Our Aims and Priorities for Careers Curriculum, Information, Advice and Guidance

Our school’s strategic career plan contains 5 driving priorities: 

  1. To ensure that pupils develop the skills and character traits required to help them engage in their future adult and working lives. 
  2. To help foster and sustain a culture of high aspiration. 
  3. To promote equitable opportunity, celebrate diversity and inclusivity, challenge cultural stereotypes and ensure pupils are afforded additional support and guidance to reach their potential.
  4. To establish sustainable links between the school, local businesses and enterprises and further/higher education providers. 
  5. To assist pupils in developing skills and confidence to make well-informed decisions about future aspirations.

Contact

Queen Elizabeth High School Careers Leader: Andrew Hedley (Assistant Headteacher for Personal Development). 

Email address: careers@qehs.net

Phone number: 01434 610300

The school’s careers link trustee is Veryan Johnston.

Click here to view the Queen Elizabeth High School Careers Policy.

Please click here for the QEHS Provider Access Policy.

The Queen Elizabeth High School Careers Programme

The document below provides an overview of the careers programme at Queen Elizabeth High School. 

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What are the Gatsby Benchmarks?

A report was published in 2014 by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation identifying eight benchmarks (known as the Gatsby Benchmarks), regarded to be key components for driving forward good careers and enterprise provision in schools.  

The Department for Education’s “Careers Strategy” was published three years after Professor Sir John Holman 2014 report ‘Good Career Guidance’. 

 The eight Gatsby Benchmarks are:

  1. A stable careers programme
  2. Learning from career and labour market information
  3. Addressing the needs of each pupil 
  4. Linking curriculum learning to careers 
  5. Encounters with employers and employees 
  6. Experiences of workplaces 
  7. Encounters with further and higher education 
  8. Personal guidance.

Gatsby Toolkit

To download a copy of the Gatsby Toolkit PDF, click here.

Measuring the Impact of our Careers Programme Against the Gatsby Benchmarks

There is a wider programme of evaluation seeking to monitor the impact of QEHS’ careers programme. Evidence of different Gatsby Benchmark coverage is assessed using the Careers and Enterprise Company’s Compass+ platform. This helps the school to monitor and review how effective the careers programme is in achieving these benchmarks. Other evidence to assess the perceived effectiveness of the careers programme is gathered from timely student panels and broader Quality of Education reviews overseen by curriculum leaders and members of the senior leadership team. 

For any new additions to the careers programme we value gather feedback from different stakeholders; this feedback could be from staff, parents/carers, as well as employers and training providers.

At key points across a pupil’s school career they will complete a Future Skills Questionnaire. These questionnaires take place at the beginning of Year 7 and then towards the end of Year 8. Information gathered from these questionnaires is used to help evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of careers curriculum (including the relevant skills set and knowledge base required for life beyond school), wider enrichment and broader personal development opportunities. The questionnaires seek to help the school respond effectively to the data collated, to help monitor progress over time, and tailor careers activities (when necessary) to ensure all pupils can access an ambitious careers curriculum offer.

Global Bridge

Please find the Global Bridge self study booklet below: 

GB Self Study Booklet (PDF)

Guidance and Support

Students
Parent/Carer
Staff
Employer

Apprenticeships

National Apprenticeship Week 2024 runs from the 5-11th February

There is a lot of information on the internet to support young people, should they be exploring the possibility of an apprenticeship.  Whether a student is in the Sixth Form or Year 11, and considering their next steps, or even in year 9 or 10 and starting to consider alternative pathways in training and education, why not check out some of the following links.

  1. https://nationalapprenticeshipweek.co.uk/ 
  2. https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/about/newshub/news-events/looking-forward-to-national-apprenticeship-week-2023-dates-announced/
  3. https://amazingapprenticeships.com/naw2023/
  4. https://naw.appawards.co.uk/

If a student would like to discuss apprenticeship options, they can book in a session with our Careers Guidance Manager for a more informed discussion. 

Northumberland County Council Apprenticeships

For more information about apprenticeships at the council, go to www.northumberland.gov.uk/apprenticeships or to ask questions, email: apprenticeshipenquiries@northumberland.gov.uk or text ‘APPLY’ to: 07929 746545.   

Apprenticeships offer an alternative option for a young person to further their education, so please do take the opportunity to attend one of the events if you can, to find out more.  ASK

Careers Advice

We have an independent careers advisor, Gill Stephenson, who can provide support on all aspects of your future in employment or education including further and higher education, training and apprenticeships.

Careers Library

The Learning Resource Centre also contains information about careers, occupations, opportunities for employment, training, further education and higher education. (Including college and university prospectuses)

The Careers section also holds information on job searching: CV, applications and interview help.

The notice board displays current apprenticeships, jobs (including part time) and voluntary opportunities.

There is also access to computer aided guidance packages such as Kudos and Careerscape.

NCC advice for students who are in employment

Below is Northumberland County Council’s advice on students who are in employment:

Did you know that?

  • All children from the age of 13 years and who are working must be registered with the Local Authority and be issued with a work permit.
  • It is an offence for an employer to employ children without registering with the local authority first.
  • The numbers of hours students can work whilst attending school are restricted. Children must not work before 7am and after 7pm.
  • Any children working without a permit is not covered by their employer’s liability insurance.

More information and application forms can be obtained from:

Education Welfare
Virtual Schools
Education and Wellbeing Service
Wellbeing and Community Health Service
Brunel Building, 64 Regent Street
Blyth
Northumberland
NE24 1LT

Tel: 01670 622800

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths)

This article (external URL) is all about stereotypes in Engineering. 

Activities, Competitions and More!