Careers

Careers Staff

Mr A Holland - Assistant Head Teacher and Careers Lead
Mrs R Seedall - Student Support
Mr V Ficorilli - Independent Careers Advisor

Contact email address: careers@balshaws.org.uk

 

Please see the following document that outlines our Careers support inline with the Gatsby benchmarks.

Careers Calendar

You can read more details about the Gatsby Benchmarks here.

 

Please note: this page is currently under review - October 2021

 

Dear Parents/Carers,

As we reach the end of what has been an extremely turbulent time for our young people, I would like to prepare them for what is ahead regarding Careers, Information, Advice and Guidance in Year 11. We complete college/post 16 applications in the first term of Year 11, giving the students the rest of the year to concentrate on their studies and preparation for college/post 16 interviews. 

A new careers calendar will be uploaded onto the school website at the beginning of Autumn term, so you can follow the progress of your child's careers plan.

Please see our Post 16 Information Booklet that I have sent to all current Year 10 students (July 2021). This is information on Post 16 options and how it will work. I have tasked the students to write their personal statement, using the example and checklist at the back of the pack.

Regards,

Mrs R Seedall - Student Support 

Apprenticeships

Balshaw's Online Careers Week - February 2021

Balshaw's Online Careers Week took place from Monday 8th February to Friday 12th February.

You can see all the information, links and videos below:

Each day there was a different focus. This information is ideal for our KS4 students to plan their futures after Balshaw’s, for current Year 9 students who are going to be considering and choosing their options and for our students in Years 7 and 8 to help them to develop an awareness of the world of work.

 

Friday 12th February - Apprenticeships

Focus: Using an Apprenticeship as a Pathway to your Future Career

Tutorial Session: Introduction

Understanding Apprenticeships 

Resources:

 

Thursday 11th February

Legal, Business & Finance and Leisure

 

Focus: To provide people with the services they need to live and enjoy their lives.

Tutorial Session: Introduction

Resources:

Hospitality, Catering, Leisure and Entertainment

Wednesday 10th February

Health, the Emergency Services and the Military

Focus: Helping people when they need it the most and keeping them safe.

Tutorial Session: Introduction

Resources:

 

Tuesday 9th February

Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) and the Construction Industry

Focus: Making things, from a pen to hospital, to help people live their lives in a safe, comfortable and enjoyable way.

Tutorial Session: Introduction

Resources:

Manufacturing Industry

The Construction Industry

Monday 8th February

The World of Work (National Apprenticeship Week 2021)

Focus: Most people will eventually start a career, how do we try to make sure it’s the right one?

Tutorial Session: An introduction to the Balshaw's Online Careers Week  

Resources:

Careers Support

September 2020

Please see the following document about Apprenticeships: Parents’ and Carers’ Pack Apprenticeship Information September 2020

Please see the following document about Westinghouse Springfield Apprenticeships

Please see the following video from Bolton College https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVVDyIIdfIk&feature=youtu.be

Careers

The basis of the Careers information and guidance offered at Balshaw’s is the Gatsby framework (see our Careers Policy, on the School Policies webpage, for more information). We work in partnership with the local Young Chamber of Commerce to offer a rich and varied 'Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance' (CEIAG). Working with Balshaw's the Young Chamber of Commerce assist with organising the annual Careers Event, Apprentice workshops, industrial visits and the Mock Interview program in which every Year 11 is offered an interview from the world of work.

In every school year CEIAG is part of the PSHE Curriculum as this is a really important element in preparing Students for life after Balshaw's.

January 2021

To keep your Year 11 child focused and motivated, Mrs Seedall has put together a careers package that she has added to their class charts homework section. In this, there are pre-recorded sessions, talking through each section of the guide and relevant documents attached to their class charts homework section. They may have questions surrounding this or may want to discuss career options with you. Mrs Seedall thought it useful to provide you with a comprehensive careers information guide written for parents / carers, that will assist you in these discussions with your child.

Success at School have produced a guide that you can read here. You can find out more information about Success at School here.

Measurement and Assessment of The Careers Programme

The key measure for the career (CEIAG) advice given at Balshaw’s is the destination data published by the DfE. The data below, published in January 2020, is for students who completed KS4 in 2017, the most recent data available.

It can be seen below that the vast majority of students, 97%, who left in 2017 are involved in some form of education, training or employment. In 2017 the national figure for students staying in education or gaining employment was 94% so that means Balshaw’s outperformed the national figure by 3%. The fact that so many Balshaw’s students have stayed in education or gained employment is an excellent indication of the success of the CEIAG program. Having said that, we hope that the developments we have made over the past few years will push the overall figure even closer to 100%, our ultimate goal.

 

Students staying in education or employment

School

Lancashire LEA

England state-funded schools

Students staying in education or employment for at least 2 terms after KS4>

97%

94%

94%

Total number of students included in destination measures

185

12076

528139

Students staying in education for at least 2 terms after KS4

85%

83%

87%

Further education college or other further education provider

83%

47%

37%

Sixth form college

0%

19%

11%

Students staying in apprenticeships for at least 6 months after KS4

9%

7%

4%

Students staying in employment for at least 2 terms after KS4

3%

5%

5%

Careers Fair

A Careers Fair was held on Thursday 10th October 2019.

We were delighted and grateful that so many companies and services came along to talk to our students and their families. Here are the companies and services who came along on the evening:

 

Provider Access Statement

You can find our Provider Access Statement within the Careers Policy on our School Policies page

Summary of Careers Advice and Guidance covered in School

Year 7 and 8

In Year 7 and 8 students are given information, guidance and careers choices within their PSHE work. They also have the opportunity to attend year group sessions offered by local companies such as BAE who recently delivered a session that including drone and jet technology and how it was used within their organisation.

Year 9

In Year 9 students are given information, guidance and careers choices within their PSHE work. Each Tutor group has an individual careers talk with Mrs Seedall who is experienced in careers information, advice and guidance. During these talks options are fully discussed. Year 9 also have a careers and options assembly which provides them with relevant information on 'Careers Education, Information, Advice & Guidance (CEIAG) to enable them to make informed choices about their own career path and GCSE choices.

All Year 9 students also have a 1:1 careers interview with their Tutor, Head of House or member of SLT to discuss their options. Parents can attend these if they wish.

Relevant information for Parents/Carers:

  • Investigating GCSE options and careers thoughts
  • Options evenings for Parents
  • Parents’ evenings
  • GCSE option form deadline

Year 10

In Year 10 students cover CEIAG via their weekly PSHE lessons to investigate relevant career paths. In the Summer term they participate in a ‘Moving on Day’ where they are off timetable and are given careers talks by outside speakers and a presentation by Mrs Seedall on personal statements, CVs, apprenticeships and college placements. Year 10 students also are given relevant information in the Summer term to allow them to start the process of decision making for their life after Balshaw’s. This is followed up with a sample day at our biggest feeder college Runshaw College. In 2019 it is hope that every student in Year 10 will take part in the 'World of Work Day'. The day will include all students visiting a place of work, for example Leyland Trucks and the local NHS Trust. The morning session will be followed up with an afternoon session working with the British Army in school, again this will be organised by the 'Young Chamber of Commerce'.

Relevant information for Parents/Carers:

  • CVs
  • Personal statements
  • Activities weeks
  • College visits
  • ‘Moving on Day’
  • Employer visits
  • College sampling day
  • Parents’ evenings
  • Careers Event

Year 11

Year 11 students spend PSHE lessons in their first term preparing for work, applying for apprenticeships, completing college applications and looking at financial capability. Students will also be invited to attend visits at local employees such as the one or procurement at BAE.

During the second half of autumn term and spring term, students receive regular assemblies on - how to revise, guidance on exams in English, Maths and Science in preparation for their mock examinations in December and the final examinations in May and June. The students will also be offered a tailored mock interview that has resulted from them applying for a mock career opportunity.

All Tutor groups also have careers advice and guidance sessions with Mrs Seedall who you may contact via the school on 01772 421009 or email careers@balshaws.org.uk.

Relevant information for Parents/Carers:

  • Apprenticeship pack for parents can be found here
  • Careers evenings
  • College applications
  • College interviews
  • College open evenings
  • Mock interviews (first term)
  • Mock GCSE exams
  • Mock GCSE results day
  • Motivation sessions
  • Parents’ evenings
  • Revision assemblies
  • Revision technique sessions
  • Science career days – e.g. medicine/dentistry/veterinary science
  • The Armed Forces assembly

Links to local Colleges & Training Providers

Don’t forget that College Open Events are one of the best ways to get up to date and accurate information on specific courses and entry requirements which can change year on year. The links below are useful for finding this information:

Colleges:

Apprenticeships: 

Local Apprenticeship Employers:

 

Parents Portal