At Ernulf Academy, we believe that it is important for our students to be exposed to and educated about the variety of different options and pathways that are available to them when they leave school. In order to achieve this, we work closely with contacts in the world of work and further education to deliver a range of opportunities to our students. These opportunities that are presented to our students are designed to enable them to develop skills, attitudes and abilities that will be of value to them in whichever pathway they may choose. Our careers plan, attached below, is designed to cater for the individual needs of each student, and the careers and education guidance that we provide comes in many forms. Not only is this guidance embedded within the curriculum through lessons and tutor time, it is also delivered through Curriculum Enrichment Days as well as trips to, and visits from, various employers, companies and places of work and further education.
Year 7
In year 7 pupils take part in a ‘What’s my job?’ event in which they are introduced to employers from various different industries that are both local and from further afield. This experience provide students with knowledge of what careers there are available to them and also aims at challenge some of the stereotypical views of working in particular industries.
Year 8
During year 8, students build upon the knowledge of the world of work they have gained through their experiences in year 7 and begin to consider the different skills, qualities and attributed that they require to work in certain industries. This predominantly takes place through a ‘Meet the professionals’ workshop in which students have the opportunity to ask questions to various different employers in order to gain a better understanding of their job role and the career/education pathways they took to get their jobs.
Year 9
Following on from the exposure to the world of work that students have in year 7 and 8, students in year 9 are then given the opportunity to explore the educational pathways they could choose to embrace. During this year, Cambridge Regional College organise a taster day for our students where they run a variety of workshops in school to inform pupils of the courses available to them and where these course could lead them. Some of these courses include; hair dressing, catering, engineering, gaming and public services. We believe that this is a great opportunity for our students, not only in terms of helping them to start thinking about what they would like to do post 16, but also in terms of guiding them in their year 9 options choices. Students are also invited to attend a variety of careers fairs happening outside of school. These opportunities provide students with a first look in to the different industries they could go on to seek work in, as well as the different education and training providers that can help them reach jobs in these industries. This is an extremely valuable experience for our year 9 students as it encourages them to consider life after leaving Ernulf Academy in year 11.
Year 10 In year 10, all students are required to undergo a work placement in the local area for 2 weeks, which is monitored by teaching staff and form tutors. In addition to giving the students an idea of what the world of work is like, their work experience placement also introduce them to process of applying and interviewing for jobs. These skills that are developed in this process are also transferable to those students who seek to go on to apply for college or sixth form places. Furthermore, there are opportunities throughout the year for select students to attend careers fairs and university taster days. Once again, both of these experiences provide students with an insight of the opportunities that are available to them post-16.
Year 11
During year 11 students receive further advice and guidance on all the pathways available to them. These include; A-levels, vocational courses, T-levels and apprenticeships. Throughout the year students are also given plenty of opportunities to research their options for themselves and the year 11 tutor team work closely with their tutees to offer advice and guidance where needed. At this stage students also take part in mock interviews to prepare them for their journey in to further education or the world of work.
Useful websites:
St Ivo Sixth Form
The Bedford College Group
Cambridge Regional College
Hills Road Sixth Form College
Hinchingbrooke School
CRC Huntingdon Campus
Long Road Sixth Form College
Peterborough College
Careers Education, Information and Guidance (GEIAG):
The careers team is led by Emma Davies, our Careers and Enrichment Lead, who can be contacted via email at emma.davies@astreaernulf.org.
She is supported by an enthusiastic team of careers champions. Each faculty has a careers champion who are there to offer their expertise and support our students through the curriculum. They can be reached by email at careers@astreaernulf.org.
The careers department is overseen and supported by Assistant Principal, Cheney Payne, who can be contacted by email at cheney.payne@astreaernulf.org.
Pupils, parent, teachers and providers can access further information about the careers programme here:
What are our goals?
At Ernulf academy our aim is to raise the aspiration of our scholars. We want them to feel motivated and inspired when exploring the different pathways and options available to them. We want them to feel well informed and be self-assured when making realistic decisions about their futures and transitions along their future career or pathway.
To achieve this, we work closely with contacts in the world of work, further education and apprenticeship providers to offer our scholars a range of opportunities to help them. Having a large network of external providers and employers, who can provide independent careers guidance and inspiration, allow scholars to explore all options available to them.
We are committed to meeting in full the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks that are the heart of careers strategy in school. In addition to this we aim to develop the core skills of the scholars through the Skills Builder Accelerator Programme.
How do we plan to achieve our goals?
We have a clear careers framework in place which is linked to outcomes for students.
We hope that we provide scholars with the opportunity to develop skills, attitudes and abilities that will be of value to them in whichever pathway they may choose. Our careers programme is designed to cater for the individual needs of each scholar, and the careers and education guidance that we provide comes in many forms.
The careers programme is reviewed annually. We assess the impact of our careers programme on our students by using the COMPASS tool on a regular basis, aligning our strategy with the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks for valuable Careers provision and analysing student destination data.
Why is a focus on future aspirations important?
The Government has raised the participation age (RPA) so that all young people in England are now required to continue in education or training until the age of 18. However, but that does NOT mean you have to stay in school if it isn’t right for you.
There are plenty of different routes to go down when you turn 16. This could be through:
• Full time study in a school, college or training provider;
• An apprenticeship or traineeship;
• Full time work or volunteering (20 hours or more) combined with part time accredited study.
We know that working out what to do after school can seem overwhelming and we want to help. If you have any questions, email the careers team about what careers guidance they can offer.
To find out more, please follow one of the following tabs.