In the sixth form, the students’ curriculum offer expands into vocational studies. This is an ambitious offer which exposes students to valuable and high-quality work experience.

Ofsted Education inspection report, February 2025

Our aim is to provide a full and comprehensive careers service for the young people we support, led by our Careers Lead Nickie Dunphy.

We will equip our young people to be able to make decisions that will lead to engaging in vocational learning that will equip our young people to be able to make a meaningful contribution in the community.

Careers and the world of work are embedded within the learning being delivered to young people at every age and, by providing meaningful work experience and placement encounters with employers, both on and off-site, we can provide our young people with an awareness of the world of work. 

By integrating the Gatsby Benchmarks into all areas of education, we can create a service that benefits every one of the young people here.

See our Careers Strategic plan for 2024 to 2027 

Click here to see our Careers Service Guide for parents 

Click here to see our Careers Service Guide for employers 

Early steps – Lower School 

Careers learning begins with the introduction of ‘people who help us’ and the jobs they do, as part of the curriculum delivered by the Lower School teaching staff. 

As a young person progresses through Lower School, they can attend taster sessions as an introduction to the various vocational skills programmes of learning. By monitoring a young person’s interest, attention paid to and enjoyment of these sessions, we are able to ascertain interest/skill well ahead of their transition to Post-16 (Upper School). This enables us to put the young person at the centre of the decision-making, allowing choice and discussion. 

The Vocational Skills Area of Learning – Post-16 and Young Adult Provision 

We have teams leading a range of programmes of learning, introducing our young people to new activities, stretching from housekeeping to baking, and to grounds maintenance to working in our on-site orchard. 

Once a young person has acquired new skills, he or she will start to work with our team of Vocational Instructors to develop their skills in both work tasks and work readiness. They will learn not only how to undertake the physical task, but a broader range of skills such as what their appearance needs to be like for work, how to behave in an emergency such as a fire drill, or how to use PPE. Well-designed and planned sessions for each programme of learning are adapted to meet the needs of each young person, to ensure consistency of teaching and learning.  

Vocational Instructors work with young people in work experience sessions, which will then progress to fuller work placements.

See our work experience and work placement policy 

Careers Day

We look to give our young people as many opportunities as possible to engage with the local community and the world of work. 

Our first Careers Day was held in June 2022, and every June we hold our annual Careers Day to enable young people to meet representatives from as many different professions as possible. 

If you or someone you know would be willing and able to help us offer such an experience, please contact Nickie Dunphy, Head of Young Adult Provision (Education) and Careers Lead on 07720 212600 or [email protected].

Environment 

In our Lower School area, our library includes resources focusing on differing careers or areas of work, such as emergency services, land-based, medical, and catering and hospitality. 

Our Post-16 young people have use of our Upper School library. Here they have a more relaxed environment in which to work with their staff and learn more about differing careers, opportunities available to them and the different staff who can support them into the world of work.