Careers Information

Careers

The Ashley School Academy Trust provides all pupils with a Careers Programme (see below) that aims to:

Support pupils in making informed decisions which are appropriate for them
Provide pupils with experiences to learn about the world of work
Prepare pupils for the transition to college or training provider after The Ashley School Academy Trust.

The Careers Programme is co-ordinated by Miss Clare Hinchliffe (Pupil Family Support Careers and Transition) and delivered through bespoke sessions from employers, visits to workplaces, supported work experience and transition to colleges and training providers.

In addition, subjects such as PSHE, Citizenship and Vocational Learning give pupils the opportunity to learn about careers and work and develop many of the personal characteristics such as social and communication skills, that will equip pupils for their future lives beyond school.

The Gatsby Benchmarks

The Careers Programme is regularly assessed against the eight Gatsby Benchmarks of good career guidance. We welcome feedback from pupils, parents/carers, employers which helps us to measure the impact of our careers programme.

Our Careers Guidance Policy gives a strategic overview of the Careers and Transition offer in school.

Transition

Most pupils moving on from The Ashley School Academy Trust, start off college life in Foundation and Inclusive Learning. Foundation Learning is a safe, supported environment with staff ratios similar to school. Pupils will continue to make progress with their Maths and English, alongside other vocational interests, and enterprise activities. Pupils will have the opportunity to access mainstream courses in the college once they have reached the required academic and social milestones.

Local Colleges have several information and advice days throughout the year. Taster day dates and course information is available on their websites.

To support you/your child with Transition to College, we have designed a Transition booklet for The Ashley Schools Academy Trust pupils and parents/carers here:

TASAT Transition Booklet

The Local Authority also produces and SEND 16+ Transitions Guide, which will be given to parents/careers at their Annual Review in Year 10. A version is available to download here:

https://suffolkordinarylives.co.uk/resources/suffolk-county-council-16-transitions-guide/

Parents & Carers

As a parent/carer you can help support your child with Careers and Transition by talking to them about what they are enjoying at school and what they might want to do when they leave. Talking to teenagers about the future can be tricky, so here are some tips on how to go about it.

Your child will have a Careers Interview with a Level 6 qualified Careers Adviser in Year 10 and Year 11. These conversations will help them to articulate what they want to achieve, and what they need to do to be successful.

The following websites can be a useful source of information about job roles, college courses, training, and apprenticeships:

https://www.icanbea.org.uk/

https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk

You can use these websites to find out what people do in the job, how much people get paid, what qualifications do you need, are these jobs available locally, will these jobs still be there in the future? This is known as Labour Market Information (LMI).

Part-time employment

Part-time employment is a great way to experience the world of work, however school must come first and there are several rules about children in paid and voluntary employment. Both National legislation and Suffolk County Council Byelaws state that children must be 13 years old to be able to work part time. During term time there is a maximum of 12 hours a week that child may work. In addition, the employer must register the child with the Local Authority. An application form will require the parents/carers signature and declaration of their fitness to work More information and an application forms can be downloaded from Suffolk County Council website:

www.suffolk.gov.uk/childemployment

Employers and Training Providers

If you are an employer or a training provider and would like to share information with our pupils on course and employment opportunities, please refer to our Provider Access Policy here.

We are always looking at ways to engage with employers. If you would like to support our pupils with Employability Sessions, Meet the Employer Workshops, Supported and Independent Work Experience, Assemblies, Workplace Visits and Employer talks, then please contact Clare Hinchliffe. Email clarehinchliffe@ashleyschool.co.uk

Telephone 01502 565439

Teaching

Careers guidance needs to happen in the classroom, not just in distinct careers activities. In doing so you may add an extra element to deepen understanding in your lesson and provide inspiration and motivation for learning. Some of the ways our staff do this include:

Creating subject specific careers displays in your classroom
Discuss how the knowledge and skills pupils are developing can be used in the workplace
Be a role model – talk to your students about your career journey, your other jobs, how you learned from your successes and mistakes
Inviting external visitors into school to support lessons
Promoting transferable skills such as team working and communication skills
Discussing career aspirations in class and what careers using a particular subject might look like.