At Rivington and Blackrod High School, we aim to help all students achieve their full potential. A planned programme of activities, Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) and employability skills support our students to take their place as suitably qualified and responsible adults within society. The focus is upon careers and option choice. Raising the aspirations and achievement of individual students and equipping them with skills, attitudes, knowledge and understanding as a foundation for managing their lifelong career and learning.
Good communication and teamwork underpin activities and support for students. The Careers Programme at Rivington and Blackrod High School include activities for all students from years 7 - 13 that are delivered through:
- Assemblies
- Enrichment Activities
- Form Tutor Time
- The Personal, Social, Citizenship, Health and Education Programme (PSCHE)
- Employer Encounters
- Workplace Experiences
- Careers Fair
Take a look at our Careers Programme.
Rivington & Blackrod Careers JourneyRivington & Blackrod Sixth Form
To support us in ensuring a high standard of CEIAG, we will use the Compass Online Self-Evaluation Tool. This will be used to formulate an annual action plan to drive up standards and work towards achieving the Gatsby Benchmarks. For further information regarding the Gatsby Benchmarks, click here.
Impartial advice and guidance is provided by our Careers Advisers, Mrs Kathryn Garner and Mrs Tracy Phillips from Connexions. Mrs Garner and Mrs Phillips are in school on Tuesdays.
Careers Team
Meet your careers team. The careers team are located in Hector's House, next to the Sixth Form.
Mr A Brown Miss S Aspen Mrs K Garner Mrs T Phillips
Head of Personal Dev. Careers & Work Connexions Advisor Connexions Advisor
Contact
Should you require any further advice or guidance please contact the following members of staff:
Miss S Aspen, CEIAG Co-ordinator: Tel. 01204 333 266 (Ext. 7752) or email at saspen@rbhs.co.uk.
Mr A Brown, Careers Leader: Email. abrown@rbhs.co.uk.
Destination Data
All students are supported and tracked during their time from at Rivington and Blackrod High School and Sixth Form. We work closely with the LA, the Connexions service and our FE and training provider partners to track student destinations for up to three years after their leaving date.
To do this, we obtain destination information from students in Years 11 and 13 via form tutors/Head of CEIAG/Connexions Advisors. We maintain records of student's guidance interviews to ensure our students choose an appropriate destination. Destinations will be different for every student and are determined by a range of factors, including; attainment or predicted attainment, aptitudes, subject choices, hobbies and interests, career aspirations, skills and talents and the labour market. This combination of factors means there will be several appropriate options for each student. Therefore, it is important that every student has access to good quality career guidance and can consider and assess the range of options available to them.
During Term 3 in Years 11 and 13, we ask students to complete the ‘Data consent form for Post 16 and Post 18 destinations Information gathering and sharing’. This information is also used to update our tracking document.
After leaving Rivington and Blackrod, we monitor and track students using the effective data-sharing agreements with our post 16 FE partners and support from our LA and Connexions Careers Service. We gather enrolment information from colleges and training providers and obtain the annual activity survey report from Connexions and the LA. We work closely with Connexions to continue to provide guidance and support to those students that may need it.
We contact past students by telephone 12, 24 and 36 months after leaving school and Sixth Form, using the contact details provided by the student as detailed above.
CEIAG Key Stage 3
At Key Stage 3, students will receive Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) as part of their PSHCE curriculum, focusing on people, work and money skills.
We also provide each year group with the opportunity to experience talks, receive advice and participate in workshops with external providers such as businesses and influential individuals with varying degrees of expertise in different industries who work with the students to raise aspirations.
In Year 9, there is a bespoke options program that all students receive to assist them in making the right choices in selecting their chosen subjects for their GCSE’s. Alongside this is a parental open evening where parents will be able to discuss their child’s subject choices with the appropriate staff members to ensure that it is the correct option that suits their child needs.
Students are also given an options booklet and relevant careers information, which external providers provide to take into account when making their option choices.
Individual subject areas which are not necessarily delivered within the key stage 3 curriculum present an overview of their subject to students via a series of assemblies that allow for more informed decisions to be made.
CEIAG Key Stage 4
At Key Stage 4, the Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance is maintained via PSHCE lessons. The focus moves to help students prepare for their WE placement and UCAS progress applications for post 16 options.
To ensure your child receives the most accurate and informative information, we arrange for a variety of post 16 provisions to be made available throughout the year, including colleges and apprenticeship providers via open days, talks, PSHCE lessons and form periods. We also run a mock interview scheme whereby students are required to attend an interview in a potential career area of choice. They will receive feedback about their interview performance to build on their confidence and apply their interpersonal skills when attending interviews for colleges and apprenticeships and jobs.
For further information, click on the links below.
We offer one to one career interviews for all of our students via our highly experienced and skilled Connexions Careers Advisor, who works with students to discuss their interests and career ambitions, advising which route will best meet their differing needs. To contact our Connexions Career Advisor, please email KGarner@rbhs.co.uk.
Your role as partners in our school CEIAG programme
Teachers and School Staff
- To provide learners with opportunities to discover and learn about careers and employability, engage with the wider business community and employers inside and outside the classroom
- To link schemes of learning with the world of work and as mentors, discuss experiences, skills development and progression with students and help signpost them to the CEIAG team
- To explore jobs linked with subect areas - bring in professionals into you lessons allowing students to engage with the real world of work
- Use Unifrog to explore resources within your subject area
- Make careers a focus during National Apprenticeship Week and National Careers Week
Useful Websites
Students
- To engage with CEIAG events and learning opportunities
- To ask questions, research and learn about future opportunities
- To attend one to one interviews with the CEIAG team at key points in key stage 3 and key stage 4
- To make use of the drop-in opportunities at break and lunchtimes
- Each student will have the opportunity to meet with a member of the CEIAG team at key decision points
Useful Websites
- National Careers Service
- Not Going To Uni
- icould.com
- opendays.com
- Alliance Learning
- Amazing Apprenticeships
Parents/Carers
- To be aware of the CEIAG programme of activity and engage in the events and discussions about careers, progression and opportunities
- To use CEIAG resources to support their young person in making key decisions
- To contact the CEIAG team with any questions or concerns
Useful websites
Employers and the wider community
We are keen to engage with employers and the wider community to support our delivery of CEIAG. Get in touch if you can support the school by helping with CEIAG events, such as our annual Careers Fair, Mock Interviews/Inspirational Talks or by offering a visit to your workplace or offering work experience.
Any enquiries can be sent to Miss S Aspen via email at saspen@rbhs.co.uk or by telephone on 01204 333 266 (ext. 7752).
Please see our Partner Contribution Provider Access Policy below.
Useful Websites
Partner Contribution Provider Access Policy.
All students in Year's 7 to 11 are entitled to find out about technical education and apprenticeship opportunities as part of our careers programme, which provides information on the full range of education and training options available at each transition point. Students are given multiple opportunities to hear from a range of local providers, including technical education and apprenticeship providers, about their post 16 offer through options events, assemblies, lunchtime workshops and taster events.
Our Connexions Advisor provides full support and guidance on making applications for the full range of academic and technical courses.
A provider wishing to request access should contact S Aspen, CEIAG Leader, on 01204 333266 ext 7752 or email to saspen@rbbhs.co.uk.
The above CEIAG opportunities offer providers scope to come into school to speak to students and, on occasion, parents and carers. If your request can be accommodated by the school, for example, providing there is adequate time within the school day for it to be reasonably run alongside any planned or timetabled activities that are already running, we will offer all possible assistance in granting you appropriate access. Please speak to our Careers Leader to identify the most suitable opportunity for you. The school will make appropriate facilities available- rooms, AV, IT etc - dependent on the activity. This must be discussed and agreed upon in advance of the visit.
Providers are welcome to leave a copy of their prospectus or other relevant course literature, which will be made available for students in the Connexions area.
Our principles for good quality, impartial CEIAG
- All students are empowered to plan and manage their own futures
- CEIAG will endeavour to respond to the needs of each learner
- Students receive comprehensive information and advice
- Students are given the opportunity to raise their aspirations
- CEIAG actively promotes equality of opportunity and challenges stereotypes
- Students are helped to progress