Careers

Our Careers Programme aims to raise aspirations, broaden horizons and equip students with the knowledge, skills and experiences they need to make informed decisions about their future.

Throughout their time at Baysgarth, students will explore a wide range of careers, employment sectors and pathways, while developing essential employability skills. We aim to inspire students to consider opportunities they may not have previously thought possible, providing meaningful encounters with employers and experiences of the workplace to help bring future careers to life.

By the time students make their post-16 choices, we want them to feel confident, informed and ambitious about the opportunities available to them.

At Baysgarth, we are fortunate to have Miss Osgar, our dedicated Student Engagement Officer, who plays a key role in delivering our careers vision. From planning and organising careers events and opportunities to providing personalised one-to-one guidance and support with post-16 applications, Miss Osgar helps ensure that students feel informed, confident and well-prepared to take their next steps towards a successful future.

How is Careers Information, Advice and Guidance Delivered at Baysgarth?

At Baysgarth, careers education is embedded throughout school life and delivered through a range of engaging activities, experiences and curriculum opportunities. 

We believe that effective careers education goes beyond simply learning about different jobs. It is about developing the skills, experiences and ambition that will help students succeed in further education, employment and beyond.

Careers Events and National Awareness Weeks

Throughout the academic year, we celebrate a range of national careers events, including National Apprenticeship Week and National Careers Week.

These events provide valuable opportunities to raise awareness of different career pathways, revisit key information and encourage students to explore the wide range of opportunities available to them.

Learning for Life – Building Careers Knowledge and Employability Skills

Careers education forms an important part of our Learning for Life programme, delivered through our tutor time provision.

Alongside developing careers knowledge, we focus on building essential employability skills, which we call our Gateway Skills. These include communication, teamwork, leadership and planning – transferable skills that will support students throughout their education and future careers.

An important feature of Learning for Life is our half-termly Career Spotlight, where students explore a different career from a range of employment sectors. Many of these careers are linked to opportunities available locally, helping students develop a greater understanding of the local labour market and the possibilities within their own community.

Work Experience – Exploring the World of Work

We are working towards the government's ambition of providing students with five days of work experience across Key Stages 3 and 4.

Our approach combines a variety of experiences, including external workplace visits, virtual work experience and face-to-face engagement with employers in school.

Each experience is designed to be meaningful, giving students opportunities to complete work-related tasks, develop practical skills and reflect on their learning.

Through these opportunities, we aim to help students understand workplace expectations, discover new career possibilities and feel better prepared for their future.

ICE Curriculum – A Progressive Careers Education

Careers education is also delivered through our Identity, Culture and Ethics (ICE) curriculum, our dedicated Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education programme.

Our careers curriculum is carefully sequenced across Years 7 to 11, ensuring students progressively build their understanding of the world of work, career pathways, qualifications and post-16 opportunities.

This structured approach ensures that, throughout their five years at Baysgarth, students develop the knowledge and confidence needed to make informed decisions about their future.

Further details of our careers curriculum and how learning progresses across each year group can be found below.

Employer Encounters – Bringing Careers to Life

As part of our Careers Programme, we aim to provide students in every year group with at least two meaningful encounters with local employers each academic year.

We invite employers into school to share their experiences, introduce students to different employment sectors and highlight the wide range of careers available within their organisations.

These encounters help students understand the variety of roles within different industries, challenge career stereotypes and gain a clearer picture of the skills and qualifications employers are looking for.

Years 7 and 8 – Building Resilience for the Future

We recognise that resilience is one of the most valuable skills young people can develop, both for their personal growth and their future employment.

That is why students in Years 7 and 8 participate in a dedicated two-year resilience programme, designed to help them develop perseverance, confidence, independence and the ability to overcome challenges.

Through a range of practical experiences, including collaborative team challenges, problem-solving activities and fundraising opportunities, students learn the importance of determination, adaptability and working together.

A highlight of the programme is our Resilience 10-Mile Walking Challenge, where students put these skills into practice while raising money for charity.

By developing resilience from an early age, we aim to prepare students not only for the challenges of school life but also for the expectations and demands of the wider world.

Supporting Parents further - The Careers Hub

Our Careers Hub brings together a wealth of careers information, advice and resources in one convenient place.

Designed primarily for parents and carers, the hub aims to provide you with the knowledge, tools and guidance to confidently support your child as they explore career opportunities, consider different pathways and make important decisions about their future.

The Careers Hub has been developed by our dedicated Student Engagement Officer, Miss Osgar, who regularly updates the page with new information, useful resources and opportunities to ensure you have access to relevant and up-to-date careers guidance.