Halewood Academy Careers Guides
Halewood Academy Careers Guide Issue 1
Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) policy
Mr Harrison: Vice Principal – Personal Development
GHarrison@halewoodacademy.co.uk
Mrs Lynne Rotherham: Independent Careers Advisor
l.rotherham@halewoodacademy.co.uk
Mrs Jones: Aspirations Lead
Mr Campbell: STEAM Coordinator
JCampbell@halewoodacademy.co.uk
Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) is an essential part of the support we offer to students at Halewood Academy. Effective careers helps to prepare our pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life and helps them to make informed decisions about their post-16 options. The careers curriculum, as part of students’ wider Personal Development, is sequenced to ensure progression through activities that are appropriate to students’ age, stage of learning and context. At Halewood Academy we are committed to ensuring all pupils secure appropriate post-16 provision and leave us equipped to meet their full potential.
In order to achieve this, we are committed to the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks by ensuring our pupils have the following,
A stable careers programme
A culture of learning from career and labour market information
Supporting inclusion, challenging stereotyping and promoting equality of opportunity
Having strong links with our curriculum and careers
Helping students to develop the skills, attitudes and qualities ready for the world of work
Facilitating meaningful encounters with further and higher education
Ensuring every pupil has one to one careers advice and guidance
The Careers curriculum is a key element of the school’s wider Personal Development curriculum and addresses the following topics which specifically relate to careers for each year group.
Year 7 will explore the skills and knowledge that support future careers and financial independence. Students will learn about the transferable “soft skills” valued by employers, how to recognise their own strengths and competencies, and how stereotypes can influence career choices. They will also consider barriers some people face in employment and how inclusion and fairness can be promoted. In addition, students will develop basic financial literacy by learning how banks, saving and borrowing work, how to budget effectively, and how to stay safe online, including understanding fraud, identity theft and spending in digital environments such as online games.
Year 8 will focus on planning for the future and understanding their role in society. Students will learn the difference between a job and a long-term career, how to set meaningful goals and create action plans, and how education and training pathways can shape future opportunities. They will explore the importance of community, volunteering and active citizenship, as well as fairness in the workplace through equality and equity. Alongside this, students will develop digital literacy by learning how to evaluate online information, stay safe from cyber risks, and understand the potential harms linked to gambling-style features in online games so they can make informed choices.
Year 9 will prepare students for key decisions about their future education and employment pathways. They will learn about different types of jobs, working environments, contracts and employment rights, and explore the wide range of options available after Year 11, including sixth form, college, apprenticeships and training. Students will identify their personal strengths and skills, practise communicating these effectively, and learn how to make informed GCSE option choices based on interests, abilities and aspirations. They will also explore how their online presence can affect future opportunities and how to maintain a positive digital footprint.
Year 10 will focus on preparing students for life beyond school through careers education, work experience and financial decision-making. Students will develop practical employability skills by learning how to write a CV and complete application forms, practise interview techniques through a one-to-one mock interview, and take part in work experience activities to gain insight into the world of work and post-16 pathways. Alongside this, they will build essential financial literacy by learning how to budget, save and manage money responsibly, understand different ways of paying, bank accounts, credit and debt, and the risks associated with borrowing. Students will also explore consumer choices such as renting versus mortgages, the importance of keeping up with bills, and how poor financial decisions can lead to serious consequences. In addition, they will learn about fraud, illegal financial activities, gambling influences and how to manage financial risk, helping them make safe, informed decisions for adulthood.
Year 11 will focus on personalised revision skills to support preparation for GCSE examinations. Students will develop independent study strategies, effective revision techniques, and time-management skills, supported by guidance from their Personal Development teacher to help them prepare confidently for their exams and next steps.
Beyond the personal development curriculum our students have a range of opportunities to take part in careers related activities.
Every pupil from Year 7 to Year 11 takes part in our annual Careers Fair. All students have further opportunities to meet employers, apprenticeship providers and further and higher education institutions from across the borough and the region. Students have one-to-one engagements allowing for meaningful encounters with providers, to help them make informed decisions regarding their career choices.
From the beginning of the academic year, we have guest speakers from a variety of colleges and sixth forms across the Liverpool City Region to speak to our Year 11 pupils in assembly each week, to offer them an array of Post-16 options to help make informed decisions for when they leave Halewood Academy. Each student will also have a one-to-one interview with the school’s independent Level 6 qualified careers advisor, who will provide guidance and support in students’ career paths. Interviews are bespoke to each student’s needs, with further guidance and support provided as required.
Additionally, in Year 11 pupils and parents/carers are invited to our Achieve Together Evening, where multiple further education providers are in attendance to provide information about their provision and to support further with the application process.
In Year 10 all students complete a one-week work experience placement. Work experience provides our students with a taste of the world of work. The purpose of work experience for the student is to:
Develop their understanding of the world of work
Inform decisions about potential careers and occupations
Build their confidence and self-esteem
Additionally, our Year 10 pupils are provided with sample days at local FE colleges, where they can get experience a day at college and the courses provided. We have found this opportunity to be extremely positive for our pupils, and it provides them with further clarity on their post 16 options.
We also run the Next Steps Programme in school, where we work closely with Elevate-EBP and Liverpool City Region Careers Hub to deliver Phase 2.
The programme runs from September 2025 - February 2027, spanning the duration of Key Stage 4 and also providing 6 months support to students as they transition into their post-16 destinations. The aim of the programme is to:
Increase students’ resilience, motivation and self-belief through mentoring, inspirational employer encounters and positive role models.
Raise career aspirations and provide an awareness of employer expectations.
Provide students with a greater knowledge of post-16 options/pathways into potential career paths.
Provide access to training providers, FE colleges, HE institutions, employer visits.
Create strong links with parents/carers to raise knowledge and awareness around post-16 routes.
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During Year 9, our students are supported with the GCSE option process, we have a dedicated evening so pupils and parents/carers can receive personal guidance about subject choices so they can make appropriate and ambitious decisions to access the KS4 curriculum. Our Independent Careers Advisor is also on hand to provide any advice and guidance to parents and pupils as they choose their options.
Pupils in Years 7 and 8 knowledge and understanding of careers is supposed through our personal development curriculum, as well as our annual Careers Fair. Within lessons, teachers use the context of work to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding that will be useful in future workplace. Furthermore, subject teachers inform students about how their learning in the classroom relates to the world of work and future careers.
Leaving school is an exciting time but it can also be difficult to know what to do next. The following information outlines some of the options available to you:
Who to contact for support
National Careers Service – www. nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/ Careers information, advice and guidance. Support and advice available online, web chat and via telephone.
Career Connect – www.careerconnect.org.uk/ services/careers-support-for-16-25-year-olds/ Advisors will work with young people if they are 16–18-years old or up to age 25 if they have an Education Health Care Plan and not currently in education, employment or training.
Local Youth Hubs provide face to face support for young people and are situated across the Liverpool City Region - www.lcrbemore.co.uk/ youth-hub/
LCR Be More – www.lcrbemore. co.uk/ LCR Be More is the website and app for skills and career options in Liverpool City Region.
Skills for Careers – www.skillsforcareers.education.gov.uk
Apprenticeship Support Centre – www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/apprentices/support-centre
Digital Support - www.helpingyouonline.co.uk
• Digital skills training
• Data services
• Helplines
Digital inclusion hubs Local support to secure employment and training
www.liverpoolinwork.co.uk/home/supportand-training/
www.knowsley.gov.uk/jobs/help-finding-work
Local offer websites provide information for children and young people up to the age of 25 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) their parents or carers – all in one place.
https://www.knowsleyinfo.co.uk/knowsley-local-offer-send
Spring Pod | Springpod is an early careers network for students to explore career paths like apprenticeships & connect with leading employers
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National Careers Service |  | |||||
National Apprenticeships | Local apprenticeship vacancies and information on apprenticeships  | |||||
LMI For All | LMI for All is an online data portal funded by the Department for Education. It brings together existing national sources of high quality labour market information (LMI) that can inform people’s choices about their careers.  | |||||
Apprenticeships - Get in Go Far | Find out more about apprenticeships and traineeships. Access thousands of opportunities across a range of sectors and employers.  | |||||
Careerpilot | Find out more about expert careers information and tools for 11-19 year olds, all in one place  | |||||
Targetjobs | TARGETjobs is the leading website for graduate recruitment in the UK. Combining great careers advice, sector experts, peer to peer reviews and over 3,000 internships and graduate job vacancies every year, over 1 million students trust TARGETjobs to help them in their career.  | |||||
Amazing Apprenticeships | Amazing Apprenticeships is a leading organisation in the education sector, founded to tackle misconceptions about apprenticeships and promote the benefits.  | |||||
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Go Construct | Information on careers in the Construction industry from graduate jobs to Apprenticeships and everything in between.  | |||||
UCAS | A wide range of information on universities and how to apply  | |||||
Which? university guide | What to study, where to go and how to get there.  | |||||
Buzz Quiz | The Buzz personality profile quiz helps you discover more about what makes you tick and what you're naturally good at.  | |||||
Not going to uni | Alternatives to university including apprenticeships and other training routes.  |
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