Careers Advice

The six strands of our personal development programme, which is taught primarily through a weekly PSHE lesson, helps pupils develop the skills and aspirations they will require to hold fulfilling future careers.

Within the Society strand of our programme, pupils in Year 8 are taught about different career and educational pathways, including consideration of what jobs might exist in the future and growth industries. They are taught key employability skills and also their rights as employees. Prior to this, pupils in Year 7 are taught about financial management, including budgeting and tax.

This explicit careers teaching is supported from Year 5 upwards by a focus on how to maintain healthy relationships, a critical skill for the workplace. Through their study of our Diversity and Global strands, pupils are also continuously encouraged to widen their possibilities and overcome stereotypes that may inhibit what they believe they can do.

In addition, as of September 2023, KS3 pupils will be undertaking the Trevelyan Baccalaureate. One strand of this will be pupils undertaking the AQA Foundation Project Qualification. As well as giving pupils the experience of gaining a real qualification, it will also develop the key employability skills of communication, research and organisation.

Our PSHE programme seeks to challenge stereotypical thinking across a range of areas, including careers. Across our wider curriculum, we seek to celebrate and usualise diversity at every opportunity.

In addition, we run targeted projects and interventions for pupils who we consider would benefit from developing particular employability skills. For example, we run a touch-typing course for pupils with particular SEND needs and we encourage identified pupils to take up our wide range of pupil leadership opportunities.

We maintain records of all the extra-curricular and enrichment activities each pupil receives, including that pertaining directly to careers. This is continuously monitored to ensure equal particular from differing groups of pupils.

All school subject areas provide opportunities for links with careers at different stages in pupils’ time at Trevelyan. All curriculum areas have formed a clear subject intent; these intents all revolve around making the subject relevant and meaningful to the child (including in the sense of careers).

There are many examples of how subject areas make these career links real to pupils. For example, within humanities, pupils undertake a series of trips where they are given the chance to “practice” career paths by taking part in practical activities (such as river investigations in Henley and historical investigations at Windsor castle). Within Physical Education, there is a focus on leadership within sport that is spread across the curriculum; in addition, enthusiastic pupils have the opportunity to undertake additional sports leadership training within Year 8. Within Performing Arts, pupils are not only provided with the opportunities to perform within the professionalised environment of a public show, but many pupils are also given the chance to undertake technical and creative crew roles.

While this Gatsby benchmark refers directly to the work experience pupils usually undertake within KS4, we do still ensure we make provisions for workplace experiences at Trevelyan.

We have a wide range of pupil leadership opportunities for pupils of all years. This gives pupils a real opportunity to take responsibility and develop leadership skills. For example, we have our Pupil Leadership Team, our Heads and Deputy Heads of House, our Sports Leaders, our Pioneer Parliament and our Pupil Coaches.

As part of the aforementioned Trevelyan Baccalaureate, pupils will earn credits towards the Personal Development Programme strand. These credits will be earned, in part, through contributing work and taking responsibilities on a voluntary basis within their community.

PSHE lessons within KS3 delve into different training routes required for different jobs, including encouraging pupils to undertake their own research into both higher and further education.

As part of our Year 8 careers day, we ensure coverage from both a post-16 school setting and a further education institution. We continue to seek and build partnership with a range of educational partners.

Within Year 8, we seek to provide targeted personal guidance from a qualified careers advisor Year 8 pupils who would most benefit from this provision. This will be achieved in collaboration with local partners.

However, beyond dialogue with a qualified careers advisor, we seek to provide a range of opportunities for pupils to consider their personal goals and ambitions in dialogue with the staff members best placed to help them. This is achieved through our annual learning review day, which sees all pupils engage in a target-setting conversation with their parent/carer and form tutor.