Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG)
The School's Careers Leader is Mrs H Elliot, who can be contacted via: [email protected]
Careers education and guidance at Bourne Grammar School is carried out through a combination of the PSHE programme, dedicated careers lessons, careers and post-18 preparation days, careers guidance support and a lecture programme. We aim, through this CEIAG programme, to prepare our students for the responsibilities and opportunities that they will encounter in life and to aid them in making the right decisions for their futures.
We also hold a large Higher Education and Careers Fair biennially for Years 10-13 and use a Job of the Week format to share LMI with students, across a range of sectors. We work in partnership with the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC), use the CEC’s Compass Tool to evaluate our Careers Programme and have a member of the local business community allocated as our Enterprise Adviser. We use the eight Gatsby Benchmarks to inform and develop our Careers programme. Further information on the Gatsby Benchmarks can be found here.
At Bourne Grammar School we subscribe to an independent career, apprenticeship and university advice platform, Unifrog, on which students are registered in Year 7.
If you would like to look at Unifrog with your son/daughter then please visit https://www.unifrog.org/ — they will need their log-in information, or you can log-in as a parent. Guidance on how to do this can be requested from Mrs Elliot by email via [email protected].
Students can use this platform to investigate careers, universities and courses around the world, undertake online courses and record their own activities. There is also an excellent CV builder tool that will be of use to all students.
Measuring Impact
An annual transition report is prepared and reviewed by the School's Leadership Team each September. This looks at post-16 and post-18 destinations and is used to help tailor the careers strategy for the year ahead. The majority of our Year 13 students go to university each year.
Year 7
All students are registered on the Unifrog system. They also have dedicated careers lessons learning how to use Unifrog to research different jobs and are introduced to the concept of employability skills. Students all work on their own Careers Family Tree, looking at what their parents and grandparents do/did in order to explore careers and job families.
Year 8
Year 8 have dedicated Careers lessons as part of the PSHE programme in which they consider their interests, learn about the challenges and rewards of work and create a vision board. They also learn about challenging stereotypes and digital safety.
Year 9
Students explore their own skills and interests using the Unifrog system and are encouraged to find out about what is involved in a range of employment areas. Students are guided through the GCSE options process and are encouraged to explore their own learning styles and how these relate to the options available to them. The Year 9 Options Evening is supported by the Careers Leader. In the Summer Term year 9 students have the opportunity to experience the world of work by accompanying a family member or friend on ‘Go to Work Day. Prior to the day they receive guidance on workplace behaviour and afterwards they reflect on their experience and what they have learnt.
Year 10
In the Summer Term year 10 students have the opportunity to experience the world of work by accompanying a family member or friend on ‘Go to Work Day. Prior to the day they receive guidance on workplace behaviour and afterwards they reflect on their experience and what they have learnt. As part of the PSHE programme, they learn about the Equality Act and the rights and responsibilities of work. At the end of the Summer Term they have a dedicated Post-16 morning where they learn about the various options open to them including sixth form, college and apprenticeships. They also have a presentation on the benefits of Higher Education and the importance of subject choices.
Year 11
The sixth form open evening takes place in the Autumn term and students attend sessions on subject choices and other post 16 pathways. All students attend a careers guidance meeting with a careers advisor who is a Registered Careers Development Professional and who provides independent, impartial advice. Students also as part of the PSHE programme begin to thank about putting together a CV.
Year 12
Students are supported by an ongoing programme of visiting speakers throughout Year 12. Under the CEIAG heading these include: planning for the future, personal presentation, applying to university and apprenticeships, budgeting and university finance. All students will use Unifrog to record competencies, activities, Post-18 intentions and to research universities, courses and apprenticeships. They will also use the platform to research and carry out online courses, or MOOCs. In the summer term the students attend a Post-18 Day when we begin to look at personal statements, the UCAS process, employability skills and apprenticeships. All year 12 students have the opportunity for a further 1:1 guidance meeting. In the summer term they have an opportunity to organize and undertake a week of work experience.
Year 13
Students are well-prepared for the UCAS process and receive individual help with the application form and personal statements. Once offers start to come through we also help students in the final decision-making process. The Sixth Form team is also on-hand on results day and afterwards to assist students with clearing and adjustment.
Help and advice is offered throughout the Sixth Form with alternatives to university and information on apprenticeships, school-leaver programmes and gap year opportunities is always available. Courses and 'taster sessions' are advertised to students to provide an insight into careers, professions and undergraduate courses. Mock interviews are arranged and past students are occasionally invited back to give advice to current Sixth Formers.
In accordance with the requirements under Provider Access Legislation, the school organises a minimum of six encounters for each student with a variety of providers of technical education.
Last reviewed: October 2023