Careers

Rational

Stoke –on-Trent is one of only a 12 Opportunity Areas in the country where funding is being assigned to address the issue of social mobility. As a school, we recognise that we have a responsibility to work hard to raise aspirations and broaden the horizons of the children in our care. There are National initiatives that support this work such as The Careers and Enterprise Company and we will be working towards gaining a Quality Award that assess our career work against the national best practice framework Gatsby Benchmark. Local initiatives such the Inspirational Learning Group and Learn by Design are all working alongside schools to help raise aspirations. Children are encouraged to aspire high and be attentive towards their experiences and vocations. This is  demonstrated through the Catholic values and virtues ‘Attentive and Discerning’ and through our school mission statement:

“Love one another as I have loved you.

Aims of the policy

The purpose of the policy is to ensure that there is a clear structure to the careers-related learning offered across the school. This is not about offering careers advice but about broadening horizons, raising aspirations and giving children a wide range of experiences of the world including the world of work. It is about opening doors, showing children the vast range of possibilities open to them and helping to keep their options open for as long as possible.

Responsibilities

The school will assign the role of Careers-related Learning Coordinator to a member of staff who is also a member of SLT. Currently, this is Dawn Lee. She will be responsible for leading the careers offer in school. Many staff will play a part in the delivery of the programme; class teachers, teaching assistants and senior leaders.

INTENT ….

In doing this, our intentions are clear: that all children have high aspirations and experiences of the world including the world of work. We want to expose our children to the vast range of possibilities open to them and help them to keep their options open for as long as possible. We want our children to have the desire to and be able to live our mission statement in our dealings with those they meet, in their actions and words and to be able to make a positive contribution to the society in which they live.  With diverse families and different levels of socio-economic status, the staff at St. Wilfrid’s Catholic Academy ensure enrichment is at the heart of the curriculum we teach.  Enrichment is woven into the very fabric of our planning, teaching and assessment process in each and every subject. Our children come to school with different life experiences, which impacts on their vocabulary, reasoning and understanding throughout all key stages.  We intend to provide a termly trips and visits to broaden their horizons and to help children develop an understanding about the world in which. We want to prepare all our children for the next stages in their educational careers as well as allow them to develop their aspirations for adult life.

IMPLEMENTATION…

Implementing a whole school holistic approach towards a Careers Programme is seminal for our children.  All staff are committed to their role in motivating and inspiring both children and families, by helping them to see a future to which they can aspire and feel that it is achievable.  The implemented and embedded ‘Careers Programme’ demonstrates how our curriculum enables children to make links with what they are learning in the classroom to life beyond school.

We utilise our local area well, to help us build on experiences available for our children to thrive. We have excellent relationships with our parish church, shops and businesses, all of which contribute to our unique curriculum throughout the year.

As much as possible, we take our children out of the local area, to provide them with rich learning experiences that they are able to talk about with their friends and families and make links with their learning in school.

Artists, governors, musicians and engineers work with our children throughout the year to enrich their experiences and help them acquire skills and begin to form their aspirations for their future.

The activities we offer are:

• Invite volunteers from the world of work to visit and chat with children
• Deliver career-related learning programmes that help children connect their subject

There are a number of partners who help us achieve this career-related learning, including,

• Keele University
• Parish Priest
• St Margret Ward Academy
• Inspirational Learning Group
• Learn by Design

IMPACT

In doing this, our impact is clear: to raise aspirations and broaden horizons. Children will know and articulate how learning in the classroom can affect their future.  Teachers and staff work hard to plan a broad and balanced curriculum which is expertly delivered to ensure a child’s entire school experience enables them to develop a deep body of knowledge which will see them through to further study, work and a successful adult life in whatever they choose.  When our children leave us, as well as being ready for a KS3 curriculum, they have a wealth of transferrable skills which have been developed throughout their time at primary school in an inclusive and nurturing environment.  We are proud that once the children from St. Wilfrid’s Catholic Academy have left, they are faith-filled and ready to make a positive contribution to society; have been supported through their transition; have been exposed to rich vocabulary and have high aspirations and self-belief all through the delivery of career related learning.

Documents

Careers Programme Overview 2019

Showcase event Micro: bit Project Year 5

Download the Careers Education Policy
Curriculum Links
Pathways for pupils
Resources
Information About Careers Education