Careers | Swanwick School and Sports College

Careers:

Helping our pupils with their next steps...

Our Careers Programme:

Our Careers programme at Swanwick School and Sports College is embedded throughout the school with bespoke objectives within both PSHE and Life Skills lessons for KS2 and KS3, and through identified Careers lessons in KS4. Through educational visits and residentials, our students gain experience and an understanding of the wider world.

The Careers education programme is designed to meet the needs of students at Swanwick School & Sports College and is differentiated to ensure progression through the varied activities that are appropriate to the students’ stages of career learning, planning and development.

For pupils in KS4 the Careers Programme is designed to meet the needs of all students in Years 10 & 11, with a specific programme for each year group.

Activities are differentiated and personalised, to ensure progression in their personal learning and development and to inspire and strengthen their motivation and aspirations.

Aims of Careers Education:

To prepare young people for adulthood with high aspirations for a fulfilling adult life.
To help students to develop career awareness and enable them to manage personal career development.
Where appropriate, dependent on students chosen vocational options, have the opportunity to access a work experience programme.
To enable students to manage transitions, including the transition from school to a Post 16 provision.
To provide opportunities to experience the different Post 16 placements open to them through research in school and visits to different venues.
To enable students to handle careers information and assist them in making informed choices.
To provide pathways suited to the needs of each young person based on their EHCP and future aspirations.
To provide student and family support throughout their time at Swanwick School & Sports College.
Provide opportunity to gain nationally recognised qualifications.
Meet statutory requirements and guidance from Department for Education and embed the Gatsby Benchmark Framework into whole school planning and learning.

Gatsby Benchmark:

The Gatsby Benchmarks are a framework of 8 guidelines that define the best careers provision in secondary schools.

SSSC Gatsby Benchmark

The framework for students in Year 10 is to focus on:

Knowledge of themselves: recognising their interests, personal qualities, skills and to build on strengths and achievements, and to realise their ambitions in life and as preparation for the decisions they will need to make in year 11.

Looking at opportunities open to them through the knowledge of the world of work, the different training and education routes open to them at the end of year 11 and the importance and value of qualifications.

Skills in decision making enabling them to make informed, sensible choices ready for the transition to year 11.

Skills in target setting, helping the students to understand the importance of goals, ambitions and how target setting will help them to achieve their goals.

Aim Award Qualification:

The students work towards a nationally recognised qualification through the exam board Aim Awards. Students will gain accreditations through the Personal Development strand which focuses on four main areas:

Recognising their own skills
Know about their role models
Be able to make positive decisions
Be able to identify personal goals

This qualification gives the students the introduction required for successful progression into year 11. It equips the young people with the skills and knowledge needed for the important decisions they will be required to make for the transition to a Post 16 placement when leaving SSSC.

The students also have the opportunity to attend the SEND Skills Festival to give them an insight into further study opportunities for the future.

The framework for students in Year 11 is to focus on:

To use their knowledge gained in Year 10 to make an informed decision on their choice of Post 16 provision by the end of year 11.To prepare and understand the Post 16 options available to the students through research and visits and equip them with the practical skills needed to look for and obtain places in further and higher education, training and eventually employment.
To know about the world of work, education and training routes and the value of qualifications.
To help students to understand the importance of goals and ambitions and how setting targets will help them to achieve their goals.To develop the skills they need to plan and manage their own personal development and career progression.
To attend SEND Skills Festival to gather information on areas of interest to themselves.To visit a variety of Colleges, Sixth Form centres and independent training providers to enable them to make informed sensible choices.
To encourage and assist the students and parent/carers with making decisions about their choice of Post 16 provision.To work with each student in school by completing application forms for their chosen Post 16 placements and to prepare them for interviews and how to communicate effectively.

Bespoke one to one support is given to each student and their parents/ carers at their college/ sixth form/ independent provider interview. This is the same whether the support may be required for just one interview or in some cases multiple. This will also include transporting students and parents / carers if required.

Aim Award Qualification:

The students work towards another nationally recognised qualification through the exam board Aim Awards in Year 11. This focus is on a specific unit titled “College Life” which enables the students a greater understanding of possible new learning environments and covers six main area’s:

Knowing how to locate facilities at College
Being able to identify members of staff and know their role
Being able to identify reasons for attending College
Understand their own responsibilities whilst at College
Understand the differences between College and school
Be able to identify Health and Safety procedure

This qualification gives the students the confidence required for a successful transition into a new learning environment at the end of year 11. The course covers how Post 16 placements will differ from a school setting and how expectations may differ. It also helps the students to have a smoother transition through a greater understanding of the courses available and gives them the additional courage to be motivated and succeed.

All students throughout the careers programme are encouraged to be self-motivated and fully involved in their learning to enable them to take responsibility for their own decisions and career planning in preparation for adult responsibilities.

Work Experience/Enterprise:

Students in Year 11 dependent on their chosen vocational options will have the opportunity to access a work experience programme.
All students are, given the opportunity to contribute to the yearly Christmas enterprise project to raise money for school projects.
Vocational experiences, learning and accreditation where appropriate.
Opportunities to practise home management skills.
Volunteering where appropriate.

Parent/Carer Involvement:

Throughout KS4 Parent/ Carers will be actively encouraged to be involved in assisting their child in making realistic and positive choices.

To encourage and support Parent/ Carers to visit the post 16 providers either through open events or individual planned visits with their child to help with making the right positive choice.

Signed Parent/ Carer consent is required for all students participating in off-site visits to Colleges, Sixth forms, independent providers and SEND skills festival events.

Parent/ Carers are informed of progress within, Annual Reviews, Parent / Carer Consultation evenings and on Mid- Term and End of year School Reports.

A Parent/ Carer information evening is held early in the new school year to advise and support parent/carers of students in year 11, on the next step after Swanwick School & Sports College and how the students are prepared in school for their transition into a post 16 provision.

For more information regarding our careers programme please get in touch with our Careers Lead Mrs Julie Brooks on 01773 602198 or email FAO:- info@swanwicksportscollege.derbyshire.sch.uk.

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