A breakdown of the students’ entitlement for Work Related Learning and Careers are as follows:
Student Entitlement
By the end of Key Stage 3, students will:
- be shown the careers section in the library as part of their induction in Y7. Students are encouraged to use this area for research and to investigate different career options throughout their time at Walthamstow Academy.
- find out more about themselves, their interests, skills, talents, professional and personal qualities through a dedicated PSHRE WRL programme.
- attend various careers talks lead by profession individuals through the WRL speakers programme
- undertake a careers profiling assessment during year 9 to make informed decisions when choosing their GCSE/BTEC options
- have the opportunity to explore more about the world of work and the careers opportunities available to them
By the end of Key Stage 4, students will have:
- undertaken a work or voluntary two-week placement
- access to Morrisby, an online careers profiling system, which will provide students with educational and career recommendations based on their skills, strengths, interests and personality
- an opportunity to attend various careers talks lead by profession individuals and have an opportunity to speak with employers and training providers about their prospects for the future
- had a one-to-one guidance interview with a qualified careers adviser to discuss their post-16 options. Every student will be provided with a personalised action plan, which will be reviewed regularly with their form tutor, subject teachers and head of year to help them make the most suitable career choices
- information available to them about post-16 courses and open days provided by local colleges and sixth form centres
- dedicated sessions during year 11, where they will be introduced to Unifrog to explore future career paths and make informed decision about their post 16 options.
By the end of KS5 all students will have:
- extend their self-knowledge, career exploration, career management, personal and employability skills
- developed their career capital through work experience and voluntary work
- devise a set of personal criteria to help them identify appropriate routes to achieve their goals
- access to Morrisby, an online careers profiling system, which will provide students with educational and career recommendations based on their skills, strengths, interests and personality
- a one-to-one guidance interview with a qualified careers adviser to discuss their post-16 options. Every student will be provided with a personalised action plan, which will be reviewed regularly with their form tutor, subject teachers and head of year to help them make the most suitable career choices
- access to Unifrog to explore future career paths and make informed decision about their post 18 options.
Ambitions Survey
We offer pupils a wide range of experiences and activities throughout their time at Walthamstow Academy, many of which will be targeted towards your child’s interests. At the start of each academic year, pupils will be asked to complete a survey to identify up to 5 areas of work that they are interested in finding out more about. We then use this information to provide activities and speakers to facilitate their understanding of that type of work. We also use this information when planning School trips.
PSHRE WRL Programme
Every student in the Academy will participate in dedicated work-related learning sessions delivered in the PSHRE programme of study. At KS3 students will be introduced to the range of different careers available to them across the labour market and at KS4, our students will participate in sessions focused on developing employability skills and writing successful applications for further education and employment.
Speakers Programme
As well as the careers programme, Walthamstow Academy is developing student’s awareness of careers throughout the curriculum. Speakers from different industries regularly come into lessons and assemblies throughout the academic year to speak to our students about their career. In the past year we have welcomed employers from City firms, Mybnk, 7billion Ideas and The Training Trust. We are also proud to work with Future Focus Consultancy Ltd, the Brokerage and The Business Education Partnership.
Careers Interviews
As an academy, we are delighted to offer independent careers advice and guidance to every student across KS4 and 5 (years 10 to 13). Students will meet, on a one-to-one basis with a qualified careers advisor to discuss their post-16 and post-18 career options. They will be provided with a personalised action plan to work through, which will be regularly reviewed throughout the academic year by their form tutor and head of year to ensure they are meeting their targets and progressing towards their career goals.
Work Experience
Every year, students in year 10 will have the opportunity to participate in a two-week work placement, aimed at developing personal, professional and employability skills. Students will learn how businesses operate and understand the importance of key skills within the work place. Students are encouraged to find their own placement in an area of work they are interested in but they can also choose a role from a database of employers provided by the Business Education Partnership (BEP). We begin preparing students for work experience during the summer term of year 9.
Professional Interview Day
Each year students in Year 10 participate in the Professional Interview Day where students come to the Academy dressed in Business attire to be interviewed by professionals from selected industries they would like to work in future. This teaches the students key employability skills as they receive both verbal and written feedback on their application, presentation and performance at the interview.
If you would like further information about the Academy’s work-related learning and careers programme, please contact a member of the team on the details above.