers breakfasts; law lunches; teatime talks

And...

• The St Benedict’s Careers Fair!

If you have any other questions at any other time, we can be contacted at:

Head of Careers: Sally Hopgood shopgood@stbenedicts.org.uk

Deputy Head of Careers: Kathryn Norris knorris@stbenedicts.org.uk

Sally Kathryn

A YEAR IN CAREERS

Just as seasons and feasts punctuate the days, there is a rhythm to the school year. For Careers, the year begins with what truly marks the end of many pupils’ time at

WHOLE SCHOOL EVENTS

Middle School

YEAR 7

Career Breakfasts, Tea time Talks, Mentoring Evenings

school: results day in August. But betweentimes, much is happening to support decisions and results. So here is the skeleton of our typical St Benedict’s Year in Careers.

Information evenings eg. Apprenticeships

Biennial/Careers Fair Gap years

International applications

St Benedict ’s Lecture Series – helping link education choices to career

MICHAELMASLENT TRINIT Y SEPT

Parent info evening

YEAR 8

Stand at Co-curricular Fair unifrog and Career Breakfasts

Open Door, Drop-in Sessions

GCSE speed dating choices U4+L6 Subject Fair and info evening

YEAR 9

Upper School YEAR 10

YEAR 11

Upper School

SIXTH FORM YEAR 12

YEAR 13

Open Door, Drop-in Sessions

Science Fair (STEM careers, skills) HPQ (research skills) Activity mapping

Activities: Skills Gaps vs Competencies (Leadership, Communication, Teamwork, Resilience). Activity mapping

Open Door, Drop-in Sessions Open Door, Drop-in Sessions

A Level speed dating choices

U5+U6 Subject Fair info evening Mentoring Networking with OPs

Careers interview Early prep Speciality applications eg. Medic Society

1:1 finalising choices and applications

Introduction to Work experience CV development (PSHE)

Intro to unifrog: Activities Week/ unifrog: Record Activities

Careers Tea Activities Week unifrog: Record Activities

London University insight (whole year) unifrog: Record Activities

SOWING SEEDS

unifrog Demo + Intro to Careers

Explore Futures

Develop Skills

University insight trip (Feb)

University/Applications research Personal Statement development Oxbridge/specialist applications

1:1 firming and insuring Additional advice

Careers interview Activity plan Record Activities

Work experience University insights with OPs Personal Statement development Summer exams/predicted grades

A LEVELS Results Day (Aug)

Some of the events are in school and open to all year groups, such as the Apprenticeship Evening and St Benedict’s Lecture Series.

Careers interview Briefing

Work experience Briefing

Make Choices Inspire Ideas

Power Skills Development –DofE, Sport, Clubs and Societies, House Captaincy, Student Council, CCF, External Extra Curricular and Supercurricular Activities, Work Experience

UCAS surgeries PLUS UCAS overview evening –March

UCAS update PLUS Firming Finance, Accommodation evening – March

Experience Pathways Plan, Apply...

Decide, Launch!

U C A S Apprenticeships

Leadership –Societies, Headships, Decans, Mentoring, Student Council, CCF

Others, such as the university insight trips in February, are targeted at specific year groups (L6) and are off site visits.

CHOICES AND SUBJECT PATHWAYS

Pupils can be apprehensive about key transition and decision points. Part of our role in careers is to ease and support these transitions. We believe good career fits are best arrived at from a clear understanding of our individual preferences, skills and interests.

STE(A)M key skills development

Problem solving

Analysis Hypothesising

Maths, FM, Physics, Computer Sciences

SCIENCES

Biology, Chemistry & Sports Science

Experimenting and observing

Planning and understanding

As a result, we have developed five models to help pupils think about the subjects they most enjoy in the context of the skills these also develop, and the careers they may facilitate.

Innovating

SOCIAL SCIENCES key skills development

Commercial awareness

Socialisation & linguistics

Cultural understanding

Politics, Economics, Business

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Statistical analysis

Combinations creating addtional pathways:

+ Art Architecture/Games Design/Design

+ Geography

Fossil/renewable energy

Facilitating careers in:

• Medicine/Professions

• Engineering

• Research Science

• Artificial Intelligence

• Process management

• Systems and analysis

• Forensic accounting, cyber security

Combinations creating addtional pathways:

Sociology, Psychology

Group and individual dynamics

Current affairs insight

+ Sports Science Professional/Business coaching

+ Maths Economics/Analyst

Facilitating careers in:

• Public service

• Civil service

• Legal and criminal systems

• Business

• Motivation

ARTS key skills development

Expressive creativity

HUMANITIES key skills development

Forensic & critical thinking

Innovation

ARTS

Project management

Composition

Experimentation & risk taking

Evaluating bias

Writing skills

HUMANITIES

Collaborative & independent working

Combinations creating addtional pathways:

+ Computer Science

Digital marketing/Gaming

+ Maths/Science Engineering/Product Design

Facilitating careers in:

• Media

• Performing and creative arts

• Advertising, Marketing and PR

• Events management

Cultural insight

Linguistic ability Logic

French, German, Spanish

LANGUAGES

Latin, Greek

Broad communication skills

Empathy

Working with sources/ contextual analysis

Combinations creating addtional pathways:

+ Languages

+ Geography

Structuring argument

Synthesising written information

International management

Fossil/renewable energy/Politics

+ Soc Sci/Maths Analysis/Trend mapping

Facilitating careers in:

• Law

• Journalism

• Management

• Communication

• Marketing

LANGUAGES key skills development

Combine with other options to support and expand pathways, and directly facilitate careers in:

• Tourism and trade

• Hospitality

• International business

• International study

Alternative thinking structures

Possible pathways:

+ Politics Civil Service/International law

+ Maths/Business

• Foreign office, defence, diplomacy

• Literary translation

• Programming

International business/economic analysis/trade negotiation

History, Geography

English, Classics

Graphic Design, Fine Art, DT

Music, Drama

TOOLS AND PARTNERSHIPS

we use to guide and support pupils

used by leading schools in the UK to support applications (personal statements and references) and research across apprenticeships, colleges, universities, MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses).

Every pupil from Year 7 has an account created using their school email. Together with a CV tool, an activity log, skills and competency records, it hosts a Myers Briggs based personality preference tool, an interest inventory and work environment questionnaire. These are great starting points for researching Unifrog’s Careers and Subject Libraries and the personality and interest profiles are the first tools we ask Year 7 to complete.

hosts the Careers noticeboard state of the art opportunities for all year groups, and Teams is also how pupils most often choose to contact us via Chat smiley face emoji, thumbs up emoji.

our online portal partner providing external guidance on securing Work Experience and 1:1 apprenticeship applications. With companies such as Goldman Sachs, PwC and the Dyson Institute.

originally the application portal for universities in the UK, UCAS has expanded its services to cover applications for all apprenticeships, as well as other application tools such as CVs.

paid for work IRL work experiences, from one day weekend sessions to two to three week holiday programmes.

In order to

LinkedIn style platform for our alumni, known as Old Priorians, or OPs. Connect helps us draw on past pupil expertise to create mentoring opportunities and careers and networking events.

provide impartial guidance we engage external interview providers at two key stages for pupils:

• Year 10, in advance of A Level options, and

• Year 12, to support pupils’ higher education pathways.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/job-sectors

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/browse-sector

https://www.pwc.co.uk/careers/student-careers/school-careers/our-programmes

https://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/careers/programmes

https://careers-in-sport.co.uk

http://www.themedicportal.com/ http://medicmentor.co.uk/

https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/studying-medicine/becoming-a-doctor/applying-to-medical-school workshop-conferences.com/medsim http://healthcareers.nhs.uk

https://www.bcs.org/

http://www.nssc.gov.uk/

https://www.tcv.org.uk/getinvolved/volunteering

https://www.thelawyerportal.com/ http://www.lawsociety.org.uk

http://www.lawcareers.net

www.etrust.org.uk/the-year-in-industry www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk

https://www.architecture.com/ https://edu.rsc.org/future-in-chemistry/

http://www.fulbright.org.uk/ https://www.planmygapyear.co.uk

http://www.theiet.org

https://investin.org/

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