Head of Careers and Work-Related Learning Co-ordinator: Mr A C Macdonald

Careers and Work Related-Learning Assistant: Mrs C A Haywood

The Careers Education programme aims to enrich the educational experience of pupils at LRGS. It involves a shared responsibility and coordinated approach to deliver the pupils' entitlement. This includes a component of knowledge and understanding in addition to skills and is taught through other subjects as well as through formal careers sessions. The Careers Education programme builds upon the direct experiences of the pupils within the school, with their families and in their own communities. The school's intake of students is drawn from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds, but the majority of of parents/guardians and students are motivated to achieve academic success. A significant number of teachers contribute to the programme and this process begins as soon as the pupil enters the school and continues throughout his entire time at the school.

Specific Aims For Careers Education

1. To develop in pupils:

• an awareness of the available range of educational, vocational and training opportunities
• an awareness of the routes and levels of entry into educational, vocational and training opportunities
• an awareness of the impact of technological and economic changes on work and occupational patterns in a fast changing world and how this might affect future employment
• the ability to manage transitions and change within and between education, training andoccupations
• an ability to challenge those traditional attitudes which encourage stereotyping and prevent thepromotion of equal opportunities
• a self-awareness of their various personality and academic strengths and areas for development.

2. To appreciate and understand where, how and from whom careers information can be obtained and the range of services offered by the various support agencies.

3. To develop in pupils and parents an awareness of the requirements and routes, both academic and experiential, for careers and further education. This can lead to pupils setting targets and developing a purpose to their studies.

4. All pupils have the opportunity to participate in a work experience or placement withintheir last eighteen months of compulsory education. The work experience or placement lasts for two weeks at the end of the Fourth Year. Many students, with the guidance and assistance of the Careers Department, undertake further work experience in the Sixth Form, often as an essential part of their UCAS application.

5. To develop both the quality and quantity of dialogue and links between the school and local businesses and the general community.

6. To contribute to the Personal, Social and Heath Education programme by developing resources concerned with:

• self-assessment by pupils
• individual action planning
• careers resources and sources of information

Careers in the Curriculum

1  Careers Education at KS3

The Careers Department provides form tutors with information and materials to introduce to pupils during form periods. Each pupil at KS3 receives a financial literacy booklet. Also, each Third Year pupil receives a Careers Department information booklet and a separate GCSE Options booklet, to help them confidently choose their GCSE subject options. The whole Third Year cohort attend a CragRats Careers presentation, and are also invited to atend, with their parents, a GCSE options parents’ evening.

All KS3 pupils have access, and are actively encouraged, to use the following careers education software programs: 

• The Real Game
• Kudos
• CareersMatch

Third Year pupils (Year 9) have the opportunity to discuss their concerns and queries with the Head of Careers, or, in more confidence, with the school’s two Connexions (CXL) Personal Advisers.

2  Careers Education at part of PSHE

Careers Education forms a part of the structured PSHE programme offered to pupils in the Fourth and Fifth Year. This programme encourages pupils to undertake self-assessment, introduces pupils to sources of information and leads to the production of  an individual action plan. In the Sixth Form, Careers Education is delivered as a part of the CAVE course within the General Studies programme.

3  Various forms of experience in a work place

• formal work experience (end of Fourth Year/L6)
• annual Leadership for Life conference (L6)
• Enterprise conference (end of Fourth Year)

4  Opportunities

There are opportunities for pupils to become involved in an Enterprise scheme. They can then experience the different personnel roles within a business, eg designing, manufacturing, marketing, managing and accountancy.  It is also a vehicle for practically developing key skills. This is offered through involvement with the Young Enterprise scheme.

5  Career conventions

We offer the pupils opportunities to visit various conventions both within and outside of the School.

• regular organised talks, given by outside speakers, representing a wide range of professions
• annual Higher Education Convention at University of Central Lancashire, or Lancaster University (L6)

6  Careers Advice

We offer students opportunities to receive careers guidance. This may involve the use of computer programs such as Kudos or Careersmatch. As part of their curriculum entitlement pupils may receive an individual interview and/or a group seminar with a careers advisor from Connexions. Formal contact with Connexions takes place in the Third, Fourth and Fifth Year for all pupils and in the Sixth Form, by request.

Enterprise and Financial Capability

Enterprise and financial capability is one of the five cross curricular themes in the National Curriculum which pupils have an entitlement to experience throughout their education.  School work that covers the aims of this cross-curricular theme will by its very nature enhance the quality of Careers Education.  Careers Education and Enterprise Schemes are effective in working towards achieving these aims at all stages of education.

Enterprise and Financial Capability is about helping pupils at all stages in their lives to understand the economic and industrial aspects of the world and to take on an active and constructive role in society. It is also about economic and industrial systems, structures and the forces of economic and industrial change.

All students during the course of their career at LRGS, will receive a financial capability booklet. At the end of the Fourth Year (Year 10), students will experience a highly structured and relevant full Enterprise Day programme, which will address the Cross-curricular theme: ‘Enterprise and financial capability’.

Careers - FAQs

The Careers Department is a facility for use throughout the school year. If you wish to meet with a member of the Department you should do it either via your form tutor, email or approach them directly in order to make an appointment.

The Department is available for your use during the following “surgery hours”, when a member of staff will be present, should you need to discuss any issues:

Monday - Friday / 1.15pm - 2pm