Careers information

Sixth Form Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG)

Careers education and opportunities are of huge importance to us at Whickham School and we place great emphasis on providing a broad and engaging programme of support. Our academic progress is outstanding and we are proud to be one of the top performing post-16 institutions in the North East which is something we are extremely proud of. 

School Policy

In line with our Whole School CEIAG Policy  the Ofsted Framework (2019) the DFE Statutory Careers Guidance (2023)  and the Gatsby Good Careers Guidance Report we are confident that we are working to effectively meet the required Gatsby Benchmarks, ensuring we provide a robust and inspirational programme for our students. 

Entry & Guidance

Whickham School provides a breadth of post-16 courses for students to study. The majority of our students transfer from Year 11, but we also welcome applications from external students to study with us.

During year 11 all students are offered a guidance meeting with members of the School Leadership Team to discuss pathways, grade entry requirements into Sixth Form and post-year 11 pathways. The entry requirements differ from course to course, which is why each student will have a meeting to discuss the best route and options for them. In general, students wishing to access Advanced Level courses must possess a minimum of 4 GCSEs at grade C / level 4. However, some qualifications do require higher grades or levels. Please see the entry requirements detailed in our Course Booklet.

Students & Support

Our Sixth Form tutorial programme provides a range of careers-related research, activities and workshops, tailored to give students a breadth of opportunities to further explore. In addition to support from the Sixth Form team, all students have a named tutor with whom they can discuss progress and future plans day to day. The opportunity for at least 1 guidance interview will be offered, and in most cases these will be a continued provision through the student’s time in Sixth Form. (Benchmark 8) This helps students explore their interests, widen opportunities and managing applications, they will record all aspects of their personal CEIAG using the Unifrog system. (Benchmark 3)

A high percentage of our sixth formers are very successful with their applications to study at competitive and Russell Group Universities, including Oxford and Cambridge. The Sixth Form Team are an experienced team of staff who place a great deal of emphasis on supporting students during the university application process. Opportunities to attend local university open days are included within our CEIAG programme. (Benchmark 7) 

A growing number of students are also taking the opportunity to widen their opportunities by applying for competitive and advanced apprenticeships. We continually work to promote an understanding of The Labour Market (Benchmark 2) and we provide an internal and external programme of events to support this, including careers fairs and a range of guest speakers. 

Annually, Year 12 students attend a regional Careers Exhibition to help them explore university, apprenticeship and other Further Education (FE), Higher Education (HE) careers opportunities. At the end of Year 12 all students are supported in securing a week of work experience to enable them to develop valuable knowledge of the workplace, where possible linked to future aspirations. (Benchmark 6).  Form more information see our Work Experience Page

Parents

Parent and carer engagement and support are really valued at Whickham School and are invited to a number of information evenings to help support students with guidance on university applications and finance, alongside apprenticeship opportunities.  (Benchmark 1).  There are more resources, information and useful guides on our Parents Careers Information Page

Monitoring & Assessment