Careers Programme

We are committed to providing our students in Years 7 to 11 and the Sixth Form a comprehensive programme of careers education, information, advice and guidance and work related learning. We have high expectations and aspirations for our students and recognise that careers education plays an important role in allowing students to achieve their full potential. 

The careers programme is delivered through PSHE lessons, planned tutor time activities, assemblies and themed days, along with targeted activities for our niche groups. 

Ms Gunton, Assistant Headteacher oversees the whole school careers programme and is supported by the careers co-ordinator and are both based in school full time . All students have access to independent careers advice from Changing Education, who as well as giving impartial level 6 advice, run the work experience programme for Year 10. Gaining work related experience is likely to give students an advantage in the labour market by the time they leave full-time education.

Sixth Form students have access to careers advisor Ros Windsor who covers all MNSP sixth form sites, all Year 12 students complete work experience. 

All students take part in a careers programme that:

• Aims to inspire as well as inform and guide students
• Is centred around the pupil and their needs
• Is integrated into the students’ experience of the whole curriculum
• Encourages all students to consider their career throughout Key Stages 3, 4 and 5
• Encourages all students to develop decision making skills
• Provides each pupil with high quality, impartial advice
• Raises aspirations and promotes equality and diversity
• Ensures that all students have encounters with Post 16 providers (in line with Provider access legislation Jan’23) at least 6 times from Year 8 – Year 13. 
• All careers opportunities and experiences are tracked and recorded by the Careers team

To contact Careers Leader, Sian Gunton, please use our contact form.

We are pleased to be part of the West of England Careers Hub which consists of 25 local schools and colleges working together with universities, training providers, employers and career professionals to improve careers education for young people in the region.

We review our Careers Programme three times a year using the Careers & Enterprise Company’s Compass Tool which comprises of 8 Gatsby Benchmarks:

• A stable careers programme 
  • Led by Assistant Headteacher Sian Gunton
  • Careers programme independently reviewed three times a year with West of England Combine Authority 
• Learning from career and labour market information 
  • Comprehensive tutor time activities and annual assembly on labour market
• Addressing the needs of each pupil
  • Our programme actively seeks to challenge stereotypical thinking and raises aspirations
  • Compass Plus is used to track individual students' careers journey
• Linking curriculum learning to careers
  • Careers is interwoven into our school curriculum
  • All curriculum subjects partake in careers week
  • STEM subjects engage in projects to make students more effective workers within all careers. 
• Encounters with employers and employees
  • Year 10 and 12 students take part in work experience annually
  • Throughout the year students have a chance to sign up to targeted employer events
  • Regular employer and employees visit as part of the assembly rota
• Experiences of workplaces 
  • Facilitating work place visits as part of school trips
  • Year 10 and 12 students take part in work experience annually
• Encounters with further and higher education
  • All students have meaningful encounters with sixth forms, colleges, universities and apprenticeship providers
• Personal guidance  
  • All students have access to guidance interviews with a level 6 trained careers adviser and are provided with a career action plan
  • Follow up personal guidance interviews can also be requested

Please click here for our latest Compass Survey results. (The next Compass Survey review is due June 2023)

Key Stage 3

• Tutor Programme aims to help pupils to understand more about themselves (self-development), know where to look for useful information (careers exploration) and plan for the future (career management) using CareerPilot.
• National Careers Week & National Apprenticeship Week activities.
• Selected pupils visit the University of Bath and Bath Spa University for subject taster days (year 8). 
• 1:1 interviews to provide advice, support & guidance with GCSE subject choices (year 9). 
• Access to a fully stocked careers library. 
• Year specific careers drop down days and events that include outside speakers and industry professionals (for example – how to be an author, how to be a musician).

Key Stage 4

• Tutor Programme that aims to help pupils to understand the world of work, to know where to look for useful information (careers exploration) and plan for the future (career management) using CareerPilot.
• National Careers Week & National Apprenticeship Week activities.
• Selected pupils visit the University of Bath, Bath Spa University and the University of Oxford for taster days and other careers focused day trips.
• All pupils are invited to attend the annual Apprenticeship Fair.
• Work experience for year 10 lasting 1 week.
• All year 11 pupils have 1:1 interviews to provide advice, support & guidance with Post 16 decisions – Sixth Form applications/subject choices, college applications and apprenticeship opportunities.
• Pupils are invited to local FE college and Apprenticeship provider workshops and drop in sessions.
• Access to a fully stocked careers library. 
• Year specific careers drop down days and events that include outside speakers and industry professionals.

Sixth Form

• Sixth Form Super-Curricular and Careers

Work experience for year 10 and 12 takes place during the last week of the summer term. 

Students are responsible for finding their own placements and are supported by their tutor, head of year, careers team and parents/guardians. 

Year 10 work experience placements need to be uploaded to the students' connect app which is sent to them by changing education.

Year 12 work experience placements need to be agreed by tutors and forms completed and given to Ms Gunton

If support is needed please contact careers@writhlington.org.uk

If you are an employer offering a work experience placement please contact careers@writhlington.org.uk

To understand how to make applications for the full range of academic and technical courses provider wishing to request access should contact the Careers Leader:

Telephone: 01761433581
Contact Form