Begin Your Careers Education Journey
Discover how Careers Education can shape your future — explore our curriculum from KS3 through to Sixth Form.
Contact the Careers Education DepartmentCareers Education
Our Careers programme is designed to deliver and embed careers education across the school, allowing a range of activities and opportunities to educate students, parents, staff and the wider community on the potential careers available locally, nationally and internationally.
We aim to develop career essential skills, aptitudes and knowledge to allow our young people to explore their own career potential and make informed decisions. By widening horizons for staff, students and parents, we help everyone understand what is available and the qualifications and qualities needed to succeed.
Curriculum Intent, Implementation & Impact
Intent
- To deliver and embed Careers education across the school to allow a range of activities and opportunities to educate students, parents, staff and the wider community on the potential careers available locally, nationally and internationally.
- To develop career essential skills, aptitudes and knowledge to allow our young people to explore their own career potential and make informed decisions.
- To widen the horizons of staff and students of the careers of today and tomorrow, as to what is out there, and the qualifications and qualities needed, along with parents and carers.
- To better inform all stakeholders of what careers education is about and the opportunities and impact it can have on their life chances.
- To support our students, with parental and carer and staff engagement, to evaluate their progress, achievements and experience to review what they need to achieve their career goals and give them the skills and techniques to move forward on their journey.
Implementation
- Our Careers provision is delivered through a combination of methods that are embedded into the Personal Development programme and the wider school culture.
- Every year, students complete a Careers focussed Scheme of Work built into their Personal Development programme within the Form Time Curriculum. Students in Year 8 and 10 receive further input relating to the Options process and preparing for post-16, as well as further input in PD Days.
- Year 11 students have 1-2-1 meetings with members of the Senior Team to support their future planning. Sixth Form students also have specific careers themed Schemes of Work within their Form Time Programme.
- Throughout the year, we host events including our annual careers fair which is open to all students and parents. This is a great opportunity to network and meet with future employers and post-16/post-18 providers.
- Students in Year 10 and 12 also complete a one week Work Shadowing placement to give them first hand experience of the workplace.
Impact
- Sandy Secondary School evaluates the impact of its careers provision through a robust approach, including student surveys, destination data analysis, and the use of tools such as Unifrog and COMPASS to track progress toward achieving the Gatsby Benchmarks.
- Extensive research highlights that students’ perceptions of careers are often shaped at a very young age, influenced by socio-economic background, gender stereotyping, and their immediate networks. Our careers programme is designed to challenge stereotypes and broaden aspirations.
- By encouraging students to think beyond the careers of today, we aim to inspire them to dream bigger and consider diverse pathways, ultimately influencing their subject choices, performance, and career aspirations.
- We actively involve parents in providing feedback on the programme and seek employer insights following engagement activities. We collaborate closely with our SEMLEP adviser to benchmark our careers provision against regional standards.
Careers Documents
Careers Resources
PD Day programmes, form time curricula, and subject information sheets.
