Careers

“A Hillside High School pupil is a confident, employable and well informed individual who is well prepared for their futures and their next steps in our ever changing world.”

At Hillside High School, we have the highest aspirations for our pupils and your children and we are committed to providing high quality, careers guidance which will ensure that they fully understand the range of opportunities available to them.

Linking closely to the school’s ethos, “Excellence in the heart of the Community”, a Hillside High School pupil’s career journey begins in Year 7 with a full programme of guidance in which pupils are supported in making key decisions about their next steps and have high aspirations at every transition point.

At Hillside High School we recognise the importance of linking careers to subject areas and through our curriculum and extensive extra curricular programme, we aim to give our pupils a wide range of experiences and encounters that will prepare them to make the right choices at key stages in their lives.

Objectives:

In order to achieve the vision and identifying areas of weakness within our careers programme we have identified the following strategic objectives which will form the priority for improving careers provision over the next three years:

1. All teachers link curriculum learning with careers and post-16 destinations through a departmental programme of events and through their dedicated employer link. (GB 4, 5,6, 7)
2. Meet the individual needs of pupils to ensure they have access to a wide range of post-16 opportunities and guidance. (GB 2,4)
3. Supported by staff and parents, pupils confidently use LMI to make informed choices about post-16 opportunities. (GB 2 ,3)

Careers Programme

Please see the programme of delivery for each year group below.

Year 7

• University Visit
• Skills and Careers Fair
• Careers learning through Personal Development programme
• Meet the employer networking event
• Careers learning in each unit of work in each subject area
• Subject based careers trips and events
• Use of careers library during break and lunch time
• One to one careers appointment – upon request

Year 8

• Apprenticeship Performance
• Skills and Careers Fair
• Careers learning through Personal Development programme
• Enterprise event
• Careers learning in each unit of work in each subject area
• Subject based careers trips and events
• Use of careers library during break and lunch time
• Group careers interview with careers advisor
• One to one careers appointment – upon request

Year 9

• Meet the Employer Event
Careers learning through Personal Development programme
• College and University Fair
• Apprenticeship Event
• Meeting with SLT to discuss options
• Termly careers learning in subject areas
• Subject based careers trips and events
• Use of careers library during break and lunch time
• One to one careers appointment – upon request

Year 10

• Work Experience
• Employer Interview Application form workshop
• Employer Interview (mock interview)
• South Sefton Campus Visit
• Birkenhead College Visit
• Careers learning through Personal Development programme
• Apprenticeship Workshop
• Termly careers learning in subject areas
• Subject based careers trips and events
• Use of careers library during break and lunch time
• One to one careers appointment – upon request

Year 11

• One to one careers interview with careers advisor
• Optional parental careers appointment with cares advisor
• College and apprenticeship representation at selected parental events
• Apprenticeship and college group workshops
• Programme of college assemblies
• Careers learning through Personal Development programme
• College and University Fair
• Application form workshop
• Termly careers learning in subject areas
• Subject based careers trips and events

Careers Lead Contact Details

Further information about Careers, please contact Mr Haygarth

Measuring and Assessing Impact

Monitoring Strategy

Most whole school events are organised by Careers Leader or the Careers and Enterprise Leader. Whole school careers based learning takes place within the school’s Personal Development programme. To monitor this, AVP Year group links monitor careers learning taking place during these sessions and feedback to Careers Leaders.

At the start of the academic year, Subject Leaders present their curriculum intent to members of SLT. Curriculum intent documents how subject areas are planning on embedding careers learning within their subject area.

Learning walks conducted by Subject Leaders and LT links and also whole school learning walks include an element of checking for evidence of careers learning within the curriculum.

Monitoring will also take place during the two-week cycle of book reviews.

During subject reviews, Subject Leaders feedback about how they have embedded careers learning within their subject area and the impact this has had .

Evaluation Strategy

The school employs a wide variety of evaluation methods to ensure that the careers events and activities that are planned are effective and have the desired impact. One of the main methods to evaluate the impact of whole school and curriculum based events is through the whole school careers surveys. Questions are revisited throughout the year to assess the impact of the activities and events the pupils take part in. This survey includes information about how pupils learn about careers within different subject areas and allow the school to evaluate the impact of the careers strategy from a curriculum point of view.

Pupil voice is also careers out throughout the year with small groups of pupils.

Pupils complete an online post event survey following any specific careers event or activity (on or offsite) that they take part in as part of a whole school event or subject specific events.

Staff involved in delivering or supporting events complete a survey to assess the effectiveness of the event and also to look for ways that the event could be further developed or improved to have the most benefit on the pupils participating. We will also survey in this way, any employers or providers who we organise any such events with and during this process also them to opt in to our employer / provider network.

Parents and cares are invited to provide feedback on the school’s careers programme.

Information for Key Stakeholders

Information for Pupils

For more information about careers visit the careers room in school which is located in the library. You can use this room at break and lunchtimes to research careers. As part of your timetables lessons, you will study careers as part of the Personal Development programme. You will also be involved with other events which link to careers such as guest speakers and trips and visits.

The following websites will give you some good information about careers.

• www.myworldofwork.co.uk
• www.careersbox.co.uk
• https://targetcareers.co.uk/

Information for Parents

Please encourage your child to visit the school’s careers room to research available careers. The room is open every day before school, break and lunch and after school. Within this room, pupils can find out lots of useful information about careers.

Pupils can also request an appointment with the schools independent careers adviser. All pupils will begin group meetings during year 8 and 1-2-1 meetings during years 10 and 11 however, if a pupils wishes to receive an appointment earlier, please ask them to speak to their form tutor who can arrange this with our careers adviser.

Our weekly newsletter includes information about careers provision within school particularly events or trips that are taking place.

Some useful websites are listed below:-

• www.careersadviceforparents.org/
• www.myworldofwork.co.uk
• www.careersbox.co.uk
• nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/

Information for Teachers

The following websites are a great resource for looking for careers which link to the subject you teach.

• icould.com/resources/
• www.pearson.com/uk/educators/secondary-educators/resources/resources-for-careers-teachers.html
• www.channel4learning.com/sites/lifestuff/content/teachers/workit/handzon/aims.html

Some ideas to engage your classes with careers are as follows:-

• Show a short clip as a starter activity using the resources on careers box.
• Discuss careers linked to specific parts of your curriculum
• Set a homework task to research different careers related to your subject.
• Use our school business contacts to bring in a guest speaker to talk to students about careers or to deliver part of a lesson.

Information for Employers

If you would like to know more how you could support our school in terms of careers, please get in touch. Some of the ways in which we work with businesses are:-

• Guest speaker talks and presentations
• Delivery of small parts of curriculum content
• Workplace visits
• Hands on workshops
• Representation at parents evenings and careers fairs

T​his will be reviewed September 2023