At the Sydney Russell School, we are dedicated to empowering our students to reflect on their aspirations and achieve their goals. We firmly believe that as educators, it is our responsibility to provide our students with the best possible opportunities to succeed in their future careers, regardless of their background.
To this end, we have developed a comprehensive careers programme that equips our students with the confidence, knowledge and skills necessary to navigate a complex and ever-changing labour market. We recognise that a strong careers programme can enhance student engagement and academic attainment, as students see the relevance of their learning to their future aspirations.
At our school, we are proud to be known for our exceptional careers programme, which caters to the unique needs of each individual student and fosters personal development. Our ultimate goal is to guide our students in making informed decisions about their career paths, so that they are well-prepared for the next steps in their journey.
Our programme provides students with extensive support in areas such as work experience, CV writing, developing employability skills, 1:1 tutoring, and interview techniques. We have designated Ms N. Maggs as our lead member of staff responsible for helping students make well-informed decisions about their future career paths. With our support, our students leave our school with a clear plan for their future and the skills and knowledge they need to achieve success.
Careers Contact Information
Natalie Maggs
Director of CEIAG
nmg@sydneyrussellschool.com
Tel: 0203 959 9900
Useful Websites
Below is a list of Careers Websites to enable students to find out more about the career paths that interest them.
Unifrog – Visit
Uptree – Visit
Springpod – Visit
National Careers – Visit
I Could – Visit
Future Morph – Visit
Career Pilot – Visit
Careers Box – Visit
Careers World – Visit
Not Going to Uni – Visit
My Kinda Future – VisitKey Stage 4
Students in Year Eight have the opportunity to indicate their preferences for subjects to study in Year Nine with a view to taking GCSEs in these subjects. We offer students and parents the opportunity to attend the Subject Information Evening. There is a presentation given by the Principal followed by the opportunity to attend one of three sessions, outlining the subjects available for students in each band. Subject teachers are available to give specific advice to individual students about their subject and the next steps in their academic career.
More information about the Year 8 Preference Evening – Visit
There is an expectation that students will study for seven years, not five and the majority of students will do Year Twelve and Thirteen at The Sydney Russell School. While there is, of course, specific advice about destinations in Year Eleven, students are encouraged to consider their options from Year Seven.
In the Autumn Term, students in Year Eleven and their parents are invited to attend the 16+ Information Evening. There are presentations from the Principal the Head of Sixth Form and other relevant speakers and opportunity to discuss A-Level courses with teachers delivering them. Once students have indicated their preferences, there are interviews at various points in the year to ensure that students are on appropriate pathways.
On the day that the GCSE results are published, members of the 16+ Team re-interview students to ensure that their preferences for their A-Level courses remain appropriate.
Sixth Form
Further and Higher Education
Further Education
It is compulsory for students to remain in education or training until they are eighteen. There is a variety of routes. Students may choose to study A-Levels or Vocational courses in a school Sixth Form or at a College of Further Education. Apprenticeships are offered by employers and students combine studying at college with work experience. Vocational courses are available in many different career fields, such as health care, computer technology, office management and skilled trades.
Higher Education
At eighteen, students can study for a degree at university, continue with an apprenticeship or further training or find employment. Universities offer students places based on their A-Level results or other qualifications.
Courses offered at Colleges of Further Education
Academic Subjects The subjects offered at different colleges will vary but most will offer a wide choice and all will offer English and maths.
Vocational Subjects are academic courses directly related to an aspect of employment such as Business, IT, Engineering or Health and Social Care and can lead to a large variety of different types of work, apprenticeships or university courses.
Technical (or T) Level Courses are ones that involve training for a specific career such as hairdressing, plumbing, or engineering.
Apprenticeships are where a student combines paid work and studying and is assessed by the employer, by a visiting assessor or by written tasks taken at the college.
Foundation Courses to develop maths, English, study skills, confidence and employability. These courses can give students the chance to try out several different vocational areas.
Applying for Further Education Colleges
Students should apply early as some courses can fill up quickly. They may apply for as many courses or colleges as they wish. When selecting a course, students should consider the GCSE grades that have been predicted as well as the careers in which they are interested. FE colleges regularly run open events and it is essential that students attend some of them to ensure that a course is suitable. They should also check the colleges most recent data and OFSTED report. Below is the contact details of local Further Education colleges.Barking & Dagenham Technical Skills Academy
Apprenticeships
Below is a list of several Apprenticeships websites to find out more about Apprenticeships that interest you or to explore your options.
Government websites for Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships – Visit
Local websites for apprenticeships
Indeed – Visit
Barking & Dagenham College – Visit
Reed – Visit
Borough of Barking & Dagenham – VisitProvider Access Policy
Introduction
This policy statement sets out the school’s arrangements for managing the access of
providers to the school for the purpose of giving them information about the
provider’s education or training offer. This complies with the school’s legal
obligations under Section 42B of the Education Act 1997.
Pupil entitlement
All pupils in years 8 to 13 are entitled:
to find out about technical education qualifications and apprenticeships opportunities, as part of a careers programme which provides information on the full range of education and training options available at each transition point;
to hear from a range of local providers about the opportunities they offer, including technical education and apprenticeships – through options events, assemblies and group discussions and taster events;
to understand how to make applications for the full range of academic and technical courses.
For pupils of compulsory school age these encounters are mandatory and there will be a minimum of two encounters for pupils during the ‘first key phase’ (year 8 to 9) and two encounters for pupils during the ‘second key phase’ (year 10 to 11). For pupils in the ‘third key phase’ (year 12 to 13), particularly those that have not yet decided on their next steps, there are two more provider encounters available during this period, which are optional for pupils to attend.
These provider encounters will be scheduled during the main school hours and the provider will be given a reasonable amount of time to, as a minimum:
share information about both the provider and the approved technical education qualification and apprenticeships that the provider offers
explain what career routes those options could lead to
provide insights into what it might be like to learn or train with that provider (including the opportunity to meet staff and pupils from the provider)
answer questions from pupils.
Meaningful provider encounters
One encounter is defined as one meeting/session between pupils and one provider.
We are committed to providing meaningful encounters to all pupils using the following guide: Making it Meaningful: Benchmark 7 | CEC Resource Directory (careersandenterprise.co.uk)
Meaningful online engagement is also an option, and we are open to providers that are able to provide live online engagement with our pupils.
Previous providers
In previous terms/years we have invited the following providers from the local area to speak to our pupils:
Newham College
Barking & Dagenham College
Greenwich University
Queen Mary University
Loughborough University
Coventry University
London School of Management EducationDestinations of our pupils
Last year our year 11 pupils moved to range of providers in the local area after school: 99%
Last year our year 13 pupils moved to range of providers in the local area after school: 90%
Management of provider access requests
Procedure
A provider wishing to request access should contact Ms N Maggs, Careers Lead, nmg@sydneyrussellschool.com
Opportunities for access
The school offers the six provider encounters required by law (marked in bold text) and a number of additional events, integrated into the school careers programme.
We will offer providers an opportunity to come into school to speak to pupils or their parents or carers.
Please speak to our Careers Leader to identify the most suitable opportunity for you.
Policy to be reviewed on January 2024
