Careers Education and PSHEE
The Department seeks to reflect the School ethos and motto “By love, serve one another” where individual talent is fostered, celebrated and appreciated, and where contribution to the community is greatly valued.
There is a formal seventy minutes of timetabled Careers Education and Guidance per week for each class throughout the Senior School taught by the Head of Careers, where a wide variety of issues and life skills are examined and discussed.
The Department delivers a programme which covers aspects of Citizenship, PSHEE, Careers Education and Guidance, Work Related Learning, Enterprise Education and Economic Literacy.
Key areas of careers assistance are:
- Option choices at 14+ and 16+
- CV writing and personal statements
- Interview skills
- Psychometric tests to aid selection of careers and courses (Years 9-11)
- Information on a wide variety of careers
The Careers Department also has a selection of useful resources in the School library.
Work Experience
Year 9 – Girls participate in ‘The Chocolate Challenge’, a business enterprise game. Working in groups, they adopt a variety of business roles such as managing director, finance director, product designer and marketing executive. This enables them to put into practice key employability skills such as organisation, time-management, communication, teamwork, numeracy and creativity.
Year 11 – Girls have the opportunity to undertake a two-week work placement after their GCSE examinations. They are encouraged to pursue placements in areas of particular interest, and attend a variety of workplaces, the most common being in Law, Medicine, Finance and Art and Design.
Talks
A variety of talks from outside speakers are arranged throughout the year, giving valuable advice about career pathways and a clear insight into specific career opportunities.
From Year 7 through to Year 11, girls participate in a comprehensive Study Skills programme delivered by outside providers who offer specific advice and guidance on, for example, organisation and planning, exam preparation and revision techniques.
Careers Advice
The Head of Careers is available at School to discuss any questions pupils may have, both during lessons and by appointment. Specific advice and guidance are provided via individual parent/pupil interviews in preparation for 6th form applications.
Citizenship and PSHEE
In the Senior School, Years 7-9 have a discrete 35-minute timetabled lesson once a week whilst Years 10 and 11 have lessons delivered during dedicated Form Time slots. Aspects of PSHEE are also taught through other curriculum areas including, for example, Geography, Mathematics, ICT, PE and Science.
The timetabled programme encompasses a wide variety of topics including Human Rights (in connection with the Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust’s annual competition) moral issues, global issues, government and the law, business, enterprise and the economy, lifestyle, health, including sexual health, and relationships.
Additionally, all pupils participate in many charity events throughout the academic year, and have opportunities to develop their citizenship skills through the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award (Year 9/Year 10) and NCS The Challenge (Year 11).
