Careers Education
Careers Education Information and Guidance is an important part of preparing young people to make the most of the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life.
Our programme empowers young people to plan and manage their own futures. A summary of the programme is available to download below.
Read about our approach to careers education, our commitments, responsibilities and evaluation plans in our Careers and Provider Access Policy available in The Grange Academy Policies.
Our Careers Team
Careers Leader / Careers and Enrichment Coordinator: Mr James Wride. To find out more about our careers programme, give any feedback or contribute to careers education at The Grange Academy, please email careers@thegrange.futureacademies.org or phone 020 8950 9502
Assistant Principal with responsibility for careers: Mr James Wride.
Students
Our careers provision at The Grange Academy is designed to give as much information, advice and guidance as possible to our students so you can make informed decisions about your futures.
All staff at the school are here to help you. It is crucial that you discuss your next steps with people who will give you good, sound advice based on up-to-date information. You might talk to your teachers, Form Tutor, Head of Year, our Careers Leader as well as members of your family.
If you would like to book a 1:1 careers information, advice and guidance session, please contact enquiries@thegrange.futureacademies.org using your school email and give your name, year group, form and why you would like to book the session.
Read the Careers Plan in this section of the website to see what careers education is planned for each year group.
Volunteering is an excellent way to boost your CV or UCAS application by developing your skills and gaining valuable experience. It is also a great way to give back to your local community.
Here are a few ideas to get started:
- Ask your Form Tutor or Head of Year if there are any roles or clubs you can join in the Academy.
- If you have your own idea for a new extra-curricular club, speak to your Head of Year.
- Join a local volunteering programme: GoVolHerts.
- Think about joining a local Cadet Force: Find a detachment | Army Cadets UK.
- Volunteer atWatford General Hospital: West Herts Teaching Hospitals
Online work experience:
These organisations offer many opportunities to gain valuable information and experience in different roles and sectors:
It's time to take control of your future | Springpod
Discover Exciting Work Experience Opportunities | Speakers for Schools
There are lots of useful websites for researching careers listed in the Parents & Carers section of this careers area on our website. Also, look at the Apprenticeships & T-Levels and University sections.
Parents & Carers
This area of our Careers Website is aimed at helping parents and carers source up to date information to help support young people make decisions about their future studies, training, and employment.
Unifrog: We are rolling out Unifrog, which is an online careers platform. If your child has a Unifrog account, you could ask them to log in and use their account to do some research, or you could contact our Assistant Principal, Mr James Wride, if you would like your own account. Unifrog has information on careers, different qualifications and study options including college, sixth form, university and apprenticeships, so it is a great first port of call when looking to help your child with their career decisions.
Go to Sign In - Unifrog to access.
Educational Options:
Helping your child decide their next options, whether that be their Key Stage 4 subjects, or what to do after completing Year 11 or 13 is important, which is why we provide parents and carers with specific information and guidance at these key transition points.
There are a variety of routes and qualifications, including apprenticeships available once your child leaves The Grange Academy. Please click on the links below to find out more about some popular destinations for our students. Also look at the information on the Apprenticeships & T-Levels and University in this section of our website.
Post 16 Options:
Specialist Colleges:
Springboard - North Hertfordshire College
Types of Jobs: Students who have a vision of where they want to be in the future are likely to find it easier to plan their next steps. To help students and parents get an idea of what jobs are out there, we recommend using the Careers Search function on Unifrog and looking at some of the following websites:
INSPiRED Teenager Programme for Teenagers and Young People - CɅREER ALCHΣMY (careeralchemy.co.uk) - Information to support you and your child
School Leaver Jobs | AllAboutSchoolLeavers - Support finding a job after school
GetMyFirstJob | Apprenticeships, Degree Apprenticeships, Work Experience & Graduate Jobs - Support finding a job after school
Apprenticeships - A guide to apprenticeships
Not Going To Uni: Apprenticeships & Work Experience in the UK - Advice on alternatives to university
Careers advice - job profiles, information and resources | National Careers Service - Take a Skills Health Check to help your child decide on a future career
home - icould - Explore different career profiles
Milkround | Graduate Jobs, Schemes & Internships - Careers advice for school-leavers
Prospects.ac.uk - Fantastic overall careers advice, with job profiles giving lots of information about different careers
Explore roles | Health Careers - NHS job roles that also includes a careers quiz!
Local Labour Market Information:
Providing our young people with current information on the labour market is crucial to allowing them to make informed decisions about the next steps they choose to take in their career journey. Many jobs that exist today did not exist 10 years ago and there will be jobs available in 10 years’ time that we cannot anticipate now. For this reason, we also ensure our students develop essential, transferable skills such as communication, problem-solving, resilience, character, integrity, judgement, leadership, and teamwork.
For students at The Grange Academy, it is important to keep up to date with what is happening locally, nationally and internationally. In Hertfordshire, there are many new and exciting opportunities which are available to young people. For information about the local labour market, click here.
Communicating with parents and carers:
Parents and carers receive information about careers, work experience, study options and careers events via letters, newsletters, and at Options and Parents’ Evenings.
Teachers
The Grange Academy is committed to providing high-quality Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance to help inspire students and enable them to make rational, informed career decisions.
Mr James Wride is the SLT lead on Careers. He is responsible for designing our careers programme and for supporting our staff to deliver careers education and guidance by providing resources, advice, and staff briefings. It is, however, the strong belief of the school and the trust that the provision and delivery of careers education is the responsibility of all staff at The Grange Academy.
At The Grange Academy we would like all subject teachers to:
- Use the ‘My Learning My Future’ teacher resources to highlight the relevance of your subject to future careers.
- Have a prominent display that links subject learning and skill development to different careers.
- Develop links with employers and specialist organisations to enrich subject learning.
- Invite alumni and other inspiring speakers to talk to students about how your subjects link to future pathways.
- Organise external visits by students to local employers / specialist workplaces such as museums, theatres, recording studios, law courts, etc.
- Record career related teaching in schemes of learning - and encourage students to update their activities on Unifrog.
- Take part in National Careers Week by starting your lesson with a careers focus, such as talking about your career pathway or showing a short film where people explain the relevance of skills developed in your subject to their role.
- Explore ways of developing projects for students with a local employer or specialist organisation that enable them to use the skills and knowledge learnt in the classroom in the ‘real-world’.
Subject teachers are supported to develop and integrate careers learning opportunities into their schemes of learning through INSET sessions and discussions with our Careers Team.
Read the Careers Plan in this section of the website to see what careers education is planned for each year group.
Useful websites:
My Learning My Future | CEC Resource Directory (careersandenterprise.co.uk)
Careerpilot : Plan your future work & study
Start – Careers Platform (startprofile.com)
Explore careers | National Careers Service
icould free teaching resources - icould
Explore roles | Health Careers
All staff are given their own Unifrog account. Unifrog is an online careers platform with lots of information on careers, different qualifications and study options, training, and apprenticeships.
Employers
Local employers - we want to work with you.
At The Grange Academy we are educating your future employees. You can play a vital role in raising the career aspirations, broadening the horizons, and developing the employability skills of our young people.
We are always looking for employers to inspire our students, broaden their horizons, and develop their skills and understanding about the fast-changing world of work.
Ways to support our Careers Programme:
- Give an inspiring talk about your industry and / or career path.
- Help bring a subject to life by showing how it is used in the workplace.
- Offer a work experience placement at your premises.
- Support employability workshops delivered by our specialist partners.
- Host a visit to your workplace.
- Prepare students for job and apprenticeship interviews as part of our mock interview programme.
- Develop a project for students that enables them to use the knowledge and skills learnt in the classroom in the ‘real-world’.
- Mentor a student as part of a structured programme.
- Run a hands-on workshop with activities relating to your area of expertise.
- Be part of our discussions about pathways after leaving school, e.g. apprenticeships.
- Help champion specific issues and challenge stereotyping about job roles and sectors.
- Support employment routes for young people with special educational needs and disabilities and offer a work experience placement that is co-supported by the school.
What to expect:
By getting involved, you will be developing the skills of our future workforce and your own and / or your colleagues’ skills, forge community links and build a positive profile for your organisation.
We will support you whatever you choose to do to ensure we maximise the use of your valuable time. Interested in getting involved? Please contact our Careers Leader, James Wride via careers@thegrange.futureacadeies.org, and he will:
- Be your main point of contact for logistics and other enquiries.
- Help to organise the activity and any briefings and training you might need.
- Provide you with logistical information and explain our safeguarding requirements.
- Conduct a short evaluation with you to ensure we are getting things right.
Apprenticeships & T-Levels
During Years 7-13, students will learn about apprenticeships from their teachers, our Careers Leader and a range of apprenticeship providers.
Apprenticeships are available to anyone aged 16 and over. They are a mixture of work and learning. It is most common for learning to take place either in a block at the start of the apprenticeship or one day per week at a training provider. Students at The Grange Academy can start an apprenticeship after completing their studies in Year 11 or Year 13. Students must ensure they have an appropriate back-up plan, whether this is further study or employment, because applying for an apprenticeship is highly competitive.
An apprenticeship gives you free structured training, an understanding of the workplace and the opportunity to develop skills and knowledge whilst getting paid. Apprenticeships usually last between one and five years, depending on their level.
The levels available are:
- Intermediate (Level 2)
- Advanced (Level 3)
- Higher and degree (Levels 4-7)
There are apprenticeships for many different job roles and most sectors, from healthcare to financial services, the creative industries to construction, digital and tech roles to sport and fitness.
Apprenticeships are advertised on the national apprenticeship website, and you can search by distance from home and sector. Unifrog also features a live Apprenticeship Search function. The Careers Team at The Grange Academy can also provide advice and additional information can be found online here:
The Apprenticeship Guide | Home : Your online guide to apprenticeship careers and job opportunities – Information about apprenticeships, what you can study, how to apply, who offers apprenticeships and more.
Further education and skills: Apprenticeships - detailed information - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) – Information about apprenticeships.
Apprenticeships - Government website with information and vacancy search
Homepage | targetapprenticeships
Multiverse | Changing the future of work
T-Levels are technical qualifications combining classroom learning, alongside an industry placement, and they are designed for young people as an option following GCSEs (post-16). 80% of the qualification is classroom based and 20% is spent undertaking an industry placement with an employer in the workplace. The training provider is responsible for finding the employer(s) that will provide the industry placement. Students can find their nearest T-Level here:
T Levels Resources For Teachers
University
During Years 7-13, students learn about university alongside other study options including college and specialist institutions. Students will also visit a university during Years 7-9 and in Year 12.
It is never too early to start considering whether university will be the right path for your career aspirations. Considerations include whether a degree is necessary for your future career, and if so, which university and course is right for you.
In Year 12, students are given the chance to visit universities, and are offered guidance on UCAS, student finance and support and advice about the whole university application process.
Unifrog is an excellent place to start when looking for information. You can use the Subjects Library to see what university course could be right for you. While the UK Universities Search tool allows you to compare university courses to see how they match up against each other. Unifrog is also used to develop your personal statement and references as a part of the UCAS process.
We also encourage students to consider studying abroad and provide support for those who wish to pursue this.
Below are some links that you may find useful.
University information:
UCAS | At the heart of connecting people to higher education – Search for undergraduate courses and complete your application process.
Student finance for undergraduates: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) – Student finance information.
Opendays.com - university and college open days - home page – University open days.
Russell Group | For students - A group of the leading 24 UK universities.
The Guardian University Guide 2024 – the rankings | University guide | The Guardian – University ranking tables and subject profiles.
Discover Uni Home | Discover Uni - Is university right for you and compare universities.
Complete University Guide - University Rankings, Guides and Courses (thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk) – A guide to universities and university life in the UK.
Admission Tests:
BMAT | Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing – Biomedical admissions test (BMAT) applies to medicine, veterinary medicine and related courses at certain institutions.
LNAT | The Law National Aptitude Test –applies to all applications to undergraduate law degree at certain universities.
About the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) | UCAT Consortium – for medical and dental schools.
Studying abroad:
Going to the USA | Fulbright – Information and advice about studying in the USA.
The Association of Commonwealth Universities | ACU – Website for the association of commonwealth universities – provides information on studying abroad.
Hotcoursesabroad: International study options platform – Details of part-time and holiday jobs aimed at students.
Study in Europe, Australia, Asia, USA (astarfuture.co.uk) - English taught degrees around the world.
Gap Year:
Why should I take a gap year? | Gapforce UK - Gap year advice
See Student Ladder for a range of gap year placements.
Ways you could support our careers programme:
- Provide a work placement.
- Host a visit to your workplace.
- Prepare students for job and apprenticeship interviews as part of our mock interview programme.
- Get involved in extracurricular clubs and activities.
- Give an inspiring talk about your experience of university, being an apprentice, or your industry, career path and job role.
- Help bring a subject lesson to life by showing how it is used in the workplace.
- Mentor a student as part of a structured programme.
- Run a hands-on workshop with activities relating to your area of expertise.
- Be part of our discussions about pathways after leaving school, e.g. apprenticeships.
- Help champion specific issues and challenge stereotyping about job roles and sectors.
- Support employment routes for young people with special educational needs and disabilities and offer a work experience placement that is co-supported by the school.
Or maybe you have your own ideas. Please email Mr James Wride at careers@thegrange.futureacademies.org if you would like to support our careers programme.
Evaluating our careers programme
We use a variety of ways to make sure our careers education and guidance is effective including feedback, the destinations of our Year 11 and Year 13 leavers, and the Department for Education recommended Compass Careers Benchmark tool.
The Compass Careers Benchmark tool is used each term to evaluate our careers education programme against the Gatsby Benchmarks. Our aim is to achieve 100% in each of the Benchmarks. The table below shows our scores for summer 2023, we will update this table in summer 2024.
| Gatsby Benchmark | The Grange Academy | % of schools nationally meeting Benchmark in July 2023 |
|
1 A stable careers programme |
100% | 66% |
|
2 Learning from career and labour market information |
100% | 81% |
|
3 Addressing the needs of each pupil |
100% | 54% |
|
4 Linking curriculum learning to careers |
100% | 76% |
|
5 Encounters with employers and employees |
100% | 80% |
|
6 Experiences of workplaces |
100% | 64% |
|
7 Encounters with further and higher education |
91% | 52% |
|
8 Personal guidance |
100% | 75% |
We have achieved 100% in all Benchmarks other than Benchmark 7, which is better than the national average. To improve our careers education programme, we have identified some priorities.
Our priorities for 2023/24 are:
- Map the learning outcomes by year group and for students with SEND. (Benchmark 1.)
- Use Compass+ to manage, track and record careers education. (Benchmark 1.)
- Collect feedback from students, staff, parents, and carers, and some of the employers and providers that support the academy’s careers programme in summer 2024. (Benchmark 1.)
- Collect intended and actual destinations data more systematically. (Benchmark 3.)
- Identify a university that can host a visit for all students in Years 7, 8 or 9 and an independent training provider that can provide valuable insights into these educational pathways for our students. (Benchmark 7.)
Priorities for 2024/25 are likely to include to:
- Improve awareness of the careers programme, and its component parts, amongst students, teachers and parents and carers. (Benchmark 1.)
- Provide students with records of their careers education and guidance and subsequent decisions, to support their career development at key transition points. (Benchmark 2.)
- Support subject teachers to talk about how their subjects help people to gain entry to, and be more effective workers, within a wide range of occupations. (Benchmark 4.)
- Start the process for applying for the Quality in Careers Standard, the national quality award for careers education, information, advice, and guidance.