Careers
We have a dedicated team of staff at Little Heath School that work together to provide a varied, outstanding programme of careers education, information, advice and guidance activities for all year groups.
Our dedicated Careers Leader, Mrs Wooller, is based in the Careers Office (Business Studies block, daily between 8am-4pm). She can be contacted via email at ewooller@littleheath.org.uk or by phoning 0118 9427337.
She is available to help and support students and staff, to advise how and where to look for essential information and to provide prospectuses for local colleges, universities and apprenticeships. On Thursday she is based in the Sixth Form library. Careers information and opportunities are communicated weekly via the Careers Bulletin, and daily via targeted In Touch messaging directly to parents, internal digital signage, the school Facebook page, posters and tutors. Designated areas are available in both the main school and Sixth Form libraries for a wide variety of Careers resources.
Our aim is to provide an outstanding programme of careers education, information, advice and guidance activities that satisfies national requirements and provides guidance which enables us to address the career development needs of all our students. We welcome the opportunity to audit our current delivery against the Gatsby Benchmarks in order to assess, review and improve our current Careers Education programme.
Gatsby Benchmarks
The Charitable foundation, Gatsby, commissioned Sir John Holman to examine what could be done to improve career guidance in England’s secondary schools. After international research judgements were made on what “good” careers guidance looked like. These judgements are in the form of eight benchmarks, identifying different dimensions of good career guidance. The benchmarks are summarised in the table below. These benchmarks underpin and run through the careers programme at Little Heath School.
| 1 | A stable careers programme | Every school and college should have an embedded programme of career education and guidance that is known and understood by pupils, parents, teachers, governors and employers. |
| 2 | Learning from career and labour market information | Every pupil, and their parents, should have access to good quality information about future study options and labour market opportunities. They will need the support of an informed adviser to make best use of available information. |
| 3 | Addressing the needs of each pupil Pupils have different career guidance needs at different stages. | Opportunities for advice and support need to be tailored to the needs of each pupil. A school’s careers programme should embed equality and diversity considerations throughout. |
| 4 | Linking curriculum learning to careers | All teachers should link curriculum learning with careers. STEM subject teachers should highlight the relevance of STEM subjects for a wide range of future career paths. |
| 5 | Encounters with employers and employees | Every pupil should have multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace. This can be through a range of enrichment activities including visiting speakers, mentoring and enterprise schemes. |
| 6 | Experiences of workplaces | Every pupil should have first-hand experiences of the workplace through work visits, work shadowing and/or work experience to help their exploration of career opportunities, and expand their networks. |
| 7 | Encounters with further and higher education | All pupils should understand the full range of learning opportunities that are available to them. This includes both academic and vocational routes and learning in schools, colleges, universities and in the workplace |
| 8 | Personal guidance | Every pupil should have opportunities for guidance interviews with a career adviser, who could be internal (a member of school staff) or external, provided they are trained to an appropriate level. These should be available whenever significant study or career choices are being made. They should be expected for all pupils but should be timed to meet their individual needs. |
Source: Good Career Guidance (2014), Sir John Holman
www.gatsby.org.uk/GoodCareerGuidance
Careers support at LHS
Careers Education is delivered through exciting and varied events, tutor time activities and the mentor programme, as well as through timetabled PSHE lessons in Years 7 – 10. We run a number of activities with outside organisations and local companies, giving students a first-hand experience and often a hands on, interactive, fun careers sessions. Our Year 12 students are also given the opportunity to take part in a week of work experience.
We circulate a weekly careers bulletin which advertises local opportunities available to our students.
Here is an overview of careers activities and events by year group. For a more detailed summary of our careers programme, please click here. The programme is reviewed annually, and the next review date is July 2024.
Further information about upcoming careers activities are included in the weekly careers bulletin. If you require more details about any of the activities listed, please contact Mrs Wooller directly via email at ewooller@littleheath.org.uk or by phoning 0118 9427337. Students can visit Mrs Wooller in the Careers Office (Business block) or in the Sixth Form Library on a Thursday.
YEAR 7
Introduction to Careers Team and where to access resources
National Apprenticeship Week Assembly and tutor time activities
National Careers Week Assembly and tutor time activities
Recycling Technologies Assembly
Biannual Careers & HE Fair
Reading University presentation
Speaker programme
PSHE – tailored lessons introducing personal skills and matching them to skills required by employers
YEAR 8
National Apprenticeship Week Assembly and tutor time activities
National Careers Week Assembly and tutor time activities
What’s my line of work? – drop down day
Mini Medical Work shop
GCSE Options workshops
GCSE Options -Parents Information Evening supported by our Careers Coach, Emma Dollymore
AWE STEM Challenges
Girls in High Technology Industries Workshop
Biannual Careers & HE Fair
Reading University Presentation
Speaker programme
PSHE tailored lessons- supporting the options process
YEAR 9
National Apprenticeship Week Assembly and tutor time activities
National Careers Week Assembly and tutor time activities
STEM Workshop - drop down day
Biannual Careers & HE Fair
Reading University Presentation
Speaker programme
'All About Me' skills workshop drop down day
PSHE tailored lessons- guiding students to research different career and education pathways
YEAR 10
National Apprenticeship Week Assembly and tutor time activities
National Careers Week Assembly and tutor time activities
Post 16 Options Workshops
Apprenticeship Mini Fair
KAPE –Army workshop
CV Workshops
Speaker programme
Biannual Careers & HE Fair
Reading University Presentation
Financial awareness workshop
YEAR 11
National Apprenticeship Week Assembly and tutor time activities
National Careers Week Assembly and tutor time activities
Apprenticeship Mini Fair
KAPE –Army workshop
Mock Interviews
CV & Application lunchtime clinics
Post 16 options - speed date with Y12
Biannual Careers & HE Fair
Speaker programme
Healthy Relationships Fair
YEAR 12
National Apprenticeship Week Assembly and tutor time activities
National Careers Week Assembly and tutor time activities
Apprenticeship Mini Fair
KAPE –Army workshop
Mock Interviews on request
UCAS Presentation by the University of Surrey
Personal Statement clinics with various universities
Russell Group information evening
Finance Presentation
Degree & Higher Apprenticeships presentation
STEM Symposiums
Bank of England Workshop
Stock Market Challenge
STEM spotlight with AWE
CV & Application clinics
Financial awareness workshop
Healthy Relationships Fair
Speaker programme
Biannual Careers & HE Fair
YEAR 13
National Apprenticeship Week Assembly and tutor time activities
National Careers Week Assembly and tutor time activities
Apprenticeship Mini Fair
KAPE –Army workshop
Mock Interviews on request
Personal Statement clinics
Degree & Higher Apprenticeships presentation
STEM Symposiums
Bank of England Workshop
Stock Market Challenge
CV & Application clinics
Healthy Relationships Fair
Speaker programme
Biannual Careers & HE Fair
View our online gallery here for an insight into some of the exciting opportunities offered to our students over recent years.
Post 16 and Post 18 Options
The documents below can help you with the options that are available to students at Little Heath School Post 16 years old and Post 18 years old:
Where are they now?
Here are the destinations of our Year 13 students (2023-24):
Apprenticeships include:
- Amazon – Logistics
- James Cowper Kreston – Accounting
- NG Bailey – Project Engineer
- AWE/EMCOR – Facilities Management
- Assistant Forensics Investigator – Police
Gap Year destinations include:
- Global travel
Here are the destinations for our Year 11 (2023-24) students:
Where to get advice
Career Companion provides an enormous amount of independent information to help students and parents commence early careers research and supports the decision making process in relation to transition from school into the workplace or Higher/Further Education.
Students and parents also have access to Unifrog, a platform where they can easily connect to university courses, apprenticeship opportunities, careers research and personality profiles.
Can you help?
We are always looking for support from employers, parents and ex-students in the following ways:
- Mock Interview – From 1 hour up to 6 hours
- Biannual Evening Fair – 3 hours
- Talk – 20 minutes live to year group in assembly or to a class at tutor time 2.05pm
- CV lunch time clinic – 1 hour
- CV clinic for Sixth Form students – 1 – 2 hours at your convenience
- Subject specific talk to a class or year group – 1 hour
- Apprenticeship / Traineeship talk to a class or year group – 20 minutes
- Set a challenge
- Work Experience
- Volunteering Opportunities
- Job Shadowing
- Advertise your opportunities
Please contact Mrs Wooller, our Careers Leader if you can help or would like more information on any of the above. Email: ewooller@littleheath.org.uk or call 0118 9427337.
Labour Market Information
Labour Market Information (LMI) is provided by the Careers & Enterprise Company and Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership. This gives up-to-date statistics for current high employment sectors, predicted growth sectors, average salary and employment/unemployment rates across the Berkshire region.
There is also some useful and more recent basic LMI overview for Berkshire here on the Adviza website.
Careers Policy
You can view our Careers Policy here.
Useful Websites
Apprenticeships:
https://amazingapprenticeships.com/
www.getmyfirstjob.co.uk www.ratemyapprenticeship.co.uk
Success at School Apprenticeships Guide 2024
Support for parents and guardians (apprenticeships.gov.uk)
Apprenticeships Parents/Carers Pack January 2024
Careers Information:
Information following Results Day
National Careers Service:
The National Careers Service will be providing exam results careers advice in August. Support is available to both young people and their parents/ carers through exam specific content on the National Careers Service website, social media, web chat and by phone.
You can contact the helpline on 0800 100 900 from Thursday 17 August until Friday 1 September 2023, from 8am – 8pm Monday to Friday and 10am – 5pm Saturday. Professionally qualified careers advisers will be available to help both young people and those supporting them with advice on their next steps after receiving results – whether their results were what they expected or not.
A Parents Tool Kit for Careers Conversations:
When it comes to education and careers, parents, carers, and guardians are the biggest influence in young people’s lives. Talking futures is a resource created to help you have informed and constructive conversations with your child about the different training and education pathways available to them.
https://www.talkingfutures.org.uk/pathways/
https://www.careerpilot.org.uk/
www.careermap.co.uk/careermag-parents-carers-guardians/
www.s1jobs.com/resources/remote-working-guide/
Careermag Careers magazine for students with SEND needs
Latest Issue of Make the Future Yours! — Make The Future Yours!
Education and Training Courses:
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/find-a-course
STEM:
Finance:
https://www.gov.uk/student-finance
https://www.gov.uk/1619-bursary-fund (for 16-19 bursary)
The Student Money Manual 2023-24
Higher Education:
https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/
https://www.theuniguide.co.uk/
https://www.informedchoices.ac.uk/start
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/career-planning-and-your-degree
https://www.unitasterdays.com/
Parents and Carers Guide - University Edition
Voluntary work and self-employment:
https://www.princes-trust.org.uk/
https://www.youthemployment.org.uk/employment-help-young-people/choices/starting-your-own-business/
You can also get help from the National Careers Service by telephoning 0800 100 900 or texting 07766 413219
or go to https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk and click contact an adviser.
Gap Year:
www.aventure.co.uk - Meaningful gap year and summer programmes in Africa & Asia
www.aventure.co.uk/gap-year-guide/
The Gap Year Hub www.thegapyearhub.com