Careers & Pathways

The support available to pupils when making choices for the next steps in their education is very effective.

Ofsted 2019

We run a varied programme of careers education, support and guidance for all of our students. The programme fulfils the requirements of the Government Careers Strategy (Dec 2017) and resulting Statutory Guidance (Jan 2021).

Activities across all year groups of the school inform and inspire students about a wide range of career areas, and help to build essential employability skills so they can move forward in their career journey.

Trips and events are organised to understand where studying particular subjects could lead in the future, and to illuminate the wide range of opportunities for further study and future employment. 

Mrs Pearce, Careers Lead

jpearce@carringtonschool.org

01737 764356 extension 232

Come and find me in Room 2-12 in the Astra Building to chat about your future options!

Links

NCS Summer Programme

Start Profile

An online careers platform with lots of useful information about what and where to study along with details of the world of work and how to build employability skills.

National Careers Service

Lots of useful information on the ‘Aged 13-16’ tab including job profiles, points to consider when choosing your subjects to study, and available options including apprenticeships.

icould

Video stories about lots of different jobs themed in all sorts of ways.  Good to get an idea of the range of jobs out there.  The Career Buzz Quiz is a great way of starting to identify your career skills.

Careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths)

There are a growing number of job opportunities in these career areas.  Visit these virtual careers fair to inspire you about the career areas available.

Apprenticeships

An apprenticeship offers a mixture of on and off the job training giving you the skills needed to get ahead in your chosen career. Apprenticeships can be a wide range of employment areas.

Further education colleges often offer Traineeships designed to provide further qualifications, confidence and work-related skills for those wishing to start an apprenticeship.

University choices - UCAS

If you are thinking that after you are 18, university might be something you would consider, you can find out what A level and BTEC subjects are required to gain entry onto specific courses on the UCAS (University College Admission System) website. Look on the ‘undergraduate’ tab, then ‘find a course’.  This will allow you to search for specific courses at specific universities and will let you know what the entry requirements are. The website http://www.ukcoursefinder.com/ is linked into the UCAS website.

Which? University also provides free university advice to help students find the right degree course and university for them

Barclays Life Skills

A useful website showing films and providing tools to help young people understand and develop the key skills they need to go forward into work.

Here's what we do in Years 7 & 8 to help our students understand the world of work, the range of opportunities available and the skills and qualifications required:
  • All year round students can visit the Careers Office (2-12) for a Careers Drop-In Session on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday break and lunchtimes
  • Classroom learning, employer talks and trips to link curriculum to careers
  • Widening Participation & Outreach events at the University of Surrey
  • Information available on careers noticeboard
  • Information & guidance available under the careers section of the school website
  • PD lessons and Year group Assemblies – self-development, exploration, career management, learning about the world of work and learning about vocational pathways (apprenticeships and T levels)
  • Fast Forward careers features in Student Weekly Newsletter
Here's what we do in Year 9 to help our students understand the world of work, the range of opportunities available and the skills and qualifications required:
  • Assemblies, small group work sessions with SEN on Subject Option decision making
  • ‘Meet the employer’ careers talks from a range of career areas including STEM employers
  • ‘Meet the apprentice’ careers talks from a range of apprenticeship areas
  • Subject Options information booklets and videos
  • Subject Options information evenings
  • 121 Careers Guidance interviews by appointment
  • Widening participation and outreach events at the University of Surrey
  • Classroom learning, employer talks and trips to link curriculum to careers
  • Fast Forward careers features in Student Weekly Newsletter
Subject Options Timeline for 2023

Options Videos shown during Personal Development lessons, then emailed to students and parents/carers

Through the half term

Options Brochures sent out as both hard copy and electronically

20 March

Key Stage 4 Options Choices Evening

23 March

Options Online opens for students to begin making their choices

31 March

Mrs Pearce available for guidance interviews

Through the half term

Options Online closes, choices need to be made by this date

19 April

Here's what we do in Year 10 to help our students understand the world of work, the range of opportunities available and the skills and qualifications required:
  • Trip to local Careers Fair at The Harlequin
  • PD lessons on value of employability skills, CV writing, interview skills and Post 16 pathways
  • Assemblies, small group work sessions with SEN on Post 16 pathways
  • Talks by apprentices and apprenticeship learning providers
  • Parent information evening on apprenticeships
  • 121 Careers Guidance interviews by appointment
  • Taster Days at Reigate College & East Surrey College
  • Year 10 Mock Interview event
  • Skills for working life workshops
  • Classroom learning and employer talks to link curriculum to careers
  • Fast Forward careers features in our Student Weekly newsletter
  • Opportunities to engage in virtual work experience programmes in school holidays
Here's what we do in Year 11 to help our students understand the world of work, the range of opportunities available and the skills and qualifications required:
  • 121 Careers Guidance interviews by appointment
  • PD lessons on Post 16 pathways, decision making and making applications
  • Presentations by local Further Education and Sixth Form colleges
  • College Open Days/Evenings
  • Workshop on Apprenticeship applications
  • Fast Forward careers feature in student weekly newsletter
  • Opportunities to engage in virtual and in person work experience in school holidays
  • Classroom learning and employer talks to link curriculum to careers

Post-16 Education Options

Our Partner Colleges

East Surrey College

(Further Education College)

www.esc.ac.uk

01737 78844

Reigate College

(Sixth Form College)

www.reigate.ac.uk

01737 221118

Other Options

Specialist Post 16 Providers

The Brit School

(Performing Arts, Croydon)

www.brit.croydon.sch.uk

020 8665 5242

Merrist Wood College

(land-based studies & sport courses)

www.merristwood.ac.uk

01483 884000

Plumpton College

(land based studies)

www.plumpton.ac.uk

01273 890454

Crawley College

(wide range of courses including catering)

www.crawley.ac.uk

01293 442200

School Sixth Form (smaller, more nurturing environment)

St Bede’s School

(Redhill)

www.st-bedes.surrey.sch.uk

01737 212108

Royal Alexandra and Albert School

www.raa-school.co.uk

01737 649000

Reigate Grammar School

www.reigategrammarschool.org

01737 222231

Sixth Form Colleges (further to travel, but may have specific course you are looking for)

NESCOT College

(Ewell)

www.nescot.ac.uk

0208 3943038

Brooklands College

(Weybridge)

www.brooklands.ac.uk

01932 797700

Coulsdon College

www.coulsdon.ac.uk

01737 551176

 

Preparing for the College Interview - Worksheet

Beyond Carrington - A Self-Help Guide

 

After Year 11, the options available include taking a more practical, work-based route:

Apprenticeships are based in the workplace and are a mixture of earning and learning.

What is an apprenticeship? 

T-Levels are 80% based at college and 20% based in the workplace.

What are T Levels?

There are some excellent examples of real-life apprenticeship success stories here which explain why this is sometimes the perfect route for a student: 

Apprentice Stories - Amazing Apprenticeships

Parents and Carer Pack

 

Some of our students' recent University destinations

• Anam Achhwa, Business & Marketing, Surrey University
• Lucy Bartlett, Applied Anatomy, Bristol
• Harry Winchester, Computer Science, Bristol
• Marcus Thorpe, Bioengineering, University of Sheffield
• Jessie Morgenstern, Ancient History & Classical Archaeology, University of Warwick
• Mariana Jackson, Midwifery, University of Surrey
• Jacob Bennett, Product Design, Loughborough

Training Provider Access

At Carrington School, all students have the opportunity to explore what it is like to learn at the full range of learning providers, including colleges, universities, apprenticeship and training providers. We ensure that there is an opportunity for a range of education and training providers to access all students for the purpose of informing about technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.  If you are a training provider and wish to have access to students at Carrington School, please read the following:

Application for Provider Access