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Careers & IAG

Careers information and guidance is available to all. At the Warren; we want all students to make good choices for the future – ‘informed decisions are good decisions’

Your School Careers Advisor is: Mr Murray

You can contact him Monday to Friday at lunchtime in the PE Department or on Google Classroom.

Telephone: 020 8270 4500

Provider Access Statement

Overview of main careers activities offered to students

WHAT IS IT? 

Careers/IAG is to help students think about and plan their future and to help them to find out which pathway is best for them. To enable a good understanding and positive attitudes, we aim to engage with parents and carers to give them access to Careers: Bill Law’s ‘Community Interaction Theory’ states how our perceptions about careers are gained from within our communities. By working in partnership, we hope to ensure positive outcomes for all our students.

At The Warren School we aim to provide timely, impartial advice and guidance.

HOW IS IT MEASURED?

The Impact of Careers & IAG are measured in a number of different ways here at The Warren School.

  • Sixth Form, College or Apprenticeship uptake at the end of year is recorded
  • The extremely low level of NEET children at the end of Year 13; Records are kept of students attending University, taking up an Apprenticeships or gaining Employment.
  • 100% of students in Years 11 to 13 attend a careers meeting
  • Student voice to Years 10 and 12 about the choices they have made for GCSE, A Level or BTEC.
  • Students taking part in virtual or face-to-face work experiences with employers
  • Students taking part in virtual or face-to-face presentations, seminars etc from employers and universities
  • Students attending University open days

HOW IS IT PROVIDED?

Careers information is provided to students in different formats –

In person through:

  • 1:1 Interviews are available from Year 9 to Year 13 to look at future pathways
  • 1:1 Additional careers interviews are available in Years 12 & 13 to students who are unsure what they want to do
  • Careers Club is held once a week in Media 4 on a Wednesday at 3.30pm
  • Careers sessions are provided to students through PSCHE lessons and presentation lessons given to each tutor group at each transition stage
  • Futures Evening – Students get to meet people from different employment sectors
  • Futures Evening – Local college providers and employers offering technical and vocational qualifications and apprenticeships are invited to attend the ‘Futures Evening’ so that students are fully aware of the local opportunities that exist outside of The Warren School in education and training
  • Virtual and face-to-face talks, discussions and presentations take place between local colleges and local, national and international companies such as Amazon, Google and Virgin Media
  • Future Pathways programme at Sixth Form, with visits and presentations
  • Careers information and pathways are included in schemes of learning at every Key Stage annually
  • Careers trips to a range of places including Careers Events, Insight days and to visits to Further and Higher Education Colleges

In written form through:

  • The noticeboard outside of the library
  • Careers Information displayed on interactive noticeboards around the school
  • Careers books, magazines and information is available in the library
  • University/Futures area within the Sixth Form common room.
  • Future Pathways programme at Sixth Form

Interactively through internet links:

  • Unifrog – The ultimate ‘one stop shop’ for Careers Guidance for College, University and Apprenticeships – All Years 7-13 students have access to their own online portal.

https://www.unifrog.org

  • Fast Tomato – an Online Career Guidance platform for 12-18-year olds which students all have access to and are able to repeat and explore as they wish.

https://www.fasttomato.com

  • Google Classroom
  • Useful websites

Pathways

Pathways is the term used to refer to the different paths that students may take.

At secondary school these will occur at KS4 & KS5.

Pathways are the qualifications with their levels and the routes that students can take to acquire them.

Look at the ‘Levels and Qualifications’ table showing these pathways on the links below.

What qualification levels mean

Choosing an appropriate pathway will involve choosing an appropriate course and where to do it.

 For a full description of qualifications, click below:

https://www.brightknowledge.org/education/diplomas-nvqs-btecs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_xAQNNi4pA&feature=youtue=youtu.be

https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualifications-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels

KS3

Choosing options in Year 9

In Year 9 students get to choose a range of options to take at GCSE.

Students have:

  • Unifrog and Fast Tomato to assess their possible career suitability and subsequent pathways that they need to pursue
  • Access to Unifrog at home and can engage their parents/guardians in the process
  • Subject career assemblies
  • A 1-1 options interview
  • An options booklet provided to share information with parents

KS4

What is the difference between GCSE and BTEC?

GCSEs have more exam assessment and are graded 9-1.

BTEC have different grades: Pass, Merit and Distinction.

BTEC Pass(P) = GCSE 5

BTEC Merit(M) = GCSE 6

BTEC Distinction(D) = GCSE 8

BTEC Distinction*(D*) = GCSE 9

What is a pass at GCSE?

Grade 4 is the lowest pass to be accepted. Grades 5 + are ‘Good’ grades; Grades 1-3 are needed for Level 2 qualifications

KS5 (A Levels or BTEC Nationals)

  • A Levels – Traditional qualifications graded at A-E – Assessed through end of year exams
  • BTEC Nationals – Graded Pass to Distinction * - Assessed throughout the course
  • BTEC Subsidiary Diplomas can be taken alongside A Levels.
  • BTEC Extended Diplomas are the equivalent to 3 Levels.

The grades for both A Level and BTECs have points which can be used to qualify for university courses:

In applications submitted for 2018 admissions onwards, A Level Qualifications and Level 3 BTEC Nationals (QCF) will qualify for the following UCAS tariff points:

https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/student-advice/applying-to-uni/ucas-points

The careers provision is evaluated annually, with the next review due in the Autumn term 2023.

 

Careers Activities at The Warren School

The role of PSHE in delivering careers

In Years 7 - 13 each pupil takes part in a weekly PSCHE lessons, where at certain times of the year Careers Education & IAG is delivered.

Outline of Programme:

A variety of teaching and learning methods are used in the delivery of the Careers Education and IAG, as outlined below:

  • Information sessions for pupils
  • Careers software induction for Unifrog (Year 7-10)
  • Skills assessment – Unifrog (Year 7-10)
  • Interests and introduction to careers language (Year 8)
  • Recording activities and encounters, GCSE Choices, teamwork development (Year 9)
  • CV writing (Year 10)
  • Post 16 options – Explore what type of qualifications to take and where to take them and also look at the level 2 apprenticeship route (Year 11)
  • Exploring the UNIFROG platform, linking subjects to world of work, post 18 options, personal statements and MOOCS (Year 12)
  • Using UNIFROG to create Personal Statements, Online UCAS Applications and exploring Level 3 and Level 4 Apprenticeships (Year 13)
  • Careers Futures Evening Year (Years 7-13)
  • Programme of presentations and events involving outside speakers (Year 7-13)
  • Careers website (Year 7-13)
  • Unifrog engagement (Year 7-13)
  • Year 9 Parents’ Evening – Options
  • Sixth Form Open Evening – Career Information
  • Higher Education Evening – University Information
  • Careers appointments can be booked with the head of careers

Guidance Work and Interviews

  • Year 9 Options Interviews & Year 9 Option Assemblies
  • Year 11 Post 16 Choices Interviews
  • Sixth Form: Higher Education Interviews

Work Experience/Work Related Learning

  • Year 10-13 – Opportunities made available via Google Classroom
  • Year 9-13 - Students can book a one to one session with head of careers to discuss options
  • Year 7-13 - Opportunities distributed via email to students

University Applications Process

The Head of Careers works with the Sixth Form team in applications, personal statements.

Students are encouraged to visit university open days; these can be virtual or in person when restrictions are lifted

The Careers Library

  • A dedicated area has been allocated in the library.
  • Careers Information is displayed on the interactive screens throughout the school.
  • Students are directed to university, Iship providers and college websites
  • Careers Education and Guidance offers a unique opportunity for the development of both language skills and inter personal skills in the context of real communication between students and employers, in a variety of written and oral formats.

Monitoring and Review

The careers provision is evaluated annually, with the next review due on the 1st September 2022.