Burford School Careers Programme

Careers Education & Guidance Programme

‘Career’ - an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person’s life

and with opportunities for progression.

The expectation of lifelong learning, the demands and uncertainties of a global and changeable labour market and the choices in education mean that each student’s experience of a ‘career’ will differ markedly.

The aim of the Careers Education and Guidance programme at Burford School is to provide opportunities for:

•Self-development–givingstudentsanunderstandingofthemselvesandtheinfluencesupon them.

• Career Exploration – providing students with the knowledge to investigate opportunities in learning and work.

• Career Management – developing the skills to make and adjust plans to embrace change and transition.

The programme is delivered through:

• Careers Education • Careers Guidance• Careers Information • Work Related Learning

Our Careers AdviserMrs Judith Knowles works full-time at Burford School. She is a Level 6 qualified Careers Adviser and has been in her current position for 14 years. Based in the Careers Library, which students can access at any time, her role is to support students in exploring the range of opportunities available to them and to guide them in reaching their career aspirations. She holds regular meetings with students, as they progress through the school, and can be seen by students at any time by appointment.

Mrs Knowles is responsible for planning, coordinating and delivering much of the careers programme alongside providing individual careers guidance. She attends all Parents’ Evenings from Year 9 upwards, all Educational and Health Care Plan Review meetings and the Sixth Form Open Evening in November. She is also present on GCSE and A-level results days when she is on hand to give advice on ‘next steps’ for individual students.

Year 7During Year 7 students are introduced to the skills necessary for career success including co-operation, teamwork, puzzle solving etc. By the end of the year they will have begun to think about the sort of areas in which they might like to work. They will have started to become aware of the wide range of different careers which exist within the subject areas that interested them and will have been encouraged to explore the different roles within these industries.

Through the PSHE programme they will be introduced tocareersalongsidefinance,healthandcitizenshipmodules. These lessons take place in form groups throughout the year.

Year 8The Human Library For this interactive event, volunteers from a wide range of local businesses are invited into school. In recent years these have included individualsfromtheworldofvideoandfilmediting, hospitality and catering, cyber security, publishing, landscape architecture, art and design, humanitarian work, teaching, health and social care, electrical installation, optometry, engineering, agriculture and nuclear energy.

Before students meet the volunteers they are introduced to the ‘speed dating’ method of the Human Library and they then spend some time preparing questions to put to each visitor. During the morning, the students are given ashortspecifiedtimetotalktoeachvisitor.They move as a group every few minutes and discover as much as they can about each particular job, workplace and sector before moving on. They are able to ask questions about the volunteer’s pathways, experience and career choices. By the end of the morning, they have gleaned face-to-face information on as many as 20 different careers and gained firsthandinsightintowhattheyinvolve.

During Year 8 students gain an awareness of a wide range of different types of employment, some linking into the local labour market.

They learn more about the skills that are in demand in the workplace and this can influencetheirdecisionmakingwhentheycome to select their GCSE options during Year 9.

During their PSHE lessons students continue to extend their understanding of the range of careers which can be pursued and also to furthertheirknowledgeoffinance,healthandcitizenship. The programme is rolled out in form groups throughout the year.

Year 9DuringYear9studentscometounderstandfullythesignificanceof their GCSE option choices in terms of the pathways these various subjects will open up for them post 16. It is essential that theymakebroadandbalancedchoicestofitwiththeirinterestsand abilities. This will ensure they have the fullest access to their preferred employment areas, which may well change as they move through school.

• The Careers ModuleThe Careers module, which forms part of the PHSE curriculum, introduces students to online careers packages, such as I Could, Careerscape and Fast Tomato. These allow students to research specificcareersinformationbutarealsolinkedtooptionchoices.The materials include videos which highlight a range of different careers open to individuals studying different subjects.

• GCSE OptionsOptions guidance, in advance of students’ choices for GCSE, is given throughout the year. At the beginning of the year the option process is introduced to the year group. Talks by subject staff follow. Individual consultations take place as required with subject staff, form tutors and the Careers’ Adviser and there is a full presentation to parents and students at the Year 9 Options Evening in February. An options guide, detailing the content of each GCSE subject is provided to all students and individual discussions take place with parents at the Options Evening.

• Bronze Duke of Edinburgh AwardAll students are eligible to undertake the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award. As part of the requirement for this, they will undertake three months of voluntary work and three months of community service. These introduce students to the world of work, and highlight the commitment required for success.

• Maths Beyond GCSE Maths Beyond GCSE is a morning of activities at which individuals who use maths in their job are invited to attend and demonstrate how they use maths skills in their daily work. Examples of those who have participated include a computer programmer, an Oxford University statistician, an actuary, a nurse, members of the Numerical Algorithms Group, a hairdresser, a member of the Armed Forces and a builder.

The event highlights the importance of maths skills across a wide range of opportunitites.

Year 10By the end of Year 10 students will have had the opportunity to attend a wide range of employment conventions, to network, gain general information or secure employment. They will have a good grasp of the range of opportunities available in the workplace, have met with employers face-to-face and begun networking in potential areas of interest to them. All students will have undertaken a week of work experience and those taking the Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award will have had further work experience over a longer period in a voluntary capacity.

• Combined Schools Careers Convention Students and their parents are invited to attend the Combined School Careers Convention, held at Abingdon & Witney College, and organised by the West Oxfordshire Learning Partnership, of which Burford School is an active member. This event allows them to engage with, and explore, a wide range of career opportunities with local businesses. Over 50 employers attend from professionssuchaslaw,veterinarymedicine,science,engineering,ICT,accountingandfinancialservices, banking, retail, sport, teaching, and the police service. Talks on apprenticeships, university and further education provide a clear insight into the variety of pathways open to them.

• West Oxfordshire Learning Partnership (WOLP) Apprenticeship ConventionStudents and their parents are invited to attend the West Oxfordshire Learning Partnership (WOLP) Apprenticeship Convention in order to explore apprenticeship opportunities with a wide rangeofemployersrepresentingarangeofoccupationalsectors.Thefirsteventtakesplaceinthe autumn at Witney Lakes Resort. Around 30 different employers attend including Oxford Mini Plant, Air Tanker, Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, Thames Valley Police, Oxford University, Blenheim Palace and Abingdon and Witney College. In addition there are talks by current young apprenticeswhoprovideafirsthandviewoftheexperienceoftakingupanapprenticeship.

• Apprenticeship VacanciesIn March parents and students are invited to a second event, again organised by the West Oxfordshire Learning Partnership and held at the Marlborough School in Woodstock. On this occasionlocalemployerslookingtofillapprenticeshipplacementsattendandstudentsareableto put themselves forward for one of these positions.

• Work Experience All students are given the opportunity to undertake a week’s work experience placement during Term 5. The Careers Adviser meets with students on a 1:1 basis to support them with ideas about their choice of placement and with organising the placement itself. A member of school staff is assigned to visit them during their placement to ensure that all is going well and both employer and student are happy.

• Additional Opportunities Some students undertake additional voluntary work and community service through the school’s Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award scheme. Participation in the Tenner Challenge is open to GCSE Business Studies students. This highly interactional project develops key employability skills. Students at Burford have shown themselves particularly skilled at this and in both 2019 and 2018 were national winners.

Year 11By the end of Year 11 students have had further opportunities to attend a range of employment conventions, to network, gain general career information or secure apprenticeship employment.

• Combined Schools Careers Convention (See Year 10)

• West Oxfordshire Learning Partnership Apprenticeship Convention (See Year 10)

• Apprenticeship Vacancies (See Year 10)

• Post 16 ChoicesVisiting speakers, such as Oxfordshire Apprenticeships and Abingdon and Witney College, give students information about post-16 choices. Students are kept informed, via the school website and the Careers Library Board, of a wide range of college, apprenticeship and sixth form open evenings and are encouraged to attend as appropriate.

• External SpeakersA range of employers visit throughout the year to talk to students about the work they do and visits to industry are available as part of specialist subject studies. Visitors also give useful tips and ideas on writing a successful CV and what employers are looking for at interview.

• The Mock InterviewIn the autumn all students, ‘apply for a job’. They put together a covering letter and CV and take part in a mock interview with an external employer. A wide range of local employers support our week of Year 11 mock interviews - JSP, Cottsway Housing Association, TSB, Nationwide, to name just a few.

Following their ‘interview’ students are given verbal and written feedback on all aspects of the experience-theircoveringletter,CVandinterviewperformance.Thisisofinvaluablebenefittoall students whether they are looking for employment post 16, applying for entry into the Sixth Form (for which they will be interviewed) or looking to be inverviewed for a college place.

• 1:1 Support and GuidancePSHEE classes and extended assembly time are used to enrich students’ knowledge of career options and develop a range of work place skills.

In addition all students meet regularly with the school’s Careers Adviser on a 1:1 basis to discuss post 16 choices. They can visit the Careers Library at any time to make best use of the resources available and receive guidance, post GCSE results day, on the options open to them.

Sixth FormBythetimethestudentsfinishtheSixthFormtheywillhavehadfurtheropportunitiestomeetwith a range of employers and to have taken part in further work experience. They will have explored a range of post A-level options incuding University degree courses, and degree apprenticeships.

• Combined Schools Careers Convention (See Year 10)

• West Oxfordshire Learning Partnership Apprenticeship Convention (See Year 10)

• Apprenticeship Vacancies (See Year 10)

• 1:1 Support and GuidanceAll students meet regularly with the school’s Careers Adviser on a 1:1 basis to discuss post 18 options. They can visit the Careers Library at any time and also have access to a wide range of university prospectuses within the Sixth Form Block.

• Applying to UniversitySupport is provided throughout the university application process from personal statements to funding, course selection to application forms.

Mock interviews with specialists are undertaken by students applying to Oxford and Cambridge and for competitive vocational courses such as Medicine and Veterinary Medicine.

• Young Enterprise Young Enterprise is offered as part of the Year 12 Enrichment Programme. This experience, which takes students through all aspects of setting up running and winding down a company, gives an invaluable insight and range of practical skills to assist them in the world of business.

• University VisitsA University Open Day visit is made to Oxford Brookes University and Gifted and Talented students attend taster events at Oxford and Cambridge Colleges.

• Further Work ExperienceStudents are encouraged to add to their job seeking skills and build on their Year 10 work experience by undertaking a further week of work experience at the end of the summer term.

• Gold Duke of EdinburghThe school is fortunate in having staff trained to be able to offer the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award to students. Those undertaking this award take part in additional voluntary and community service for between six months and a year.

• External Visits to EmployersVisits to industry and to shows are available as part of specialist subject studies.

Useful Resources

www.successatschool.orgExplore careers, get the lowdown on employers and get advice on a range of topics such as apprenticeships, job seeking, volunteering and work experience.

www.icould.comDotheBuzzquiztofindoutinunder5minuteswhatsortofanimalyouare;yourstrengthsandwhatmakes you tick! You can also use the videos to explore job types and school subject links to careers.

www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.ukLots of information about apprenticeships including live apprenticeship vacancies. There is a search and anemailalertfacilityforfindingapprenticeshipsthatmatchyourinterests.

www.amazingapprenticeships.comFeatures live broadcasts with some of the country’s most prestigious employers with a search facility by area of interest and by company. Commissioned by the National Apprenticeship Service to inspire students about apprenticeships.

www.oxme.infoUseful information provided by Oxfordshire County Council for young people aged 8-19 based around four main themes – health, life, learn and earn.

www.informedchoices.ac.ukA really useful website for helping you to choose the right A-levels if you plan to go to university.

www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degreeProvidesguidanceonwhatyoucandowithspecificuniversitycourses.

www.whatemployerswant.orgLots of useful information from employers. Find out what skills and qualities employers are looking for, get ideas on how to develop and demonstrate your skills, learn how to impress at interview and more!

www.nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.ukAimed at young people of all ages this website has useful information including a curriculum vitae builder. Although Mrs Knowles is available for consultation full-time in school, students may also use the national careers service to seek advice and guidance about careers, learning or training if they wish. There’s a helpline number too: 0800 100 900.

www.ucas.comUseful search engine through which you can explore degree courses and universities. This is also the tool thorough which applications to university are made. More recently the site has included information on degree level apprenticeships.

www.university.which.co.ukAnother useful tool to compare and contrast university degree courses. It includes information on student satisfaction and graduate destinations for degree course subjects.