Careers Programme
Careers Lead
Mr Higgins, Faculty Director or Science & PE
c.higgins@harrispurley.org.uk Ext. 2608
If you have any questions regarding our programme, please contact our Careers Lead.
Career Vision Statement
Through a cohesive and rigorous programme of careers education, information, advice and guidance we equip our students to unlock and achieve their full potential both within the Academy and for life beyond. Our career programme prepares students for the labour market by providing a clear understanding of job and career paths, as well as the values desired by employers.
What we do:
- Build strong moral values.
- Nurture genuine care about people within their community.
- Command respect.
- Establish trust.
By collaborating with external agencies, businesses, and members of our community our career programme is tailored to the individual needs of our students, which thereby empowers all our students to adhere to the values of our motto ‘to learn, to think, to act’.
Harris Academy Purley is currently working towards the GATSBY Benchmark and the World Class School Accreditation.
What we instil within our students:
- Integrity
- Competence
- Teamwork
- Effectiveness
- Accountability
- Fairness
We are proud of the support we offer our students to make informed choices and the opportunities that we are able to provide them.
We welcome parent’s support and feedback for our careers programme. Therefore, if you could offer your time for practice interviews, work experience or careers talks please email: c.higgins@harrispurley.org.uk.
The links below are for parents to support their children as they consider their futures:
- Parent Adviser Website offering advice and guidance to help you to support your child with choosing a course, university, apprenticeship, gap year and finances
- Success at School Parents Advice Pages
- Career Alchemy Parents and Teens Pages
- UCAS – Undergraduate Course Advice for Parents & Guardians
- Target Careers 2022 – Paths to Professional Careers: A Parents Guide
- My World of Work help to explore over 600 job profiles and includes advice on options choices.
- Parental Guidance from the Careers Writers Association gives advice and information needed to support young people during their transition to adult working life
- Amazing Apprenticeships Parents Zone
- The National Apprenticeship Service Support for Parents and Carers
- www.talkingfutures.org.uk a parent’s toolkit for careers conversations
- Make the Jump This page helps you to understand all of the options available to your child.
https://www.croydon.gov.uk/young-croydon/16-education-training-and-jobs-support
Working with visitors, external agencies and our community
As an academy at the heart of its community we endeavour to have everyone on board with this journey, from staff, students, parents/carers, local employers to further and higher education providers.
In line with the latest update in September 2022, in the Careers guidance and access for education and training providers published by the Department of Education and the Gatsby Benchmarks we welcome external organisations, employers, employees, Further Education providers, Higher Education providers and training providers to contribute towards our Careers Programme.
Parents support for UCAS
You can download the presentation from the UCAS Parents' Evening at the bottom of this page.
Year 11 Harris Higher Education Programme Booklet.
This booklet, which is available from the Sixth Form, is part of a Year 11 to Year 13 programme of information about Higher Education. We hope that you will all find this information useful and that by reading the booklet, you and your family will find yourselves better prepared to make decisions about your future education and qualifications.
For current employment and careers opportunities look on the Harris Careers Education website.
Want to go to university?
Find out more about the information and advice UCAS has to offer, using the UCAS tool below.
Applying to university
Click HERE for an introduction to UCAS and how to get the best out of the system.
Click HERE for a guide to writing personal statements.
The majority of our students decide to continue their educational journey at university. Every year several of our students attend some of the top universities in the country with many accepting offers at Russell Group universities as well as Oxford and Cambridge.
There is a comprehensive programme of UCAS support and guidance in order to help students with their applications and any subsequent interviews. Student UCAS applications at HAPU reflect informed and realistic aspirations and choices in order to optimise an individual’s chances of meeting the requirements of their course offers.
In order to ensure that a student is progressing towards the demands of the offer, regular course progress meetings and assessments mean that subject intervention and support are timely and targeted.
Our Career Curriculum
|
Year Group |
Career focus |
School character development |
|---|---|---|
|
Year 7 |
Knowing yourself and understanding what a career is |
How ‘character’ develops |
|
Year 8 |
The importance of career choices |
Key concepts of ‘character’ |
|
Year 9 |
Choosing subject and researching careers |
Power of principles |
|
Year 10 |
Exploring career options |
Core qualities of principle leaders |
|
Year 11 |
Building skills |
Integrating vision and values |
|
Year 12 |
Making plans |
Restoration after character failure |
|
Year 13 |
Taking next steps |
Character development |
UniFrog
All pupils from Years 7 have access to The Unifrog platform, designed to support pupils in making the most informed decisions about their futures. This has a range of tools that are suitable for all year groups. Each pupil has their own personal account that provides a wide range of information related to their interests and aspirations.
How to log on:
Pupils access the platform by clicking a link in their welcome email, where they can create a password to begin using the platform.
Key features of the platform include explore pathways; using personality quizzes, career and subject profiles, MOOCs (online courses) and webinars.
Explore what subjects you would be interested in studying and how these choices can lead to different career paths and higher education.
Exploring Pathways:
Explore pathways using personality quizzes, career and subject profiles, MOOCs (online courses) and webinars.
Explore what subjects you would be interested in studying and how these choices can lead to different career paths and higher education.
Recording - self-reflection about extracurricular activities and key employability skills.
Opportunities - search tools showing live vacancies/courses/placements for apprenticeships, universities (in the UK and abroad), FE, virtual work experience and much more.
Applications - tools to help pupils build applications for a range of pathways (e.g., CVs, Personal Statements, Common App Essays).
Labour Market Information
When considering future career options it's important to have a good understanding of the employment prospects within that industry, i.e. is it a growing or declining sector?
Careerometer can be used to explore and compare key information about occupations, help you learn about different occupations and identify potential careers.
It provides access to a selection of UK headline data relating to pay, weekly hours of work and future employment prospects for different occupations, as well as description of the occupation.
Simply type in the title of the job you are interested in and the widget provides a series of options from which you can select the most relevant to you. You can then look up another two occupations and compare. You can also select ‘display the UK average’ and compare the information with the occupation you have selected.
https://www.icanbea.org.uk/career-o-meter/
Monitoring, evaluation and review
Monitoring the development of CEAIG across the Academy is the responsibility of the Academy Leadership Team and will be co-ordinated by the Careers Lead. The Careers Education and Guidance Improvement Plan will be developed and updated on an annual basis and will drive the work of CEAIG in any one particular year. The current CEAIG Improvement Plan is available from the Careers Lead. The teacher in charge of careers will be accountable for the effective delivery and progress made in steering through the Improvement Plans and ensuring that the vision for CEAIG at the Academy is achieved. Feedback on the quality of CEAIG provision will be gathered from a variety of stakeholders including: students, employers and PSHE tutors. Under the terms of our Careers service Partnership Agreement we will also evaluate the success of the activities that were initiated through the Agreement and feed the evaluation into the next year’s Partnership Agreement.
|
Careers Event Feedback Survey |
Careers Programme Feedback Survey |
Sixth Form Careers Advice
Given that one of the aims of the Sixth Form provision is to prepare our students for what follows after their secondary educational experience, careers advice and guidance are an integral part of our offer.
In order to prepare students for professional life and the world of work, students will have access a wide range of opportunities.
- Careers advice is high-quality, up-to-date and locally relevant. Subjects provide opportunities for good quality, meaningful encounters with the world of work.
- Students are provided with regular and meaningful links with higher education and professions.
- A complementary programme of masterclasses and lectures from the world of work and industry is delivered throughout the academic year.
- The enrichment programme and co-curricular opportunities offer breadth and depth and allow students to engage with experiences beyond their usual interests.
- Alongside the established careers programme, there are regular opportunities to meet the Federation Careers Advisor.
- Financial health and financial planning sessions are delivered in order to prepare students for independent living.
Further information sources for advice and guidance
Gatsby Good Career Guidance. A report on improving career guidance in secondary schools which includes the Gatsby Benchmarks.
Please see the Good Career Guidance at the bottom of the page.
A website which shares good practice from the North East pilot of the Gatsby Benchmarks, and other information and support for schools.
http://www.gatsby.org.uk/education/focus-areas/good-career-guidance
A self-evaluation tool to help schools to evaluate their careers and enterprise provision and benchmark against the Gatsby Benchmarks and compare it with other schools.
Careers & Enterprise Company https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/
The Careers & Enterprise Company brokers links between employers, schools and colleges in order to ensure that young people aged 12-18 get the inspiration and guidance they need for success in working life. Careers & Enterprise Company: Schools and Colleges connects schools to businesses, volunteers and careers activity programmes.
National Careers Service https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/
The National Careers Service provides information, advice and guidance to help people make decisions on learning, training and work opportunities. The service offers confidential and impartial advice. This is supported by qualified careers advisers.
Baker Dearing Educational Trust https://www.utcolleges.org/baker-dearing-educational-trust/ Information on University Technical Colleges.
Career Development Institute https://www.thecdi.net/Home
The Career Development Institute is the single UK-wide professional body for everyone working in the fields of careers education, career information, advice and guidance, career coaching, career consultancy and career management. It offers affiliate and individual membership to schools which includes free CPD webinars, regular digital newsletters, a quarterly magazine, online networking groups and training at a preferential rate.
Quality in Careers Standard http://www.qualityincareers.org.uk/
The Quality in Careers Standard is in the national quality award for careers education, information, advice and guidance.
Find an Apprenticeship https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship
Search and apply for an apprenticeship in England.
LMI for All. An online data portal, which connects and standardises existing sources of high quality, reliable labour market information (LMI) with the aim of informing careers decisions. This data is made freely available via an Application Programming Interface (API) for use in websites and applications.
STEM Ambassadors https://www.stem.org.uk/stem-ambassadors
A nationwide network of over 30,000 volunteers from a wide range of employers, who engage with young people to provide stimulating and inspirational informal learning activities in both school and non-school settings
Sutton Schools Trust https://www.suttontrust.com/programmes/
The Sutton Trust run a range of programmes for students aged 11-16 through our university partners across the UK. Have a look at what we’ve got on offer today.
Uni Taster Days https://www.unitasterdays.com/
UniTasterDays provides a fantastic opportunity for students to regularly experience a wide variety of university courses and gain an insight into university life and career opportunities.
Unistats https://unistats.ac.uk/
The official website for comparing UK higher education undergraduate course data. The site includes information on university and college courses, Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) ratings, student satisfaction scores from the National Student Survey, employment outcomes and salaries after study and other key information for prospective students.
Your Daughter’s Future https://www.gov.uk/government/news/your-daughters-future
A careers toolkit for parents.
UCAS connects people to University, post Uni studies including teacher training, apprenticeships & internships. Find all the information for your next step.
Get involved
Barclays Life Skills https://barclayslifeskills.com/
Youth Employment https://www.youthemployment.org.uk/
Year 9 DivINC https://www.divinc.org/
KS4/5 Art Taster Days https://www.unitasterdays.com/eventDetails.aspx?ID=57542
Destinations
As one of the key indicators in the Ofsted Framework, the collation and effective evaluation of Destination data for all of our students is of paramount importance. Students are each given one-to-one interviews with our Careers Advisor to help ensure that they are fully equipped to make these important life choices and the data from these sessions is tracked, checked and support plans with added help are put in place to maintain high expectations for each individual’s future.
Higher education opportunities
Our Higher Education Opportunities sessions are designed to help students make their final decisions about which pathway they plan to follow and give them invaluable advice to successfully tackle what is largely considered to be one of the most difficult transitions in education.
These sessions are supported by our sixth form prefects who can answer questions and provide first-hand experience of this step of our GCSE students' education; what are they aiming for? We hope that they learnt a great deal from the sessions and now are able to intelligently reflect on their choices and if necessary make appropriate changes.
Harris higher education programme booklet
The Harris Higher Education Programme Booklet can be downloaded below. The aim of this new booklet is to remind Year 11 students about some of the key points about university education and other options and to take you through the Harris Sixth Form application process. It is written for Year 11 students, parents and the wider family as well as tutors and staff.
Mock interview sessions
The Academy runs mock interview sessions for Year 11 and Sixth Form students each year. The students have the opportunity to sit down with representatives from external agencies and businesses and discuss their plans for the future and what they feel they can offer prospective employers.
STEM Careers Day at UCL
Each year, UCL hosts a Careers Day for Year 10 and Year 11 students, with the aim of introducing students to new and exciting careers in STEM subjects. STEM subjects include the fields of Science, Medicine, Engineering and Finance and the event is a fantastic opportunity for our students to talk to representatives from each of those sectors.
Participants can expect to learn what it takes to start a career in each field and how universities such as UCL can help them to achieve their goals. We will continue to give our students the opportunity to attend this event, as we believe it offers a valuable insight into fields young people may not otherwise get the chance to experience.
Useful links
Career Exploration:
- BBC Bitesize Careers - Find advice from people who've found the right path for them
- Career Pilot - Allows you to explore, complete quizzes and make plans for yourself
- Careermap provide a free and very informative magazine called Careermag which is aimed at parents that provides a wealth of information about the labour market, prospective salaries and career pathways.
- National Careers Service - The National Careers Service provides information, advice and guidance on learning, training, career choice, career development, job search, and the labour market. It can be accessed online, by telephone, and face to face (for people aged 19 and over).
- Prospects - Look at different job profiles, search by sector or by job title
Pathways and next steps Information and Support:
- Apprenticeship Information Pack for Parents/Carers - find out more about apprenticeships and the many opportunities on offer.
- Find an Apprenticeship - Government website for apprenticeships in England
- GCSE choices and University - Tips to pick the right GCSE subjects
- Harris Careers Education - Offers support on Sixth Form Options, Higher Education, World of Work & Training, Job Opportunities and News & Events
- Informed Choices (Russell Group) - Use Informed Choices to help you understand which subjects open up different degrees, particularly at Russell Group universities.
- T-levels Info for Parents Find out more about T-levels, hear from other parents, find more information on options, find out why employers back T-levels, search for T-levels near you
- The Apprenticeship Guide - The Apprenticeship Guide provides a range of information focused on apprenticeship pathways. From what types of apprenticeships are available, how to apply and prepare for interviews, and case studies, it is a great location to discover more about apprenticeships.
- Parents’ Guide to National Careers Week - provides parents with the information they need to help their teenage children make the right choices to create successful futures after GCSE and sixth form.
- UCAS - Further Education - Sixth form, college and apprenticeships
Career experiences:
