The Director of Sixth Form and Heads of Year work closely to ensure that all students at Lady Margaret School have access to independent advice and guidance appropriate for them. A Careers Officer, employed by the school, from the Educational Development Trust, provide careers education information and guidance. This will take place in a number of ways – one-to-one careers guidance, small group discussion groups, whole tutor group and whole year group talks. Careers guidance and education is integrated into the PSHE programme.
In Key Stage 3
The school runs an Options Evening for parents to give full information to parents about Post 14 choices in education. There are several speakers at this event including the careers teacher and the careers advisor. The students have a number of lessons as part of the PSHE programme to help with Post 14 decisions, the careers advisor and the careers teacher run some of these. The careers adviser runs small group seminars to enable students to discuss Post 14 education opportunities and link this to future aspirations and careers. The careers adviser introduces students to library resources and on-line resources and they also attend the Year 9 Parents’ Evening.
In Key Stage 4
In Year 10 students work through the whole process of applications, interviews and writing CVs (see PSHE). All students go out on a one-week work experience placement in the penultimate week of the Summer Term. The placements are wide ranging; solicitors, retail, libraries, publishers, hairdressers to give a few examples. In the Summer Term some students receive one-to-one careers interviews with the careers adviser, to enable them to start the process of Post 16 research. In Year 11 all students receive one to one interviews in the Autumn Term and, as part of the PSHE programme, lots of information from subject specialists about A level courses run at Lady Margaret. There is an information evening held for parents at the start of Year 10 to talk about the curriculum, work experience and the careers education and guidance schedule for Post 16 education. The careers officer also attends the Year 11 Parents’ Consultation Evening.
In Key Stage 5
Careers and Higher Education guidance is an integral part of the PSHE programme. The Head of Year 12 and the Head of Year 13 work with the Head of Careers, Sixth Form tutors, external providers and the PTA to ensure that students receive a coherent programme of careers guidance and access to information on further and higher education. Sixth Formers are introduced to the choices in Higher Education and to the UCAS system early in Year 12 and throughout the course of the year.