Careers Programme Information

Careers, Employability and Enterprise Programme 

As a student at Great Baddow High School, our aim is to fully prepare you for your choices at 14, 16 and 18 and for working life beyond further and/or higher education. This includes raising aspirations, awareness and self- esteem through a varied Careers programme facilitating contact with employers, universities, colleges, training providers and other organisations. A range of activities across the school and curriculum areas are also offered to students from year 7 -13.  

For further information about our Careers Programme please read the Careers Programme document or contact our Careers Leader, Mr J Faulkner 

fln@gbhs.co.uk. 

Careers Education

Students receive careers education during their ‘Lessons for life’ lessons in the first half of the spring term. This includes a one-hour lesson once a fortnight and tutor session once a week during this half term.

Careers Events 

Students will have access to a dedicated careers event each year aimed at enhancing their aspirations and understanding of their paths after leaving Great Baddow High School. Each year will have a different event tailored to the changing needs of our students. These are: 

Year 7 - “What’s My Job?” 

Aimed at widening students understanding of different jobs roles and challenging stereotypes. “What’s my job” event will let all of year 7 meet employees from a range of career sectors to find out what their roles involves and the education and training that was required to get there. 

Year 8 - “Take Your Child to Work Day” 

Nothing beats first-hand experience of the workplace. On our “Take Your Child to Work Day” we hope that all students will be able to organise a suitable day’s experience with a parent, relative or someone you know well to be able to go into a work place. 

Year 9 – Careers Fair 

The annual Great Baddow High School careers fair is always a success with both students and parents alike. With over 50 stalls from a wide range of employment sectors, as well as universities and other training providers the fair is an amazing opportunity for students to gain a massive number of employer encounters. The fair is open to all year 9 -13 but is particularly useful for our year 9 students as they approach their GCSE options for them to open their eyes to all the paths open to them and how to best prepare themselves to take them. 

Year 9 – Options Evening 

As our year 9 students approach the time for picking their GCSE options for the following years our Options evening gives all students and parents a chance to meet and discuss with all the subject areas what the course involves and the skills developed and required to succeed in it. Teachers will be able to go into greater detail that all their subjects have to offer and offer honest and personalised advice to each student as to whether that subject is a good fit for them. 

Year 10 – Interview Day 

To start our preparations for our students to enter the world of work we have a year 10 interview day. Students are not required to wear their school uniform and instead are encouraged to come in dressed to impress for their interviews with real local employers. Students have the whole day off timetable to go over polishing their CV and interview techniques. They then each get a one to one interview with a real industry employer to get first-hand experience in what a real interview will be like. Students then get feedback on how they did with pointers on how to improve before each visiting employer picks their best candidates who would get the job. 

Year 11 – Sixth Form Open Evening 

As students start to look to the future and the different paths to take, we hope many will return to us for this level 3 studies. On our sixth form opening evening students and their parents get chance to meet and discuss the courses and qualifications on offer in the Great Baddow High School sixth form, and the skills developed and required to succeed in it. Teachers will be able to go into greater detail that all their subjects have to offer and offer honest and personalised advice to each student as to whether that subject is a good fit for them. 

Year 11 – Apprenticeship Workshop 

For those students who wish to start apprenticeship training at 16, there will be a workshop where they can find out more about apprenticeships and help to find out where and how to apply. Further support will be available as the year progresses. 

Year 12 – Work Experience 

At the end of year 12 all our students spend two weeks in the school year getting first-hand work experience in the industry of their choice. Students are encouraged to arrange their own placement with the support of the school to ensure they get an experience right for them. All students are checked in on to ensure they are enjoying their placement and getting all that they can from it. 

Year 13 – Futures day – UCAS and Apprenticeship workshops 

Futures day gives our year 13 students a day off timetable to prepare for their future after Great Baddow High School. This includes an inspirational talk from Peter Dale, former Cambridge student, and a well-respected speaker. Students are then given guidance in either working on their UCAS forms for university applications or taking part in job and career sessions. 

Careers Sixth Sense Lectures 

All sixth form students have a termly talk from an external speaker, including independent careers advisors and guest speakers. The talks are aimed to provide students with useful information and advice on how to move forward with their post sixth form plans. 

Feedback and Improvement 

We are committed to meeting the needs of every students at Great Baddow High School by providing personal tailored careers support as well as constantly evaluating our careers programme and updating and adapting when needed. To help us with this all students are given a year group relevant survey at the start of the year to assess their current position and needs. They are then given an exit survey later in the year to assess if each students’ needs have been met. 

The date of the school’s next review of the information published is October 2022 

Parents and students can find out more about career pathways, labour market information and future study options on the school portal, Careers page. 

For more information about the careers programme in school, contact: 

Mr J Faulkner, Careers Leader 

Great Baddow High School, 

Duffield Road, 

Chelmsford, 

Essex, 

CM29RZ 

or by email or telephone the main office on 01245 265821. 

fln@gbhs.co.uk

Directions 

All students have access to impartial careers guidance from an independent Careers Adviser from Directions IAG Ltd, a matrix accredited careers organisation:Directions IAG LtdDeborah Anderson is our Careers Adviser and is in school most Wednesdays and Fridays to offer independent advice and guidance to students and parents, to give support with making informed decisions about your future. 

To contact Deborah Anderson for information or to request an appointment, please email:

careers@gbhs.co.uk 

Essex Community Engagement Team 

Throughout the year careers workshops are offered by the Essex Community Engagement Team to year 11 students identified as needing extra support based on their start of year survey. These sessions will cover a wide range of workshops designed to help prepare them for their post year 11 paths. Drop in session are run monthly for 6th form students to get support and advice with personal statement and applying for apprenticeships. 

Provider Access Procedure 

For Careers and Provider Access Policy see Information/Policies and Procedures. 

Opportunities for Access 
A number of events, including a careers fair, mock interview day and sixth sense lectures (sixth from), integrated into the school careers programme, offer providers an opportunity to come into school to speak to students and/or their parents: 

Premises and facilities 
The school will make the hall, classroom or private meeting room available for discussions between the provider and students, as appropriate to the activity. The school will also make available AV and other specialist equipment to support provider presentations. This will all be discussed and agreed in advance of the visit with the Careers Leader or a member of the careers team. 

Procedure 
A provider wishing to request access to students, staff or parents should contact Mr J Faulkner, Careers Leader:

fln@gbhs.co.uk

  
Providers are welcome to leave a copy of their prospectus or other relevant course literature with the Careers Adviser/Careers Leader, to be displayed in the Careers Area in The Cube. Students can pick up information from these areas at lunch and break times.