Aims and Vision
Cambridge School’s motto is ‘Learning for life, learning for work.’ We are committed to providing high quality careers education, information, and guidance (CEIAG) to all our students to best prepare them for life after school.
Our pupil-centered curriculum is designed to meet the needs of our differing learners and our vision is to support students to have high aspirations, as well as the knowledge, skills, self-confidence and experience to lead their career progression.
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Summary of Careers Education Programme
Ensuring our students have a smooth transition from secondary school to further education or vocational studies is our priority. We support students and families through this process and provide individualized support so students feel prepared and confident going onto their next steps.
We have a varied approach to careers and have established several different learning activities and experiences so students in KS3 and KS4 can understand the full breadth of careers options as well as opportunities for training at further education, or vocational placements.
Our opportunities include:
- Curriculum Opportunities: Employment-related learning delivered through PSHE and Life Skills lessons (lessons are taken from the Employment strand of the qualification within the Prince’s Trust organisation)
- BTEC: We deliver Level 1 BTECs in Art and Design, Business, Hospitality, Performing Arts, and Sport.
- Workshops: We provide workshops delivered by external agencies aimed at recognizing
strengths and behaviors at work, CV writing, work experience, and mock interviews. - Work Experience: All Year 11 students have a work experience placement arranged with their career ambitions and interests in mind. Any Year 11s wanting to source their own placement may do so. We also offer students short-term placements with Phoenix Farm.
- Work Insight Visits: We organise for students to visit various companies and job sites to learn about the different jobs needed to keep that organisation running smoothly.
- Assemblies and Talks: We have invited speakers from various organisations to talk about their careers and professional journey, representatives from FE colleges (West London College- Feb 2024) to talk about college courses, and those who can educate students on other training options: Apprenticeships and Supported Internships.
If you would like further information, please download our Careers policy or contact our Careers Lead: Mehr Shakir (details below).
If you are a business or employer looking to offer pupils in the school opportunities to work with you, or learn from your teams, please contact Mehr Shakir at the number or email address below. Please also download our Provider Access Policy for more information on this.
Mehr Shakir
Assistant Headteacher
m.shakir@cambridge.lbhf.sch.uk
Careers Education by Year Groups
Our career’s education and guidance become more targeted as students' progress each year, ensuring information and experiences fit their age and expectations.
Year Group | Aims and Activities |
Year 7 and 8 |
Aims: The careers programme will support learners in understanding their Activities:
|
Year 9 |
Aims: Learners will take a proactive step towards their career interests with their first year of doing BTEC courses, experience a work placement through insight days, and continue to develop their skills, interests, confidence, and social-communication skills. Activities:
|
Year 10 |
Aims: Learners at this stage will directly communicate with key people who will support them on the next steps of their career journey, including interactions with apprenticeship providers, further education colleges, and attending various career-oriented visits. Activities (including Year 9 activities, as well as the following):
|
Year 11 |
Aims: Learners will know what their next steps are and begin the transition process from school to their onwards destination. They will also complete work experience, as well as do tasks that would support them to gain employment. Activities (including Year 9 activities, as well as the following):
|
Partnering Agencies
In order to deliver our Careers curriculum, we work with several external agencies, businesses, and charities:
- SPARK
- Education Development Trust
- Phoenix Farm
- Department for Work & Pensions
- Amazing Apprenticeships (ASK)
- West London College
- West Thames College
- SAMEE
- Macbeth Centre
External Links and Programmes
Cambridge has established links with several agencies to best prepare students for their next steps in either education and/or vocational settings. We have established links with the Macbeth Centre and two west London colleges. Many of our students attend colleges on this side of London, so we are pleased to introduce them to these environments in a scaffolded and supportive way before they attend independently.
Macbeth Centre
The Macbeth Centre is an adult education hub based in West London. They offer courses which help students develop new skills and further understand their career interests and strengths. Our students access two courses through the Macbeth Centre: Vehicle Maintenance and Bicycle Maintenance.
Students learn practical skills through weekly sessions and gain Level 1 qualifications which will support them as they progress into college placements. Many of our students attending these courses are accepted onto similar courses when they go to college.
West London College
Three Key Stage 4 classes have benefitted from the College Links programme. They have travelled to and from college, socialized with their older college peers and used facilities such as the canteen. This immersive experience has helped them understand the routines of college life. They have studied a bespoke course focusing on the skills needed to apply for jobs and role play interview scenarios, all accredited through AQA Unit Awards.
West Thames College
We have a group of students currently attending West Thames College weekly to access a Level 1 Beauty course. Students can gain practical skills and learn the theory behind skin and nail care. Students receive a bespoke curriculum that is tailored to their needs and interests. This course also gives them the foundational knowledge they need if they plan on accessing this, or a similar course, when going to college.
Work Experience
We provide a week-long work experience placement for all Year 11 students. Students may choose to source their placement (which is then risk assessed by our organisation), but the school is committed to providing a placement to all students before they leave Cambridge School.
All work placements are sourced with student’s interests and aspirations in mind, and all students must agree to the placement before it commences. All placements take place in the summer term.
Once a placement is agreed the school will prepare the student for the placement, including supporting them to complete any required paperwork or interviews, and will provide a pre-work experience workshop to help students understand the expectations of their placement.
Examples of recent work experience placements include:
- Queens Park Rangers FC
- Phoenix Farm
- Acton Library
- Better Gyms
- Bush Theatre
- Stepping Stones Nursery
- The Hill Group
Careers Advice
All Cambridge students receive impartial careers advice from an established Career’s Advisor before leaving school. Currently we work with the charity SAMEE (Support and Mentoring Enabling Entrepreneurships) to deliver careers advice and guidance to our upper school students. SAMEE is a disability confident employer, and their advisors are experienced working with SEN children. The advisor(s) generate a report after meeting with students which is distributed to students and parents with information regarding opportunities and guidance for next steps.
Our careers programme is designed so pupils can give feedback, and their progress measured as they move through the Key Stages. We measure and assess the impact of the programme’s initiatives through:
- Leaver information
- Feedback from learners, parents, partners, and Cambridge staff
- Work Experience Evaluation Forms
We also use Compass+, an online tool, which tracks, manages, and benchmarks our career’s offer against the Gatsby benchmarks.
Families are encouraged to contact the school to discuss their child’s options for when they leave school. Any decisions should be communicated through the students’ annual review or please speak to the school’s SENCO: Anthea Dawkins, adawkins11.205@cambridge.lbhf.sch.uk.
We review our career’s programme and policies annually. Next date for review will be February 2025.