Welcome to the Careers Department at Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School. The department is led by Mrs Ashby, who is based in the Hub. It is possible to arrange one-to-one appointments with Mrs Ashby or our independent careers adviser, who visits school once a week. To find out more about the Careers Department, take a look at our introductory powerpoint, which explains all of the areas covered, and see a short video with highlights from our Careers Fair 2020.
Information relating to Unifrog, the careers platform available to all students and staff within the school, is available here, along with a host of useful resources relating to the UCAS process, career pathways and apprenticeships.
If you have any questions relating to the BVGS careers provision these may be directed to Mrs Ashby: n.ashby@bishopveseys.bham.sch.uk
OBJECTIVES OF THE BVGS CAREERS DEPARTMENT
BVGS students have a wealth of talent and ability, and with the appropriate guidance and support they should forge successful careers in the future. All students should be given the opportunity to reach their full potential, academically and professionally. The provision of an effective careers programme is an essential component in enabling students to make fully informed decisions about their future, and most importantly to motivate them in working towards achieving their goals.
Careers advice should be available throughout secondary education as it serves as a primary influence upon students, enabling them to relate their studies to the working world, and to determine their long term plans. It is important for students to identify their strengths and interests, acquire the necessary experience, and work upon any areas of weakness. They must develop the knowledge and necessary skills that are required in order to realise their ambitions.
BVGS aims to provide an outstanding Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) Programme that spans throughout the school.
The BVGS Careers Programme
The Programme has been developed by the Careers Leader and is overseen and supported by the SLT. The school has a Careers Advisor who is integral to the delivery of the programme, and in particular in conducting careers interviews and providing expert guidance and advice. There is further a Work Experience Co-ordinator who is responsible for implementing the programme of work- related learning involving work placements in Year 10 and 12.
The Programme is embedded within the curriculum, with all Heads of Department being actively involved in looking to incorporate work-related learning to subjects throughout the school.
The school provides CEIAG guidance to students tailored to their specific subject choices and ambitions. The students are monitored upon how they are working towards their chosen goals.
The school is keen to provide an opportunity for students to consider all options of vocational and academic training with a view securing long term employment. External training providers are welcomed to offer advice and guidance to students at careers fairs and enrichment days along with arrangements made for students to participate in taster days and workshops.
Access to the BVGS Careers Programme
Information relating to the BVGS Careers Programme will be available to all stakeholders via the Careers section of the BVGS website. In addition, staff, students and parents will have access to the Unifrog platform which provides a personalised careers tracker for each student, along with information and resources relating to further education and careers.
Measurement and assessment of the impact of the BVGS Careers Programme
The School will measure and assess the impact of the BVGS Careers Programme through the use of independent evaluation tools, to ensure compliance with the Gatsby Benchmarks.
In addition, the School will monitor the quantity of internal and external careers-related activities undertaken by each student, student destination data and feedback from activity evaluation forms.
Further information
Should you have any further queries concerning careers please contact the Careers Lead, Natalie Ashby (tel: 0121 250 5400, ext 274, email: n.ashby@bishopveseys.bham.sch.uk).
In adopting the Government’s Careers Strategy, it is our aim to follow the Gatsby Good Career Guidance Benchmarks which look to enable schools and colleges to develop the best careers framework in meeting student’s needs.
CAREERS DEPARTMENT STUDENT AND PARENTS CHARTER
BVGS aims to provide a first-class careers guidance and support with a view to enabling students to achieve their full potential with their future studies and careers. This Charter details the commitment the school will make to provide careers education, information, advice and guidance, and the commitment required from students and parents to utilise the resources available to enable the students to make fully-informed decisions.
The School
In order to provide a high quality careers guidance and support service, the school will:
Students
In order to secure maximum benefit from the careers programme, students are required to:
Parents
In order to maximise the benefit their children gain from the careers programme, parents are required to:
GATSBY BENCHMARKS
In December 2017 the Government published a new Careers Strategy and, in January 2018 published statutory guidance for school leaders and school staff which provided a blueprint for building a high-quality careers system that will help young people to fulfill their potential. The Gatsby Charitable Foundation identified the elements that define an excellent careers provision, through the use of eight “Gatsby Benchmarks”. The Gatsby Benchmarks now form the heart of the Government’s Careers Strategy, with all schools expected to meeting all of the Benchmarks in full by the end of 2020.
The eight Gatsby Benchmarks are summarised below:
Gatsby Benchmark 1 – A stable careers programme
Gatsby Benchmark 2 – Learning from career and labour market information
Gatsby Benchmark 3 – Addressing the needs of each pupil
Gatsby Benchmark 4 – Linking curriculum learning to careers
Gatsby Benchmark 5 – Encounters with employers and employees
Gatsby Benchmark 6 – Experiences of workplaces
Gatsby Benchmark 7 – Encounters with further and higher education
Gatsby Benchmark 8 – Personal guidance
BVGS aims to provide students with a variety of careers-related activities to enrich their education and enable them to make fully-informed decisions at each stage of their education. This is achieved through the categories of activity detailed below.
1 to 1 Appointments
All Students have a careers appointment with an independent careers advisor in Year 11, and receive a further careers interview before the end of Year 13.
All other students are able to seek a careers appointment on request.
Interaction with Employers
Students throughout the school are provided with an insight into the world of work. This is achieved through regular visits from employers to speak about their work and the pathway into their profession. The school also runs subject-related societies on a weekly basis – including LawSoc, MedSoc, EconSoc.
Encounters with Further and Higher Education
We organise regular visits from Universities looking at subject-specific courses, for example Medicine/Dentistry, Engineering/STEM and the UCAS process generally. We also arrange speakers to promote access programmes, for example Newcastle Partners Programme, Birmingham A2B and Warwick Scholars.
Apprenticeships
We promote apprenticeships by providing students and parents/carers with information, both in general terms and in relation to specific professions. We also promote apprenticeship opportunities with firms from a wide variety of professions and industries.
Careers Fair
The annual Careers Fair is an excellent event, attended by circa 50 employers and higher education providers. This enables students to speak directly with employers and representatives from universities and colleges.
Work Experience
Students take part in work experience during Years 10 and 12 and are assisted by the school in finding placements and drafting CV’s.
Careers Assemblies / Presentations
Careers-specific assemblies are provided for all years, with contents tailored to the stage of the students’ education. Presentations are provided at a variety of Open Evenings, for example Year 11 Information Evening and Year 12 Higher Education Evening.
Enrichment
A wealth of enrichment activities are provided throughout the school, for example mentoring programmes, volunteering and NCS.
Publicising Events
Careers opportunities are advertised via Teams, Parentcomms, Blog and Twitter.
A general summary of careers activities provided by the school for each year is detailed in the attached Careers Programme.
Careers Programme by School Year
Students are required to follow a programme of activities set for their school year using the Unifrog platform. These activities cover a variety of employability skills and careers-related topics, and are completed during form time and/or homework tasks. Details of the Unifrog tasks set for each year are attached below.
We are keen for students to be able to make fully informed decisions about their future career goals. In order for them to do this, we look to arrange opportunities for students to interact with representatives from the world of work. There are a variety of subject-related societies, for example LawSoc, MedSoc and EconSoc, where guest speakers provide an insight into their specific careers.
We further look to arrange workshops and talks relating to specific subject areas, as well as a well-established Careers Fair, which is a brilliant annual event organised by Mr Davies, our Development Director.
Students are required to take part in work experience placements in Year 10 and Year 12, and we offer advice and guidance in looking to secure a suitable position.
Unifrog offers a brilliant means of researching potential careers pathways, from both specific career searches and subject-related searches. Here is some summary guidance upon careers linked to specific subjects, along with resources relating to some specific career pathways.
Links to Major Accounting Firms:
Students are offered full information about their Post-16 and Post-18 options and where appropriate they are encouraged to consider apprenticeship options. Students are signposted to seminars/workshops and activities to provide them with full information about the various levels of apprenticeships, and are further assisted in the preparation of their applications and provided with guidance on assessment centres / interviews etc.
We provide full support and guidance in relation to every aspect of the university applications process. Unifrog provides full details about all UK universities, as well as overseas universities. We encourage students to begin their research at an early stage, as this enables them to make informed choices about the university course they wish to study.
Representatives from universities frequently visit the school to run workshops and lectures for the students, looking at a variety of areas such as the UCAS process, personal statements, student finance and subject-specific guidance.
We further encourage students to attend subject taster days, masterclasses and open days, to provide them with an insight into university life and areas of interest to them.
Students are encouraged to participate in activities to assist them in the application and admissions processes, including admissions tests and interviews.
The School has recently invested in the Unifrog careers platform, which provides a wide range of resources to help students make informed decisions about further education and career pathways. Unifrog also includes a variety of resources designed to support students in their studies and careers research. This platform enables students to record all of their careers-related activities in readiness for the preparation of future applications / personal statements. Login details are provided to all students at school. You may access your account via the following website: www.unifrog.org
