Careers

We are pleased to share with you our plans for careers at the school.

Whether your child has just started at the school or is far along their journey with us, it’s always a good time to guide them to the end goal of what career they would like to aspire to.

Of course plans may change and new interests could change your child’s plans for the future, but it’s great to have an idea what they like to help them choose next steps such as sixth form and further education, apprenticeships and work experience.  Use the website links at the top of the page to find out more information about careers.

For further information, please contact Miss Bashford (ella.bashford@leighacademyrainham.org.uk), the careers coordinator for Leigh Academy Rainham.

How can Parents and Carers Support Children in their Career Path?

Parents and carers play a vital role in helping children explore and develop their future career aspirations. By showing interest, encouraging curiosity, and keeping open lines of communication, you can help your child discover their strengths and understand the wide range of opportunities available. Discussing jobs, arranging workplace visits, and supporting school-based career activities are all valuable ways to get involved. This might include having conversations about the Job of the Week that is shared during form time. 

Most importantly, offering reassurance and guidance, while allowing your child the space to make their own choices. This builds confidence and helps them make informed, ambitious decisions about their future.

Parents and carers can also access a Unifrog account, which they can use to support both their children and themselves with access to many different resources, including information on £5 million-worth of grants, bursaries and scholarships. Parents can sign up to receive weekly summary emails. This summary will show you any shortlists your child may have made on the Unifrog platform.

Parents can also access the Unifrog platform using their own email addresses and creating a password with a code provided by the school.

The National Careers Service website is a great resource to support these conversations.

Gatsby Benchmarks - What do we do at LAR?

A stable careers programme 

  • Every school and college should have a stable, structured careers programme that has the explicit backing of the senior management team.
  • There should be an identified and appropriately trained person responsible for it.
  • It should be published on the school’s website and accessible to pupils, parents, teachers and employers.
  • The programme should be regularly evaluated with feedback from pupils, parents, teachers and employers.

What do we do at LAR

Our careers programme runs throughout the whole school curriculum. Where it is delivered in PSHE, tutor time and subject specific lessons. This is to ensure students are immersed and exposed to a multidisciplinary approach.

We have a Careers Google classroom for different key stages to support their interests and curiosity.

Learning from labour market information

  • By the age of 14, all pupils should have accessed and used information about career paths and the labour market to inform their own decisions on study options.
  • Parents should be encouraged to access and use information about labour markets and future study options to inform their support to their children.
  • An informed adviser can help them make the best use of available information.

What do we do at LAR

  • We share weekly job of the week (JOW) during form time, to support conversations around different jobs and careers. JOW are made based on interests and interactions students have made on Unifrog. This ensures information shared with students aligns with their true interests and keeps it relevant to our LAR students. 
  • Staff are informed of the job of the week, during form time tutors dedicate a period of time to engaging with the job of the week. They are encouraged to assess their tutees prior knowledge (e.g. What is the average salary? What are the working hours? How can you become a X? What does the job involve? What does the career path and progression look like?). They are then encouraged to use the National Career Service website to strengthen their understanding and address any gaps in their knowledge and/or misconceptions.
  • Latest Labour Market Information (LMI) is posted on Google Classroom

Addressing the needs of each pupil

  • Pupils have different career guidance needs at different stages. Opportunities for advice and support need to be tailored to the needs of each pupil. A school’s careers programme should embed equality and diversity considerations throughout.
  • A school’s careers programme should actively seek to challenge stereotypical thinking and raise aspirations.
  • Schools should keep systematic records of the individual advice given to each pupil, and subsequent agreed decisions. All pupils should have access to these records to support their career development. 
  • Schools should collect and retain accurate data for each pupil on their education, training or employment destinations for at least three years after they leave the school.

What do we do at LAR

  • Year 9 students complete specific tutor resources to support their GCSE option choices during module 4. This helps them support making GCSE choices based on completing personalised quizzes on Unifrog and getting students to think ahead to their destinations and what subjects would best suit their unique pathway. 
  • Data from Unifrog is monitored and analysed, this information is then used to create and share resources specifically for our students at LAR.

Linking curriculum learning to careers

  • By the age of 14, every pupil should have had the opportunity to learn how the different STEM subjects help people to gain entry to, and be more effective workers within, a wide range of careers.

What do we do at LAR

  • All subjects in every year group share careers linked to the curriculum termly. This ensures content being taught is linked to industries and career paths related to content currently being studied. 
  • Information is shared with the whole school during morning line ups and on the notice screen in the canteen of information our students might be interested in. This includes sharing of career open days in the local area.
  • We regularly share information via Unifrog to our students to engage with content to support linking curriculum to real life. 
  • Students have access to a dedicated Google classroom where they can access resources at any time. 

Encounters with employers and employees

  • Every pupil should have multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace. 
  • Every year, from the age of 11, pupils should participate in at least one meaningful encounter*with an employer. A ‘meaningful encounter’ is one in which the student has an opportunity to learn about what work is like or what it takes to be successful in the workplace.
  • This can be achieved through a range of enrichment activities including visiting speakers, mentoring and enterprise schemes

What do we do at LAR

  • We arrange yearly guest speakers who visit LAR during our careers week, who share their journeys into different industries. 
  • Advertised Pathway Careers, Training and Mentorship Service on all year group Google Classrooms. Students who signed up are contacted directly about upcoming events and work experience days, job opportunities and general help and guidance towards their next steps after school.

Experiences of workplaces

  • By the age of 16, every pupil should have had at least one experience of a workplace, in addition to any part-time jobs they may have.
  • By the age of 18, every pupil should have had one further such experience, additional to any part-time jobs they may have.

What do we do at LAR

Encounters with further and higher education

  • By the age of 16, every pupil should have had a meaningful encounter* with providers of the full range of learning opportunities, including sixth forms, colleges, universities and apprenticeship providers. This should include the opportunity to meet both staff and pupils.
  • By the age of 18, all pupils who are considering applying for university should have had at least two visits to universities to meet staff and pupils.
  • A ‘meaningful encounter’ is one in which the student has an opportunity to explore what it is like to learn in that environment.

What do we do at LAR

  • We arrange guest speakers from higher education to give talks about different routes students can take.
  • We arrange Universities to deliver assemblies to help guide students into the correct pathways for them. 
  • Apprenticeship information and opportunities posted on Google Classroom.
  • Undergraduate virtual open days were advertised to Y12 and 13 on Google Classroom.
  • Webinars advertised on Google Classroom e.g. sports and exercise science, careers with the RAF, etc.

Personal guidance

  • Every pupil should have opportunities for guidance interviews with a Careers Adviser, who could be internal (a member of school staff) or external, provided they are trained to an appropriate level. These should be available whenever significant study or career choices are being made. They should be expected for all pupils but should be timed to meet their individual needs.
  • Every pupil should have at least one such interview by the age of 16, and the opportunity for a further interview by the age of 18.

What do we do at LAR

  • Students will be offered careers advice during 1-1 meetings to ensure advice is personalised and meaningful.