Mrs Laura Pollitt, is our Careers Leader; she organises guidance meetings, events and careers programmes for students. Jay Trivedy is the link governor who has a passion for good careers provision within the school and plays an active part in delivering the careers programme. This programme aims to provide and promote:
- Careers Education Information Advice and Guidance to all year groups;
- Careers to all students, using a combination of internal and external providers;
- The value of aspiring to and attending university;
- The value of aspiring to careers via alternative pathways such as Sixth Form, Post-16/18, employment opportunities, apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships.
Careers Education Information and Guidance (CEIAG) is statutory from Year 8 onwards and Abbot Beyne School fully embraces and adheres to the stipulations of the Education Act 2011 and other statutory guidelines from the Department for Education.
Abbot Beyne School is committed to providing students with multiple safe opportunities to encounter the world of work and Careers Pathways from Years 7 – 13. We were successful in obtaining the Future Focus Careers Award and are on the way to applying for nationally recognised accreditation by meeting all of the Gatsby Benchmarks, the national blueprint for effective careers activities. Our (published) Destinations data consistently shows the majority of our students are successful in achieving their next steps in terms of career progression.
As active members of the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Career Hub, we work in partnership with The Careers & Enterprise Company, who are in contact with over 80 schools and have the support of over 60 local businesses through the volunteer Enterprise Adviser scheme.
We recognise that many of our parents and students place great emphasis on accessing Higher Education and we will continue to meet that need. All students are able to achieve and fulfil their potential by understanding themselves, their abilities and the possibilities available to them.
Some of the events and activities a child will encounter through their careers journey are:
- Visits to local universities and colleges
- Apprenticeship Fairs and visits from school alumni and local businesses
- World Skills UK Event
- Enterprise Days
More information below about our careers program is detailed below:
Supporting Students
All students have access to the careers events and services we provide at Abbot Beyne School. We understand that some students may need additional support and guidance, therefore our team of Teaching Assistants regularly engaged in aspiration related conversations when meeting with their students.We work alongside Entrust to provide careers advice for those students most in need, this can involve one to one and group sessions.For more information about apprenticeships click this link. https://www.
CEIAG in the Curriculum
Addressing careers education within and beyond specific subjects allows students to contextualise their learning as part of a wider journey, leading to improved engagement and progress. Through our Form Tutor programme and personal development curriculum all year groups have careers based lessons.
The website below allows you to explore different careers based on the subjects that you are interested in. What can you do with a history qualification beyond be a teacher? Turns out quite a lot.
https://www.firstcareers.co.
Labour Market Information
To understand what career options are available, the current labour market information is crucial, the website below shows you the key information about what opportunities are available in our area:
Home | SSCareers Hub LMI (stokestaffscareers.wixsite.
Work Experience
We are committed as a school to giving students an insight into the world of work and its disciplines. We hope that by offering work experience, we will proactively bridge the gap between the academic qualifications that the students will leave with and the employability skills that young people may have a more limited experience of.
Work Experience for Year 10 this year takes place w.c. 14th July 2025.
Work Experience for Year 12 this year takes place w.c. 10th February 2025.
How do students find a placement?
At this stage it is essential for students to obtain an offer of work experience placement. It is very important for students to start investigating potential placements as soon as possible, as the majority of other secondary schools locally also run a work experience week and competition for placements is fierce. Once students have decided on an employer, they need to make contact, initially by telephone or email. Some employers may then request that students apply in writing with a letter or curriculum vitae, templates for these will be made available to all students through the Form Tutor programme.
What help can parents/carers offer?
They should discuss with you what sort of experience they would like to have; perhaps you might like to discuss contacts that you or friends have that could offer suitable placements. In addition, if you have opportunities for several students in an organisation that you work for, please get in contact with Mrs Wright or Mrs Pollitt, we are keen to build up a business contacts database.
Where can students find help in school?
Students can speak to their Form Tutors about placements and may be available to offer advice.
Personal Guidance
In order to provide our students with impartial guidance we have employed the services of Entrust. Our advisor, Emily Hardy is in school on a regular basis and sees students by appointment only. Students are issued with appointment preparation sheets a minimum of 48 hours in advance to make the meeting as productive as possible.
To request a personal guidance appointment please email Mrs Pollitt, l.pollitt@abbotbeynes
Employer Engagement
‘Students with 4 or more employer encounters are 86% less likely to be NEET and earn up to 22% more’
We are keen to work with local employers, we have invited a number into our Careers Fair which is taking place in October 2024 and January 2025. If you would like to be involved in working with the school please make contact with Mrs Wright l.wright@
Parental Information
As parents/ carers we know that providing advice on careers and future choices can be difficult, we hope that the signposting below will help you with this.
Career Mag for Parents – https://careermap.co.uk/
Parents Guide to Virtual Work Experience – https://www.
Post 16 Options Advice – https://www.ucas.com/
Students, parents, teachers and employers can access the careers programme on the website or obtain further information by contacting the Careers Leader, Mrs Laura Pollitt, on l.pollitt@abbotbeyneschool.
The impact of the careers programme on students is evaluated on an annual basis through Student Voice, Employer and Teacher Voice.
All of the information published on the website is reviewed annually and the next review will be in July 2025.
