Careers at Wales High School
The careers programme is designed to meet the needs of all students at Wales High School. It is differentiated and personalised to ensure progression through activities that are appropriate to students’ stages of career learning, planning and development. Students are entitled to careers education and guidance that meets professional standards of practice and is person-centred, impartial and confidential.
It will be integrated into students’ experience of the whole curriculum and be based on a partnership with students and their parents or carers. The programme will promote equality of opportunity, inclusion, anti-racism and equality.
We are pleased that our careers provision has been recognised for its quality and we are proud to hold the Quality in Careers standard, awarded in 2023.
Our Partners
Careers Lead – Mrs C Blackwell
Mrs Blackwell oversees our careers provision. She is working towards a level 6 Careers leadership certificate from RGG. She also works collaboratively with our local careers leaders group in Rotherham. Contact [email protected] or 01909771291.
Assistant Headteacher – Miss Feerick
Miss Feerick is the SLT link for Personal Development at Wales High School, which includes our careers provision., She is responsible for the strategic overview of our careers provision. Contact [email protected]
Impartial Careers Advisor – Gaby Spinks
Gaby works for Progress Careers as an impartial adviser. Gaby has a level 7 Masters degree in careers guidance from the University of Huddersfield. Gaby is registered with the CDI. Contact: [email protected]
WHAT WE PROVIDE
Careers Advice and Guidance
One-on-one or group sessions to help students understand their skills, interests and career aspirations.
Information on Pathways
Information about different career options, higher education, apprenticeships and vocational training.
Support with Applications
Help with writing CVs, cover letters and personal statements.
Work Placements and Events
Arranging work placements and events to give students practical interest and experience of industry, local businesses and organisations.
CAREERS INFORMATION
As part of our commitment to informing our students of the full range of learning and training pathways on offer to them, we will consider requests from approved training, apprenticeship and vocational education providers to speak to students. This complies with the school’s legal obligations under Section 42B of the Education Act 1997 (the ‘Baker Clause’).
Provider Access (Baker Clause)
The Baker Clause is an amendment to the Technical and Further Education Act 2017 which states that schools must allow colleges and training providers access to all students in years 8 – 13 to tell them about non-academic routes which are available to them.
The provisions made at Wales High School are detailed in the careers policy.
In summary, all students at Wales have opportunities to access alternative routes to employment, including vocational qualifications and apprenticeships via readiness curriculum activities which include; super learning days, assemblies, active tutorials, Unifrog, work experience and careers fayres.
This year we have partnered with HEPP and ASK who will be visiting all year groups.
The document in the link below gives pupils, parents, teachers and employers a brief overview of the careers provision in place at Wales High school in every academic year. If you would like more information, then please get in touch with our Head of Careers and Guidance, Mrs C Blackwell on [email protected] or 01909771291.
Work experience takes place in Year 10 for all students.
Students have the option of finding their own placement with friends or family, or having a place selected for them by us.
We believe work experience is necessary for all students as the preparation for working life is invaluable.
Work experience will take place between Monday 12 May – Friday 23 May 2025. For any queries, please contact [email protected]
RESOURCES
November saw the return of our annual careers fayre – bigger and better than ever! The John Day sports hall was transformed in to a buzz of careers activity, with exhibitors from local businesses, colleges, universities, the armed forces and apprenticeship providers. The event was for all year groups, with a particular focus on Year 11 post 16 options and sixth form employment and post 18 opportunities, but we were pleased to see so many of our younger students attending as well. Our Careers partners, Progress Careers were also in attendance, offering on the spot careers information and directing our students to the best stalls for their interests.
The exhibitors were blown away with the enthusiasm from our students, one even commented “For me, the evening felt very worthwhile. Both the parents/carers and the students who visited my stand, appeared invested in the evening; it was great to see parents being so involved and supporting the students. I was asked lots of questions, both apprenticeship related and not; I hope I was able to provide useful information.”
Careers Fair Success! – Wales High School
A real celebration of careers at Wales!
NCW features in active tutorials and assemblies all week, with students embarking on careers treasure hunts and other activities, having a dedicated careers focus in every lesson and careers events and drop ins all week.
Running alongside national careers week, professional interview evening is one of our biggest events of the year. Every student in Y12 will prepare and submit a CV, select a career specialism and have a professional interview from a career expert in that field.
The interviewers are asked to give students a rigorous interview and provide detailed feedback to allow students to work on their weaknesses before they are faced with a real interview.
We are proud to work with so many industry experts form our local community, including medics, architects, engineers, lawyers and academics.
We offer a drop in surgery every week in the Learning support department. This takes place every week on Tuesdays from 1.30pm to 3pm. Students can self-refer and visit at lunchtime, or appointments can be made through Mrs Hartley.
RESOURCES
Y8 Pathways
Students are invited to streamline their curriculum as they move into Y9 to allow them to focus on their areas of interests. Assemblies and active tutorials guide students through the process of looking ahead at potential careers and choosing the subjects they feel will be most useful.
Y9 options
To allow our students to make informed choices as they pick their GCSE options, we have a rigorous programme of careers events in Y9 to ensure students are aware of all of their choices and the impact those choices can have. Please watch the video below from Mrs Brown for more information.
For further information on the options process, please click here.
For further independent careers advice, please use the QDOS app, icould.com or careersbox.co.uk, or see the links on the main careers page.
USEFUL INFORMATION
UPCOMING EVENTS
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1st February – National Interview Month
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10th February – National Apprenticeship Week
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27th February – Professional Interview Evening (PIE)
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3rd March – National Careers Week
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5th March – National Careers Week Fair
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12th May – Y10 Work Experience
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14th July – Y12 Work Experience
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Work experience will take place between Monday 12 May – Friday 23 May 2025. For any queries, please contact [email protected]
PARTNER WITH CAREERS
Are you looking to make a difference in your local community while building a stronger future for your industry? Partnering with Wales High School Careers is a rewarding way to shape new talent and grow your business profile.
Contact Cassie Blackwell for further information on working in partnership with Wales High School. Email: [email protected] or Telephone: 01909771291
