Career Information for Parents

Parental involvement is encouraged. Online resources are accessed through the links on the school website. Parents are kept up to date with careers work through letters, Futures briefings, at open evenings and parents’ evenings. 

All students will take part in a careers education programme in Years 7 – 13 that helps them to:

◾Understand their education, training, employment and other progression opportunities.

◾Develop the skills they need to plan and manage their own personal development and career progression.

◾Access relevant information and learning from career activities and events.

Applying to college and sixth form

From the outset, it is useful for students to consider the following questions:

▪ What subjects do you want to study?

▪ What qualifications do you want to gain?

▪ Where do you want to study?

▪ What career might you want to do in the future?

Answering some of these questions will make the college process much more informed. The best place to find out about post-16 open days and applications is via each institution’s website. By doing some research beforehand you can make sure that the right institutions are visited and any questions are answered. Although it is important to get a feel for each institution, there is much more to find out about; things like the content of courses, the way each subject is taught, as well as the support and pastoral side.

As well as offering the right courses to support future aspirations, the chosen post-16 option must be the right fit. Post-16 applications are completed, mainly, in the autumn term of Year 11 but is important that you look at the individual requirements of each specific institution. Open evenings and mornings are usually open to students from all year groups if you feel there is a need to visit earlier than Year 11. Many students do make initial visits in Year 10. Once applications are submitted, most institutions carry out interviews across January and February.