At Park we believe that a good careers education is a vital part in raising our student's aspirations and assist them in making informed decisions about their future. We pride ourselves in ensuring that our students are ready and prepare for their next steps in many ways.
We know our students like to investigate in their own time, so we have ensured to provided access to careers information 24/7. Our students can assess through the school website a range of online resources to assist them. Within our Careers programme there is allocated time to explore these resources with their mentors.
In July all of year 10 have an opportunity to complete a two-week work experience placement. This is an exciting opportunity for students to develop an understanding of the skills and knowledge that is required in a variety of careers.
All students have access to the EBP South's work experience database. Within this work experience program, you will find a full list of all placement opportunities offered by the employers taking part in the Work Experience. Alternatively, students can source their own private placement, if they already have a work placement in mind.
By the age of 16, every student should have had a meaningful encounter (a 'meaningful encounter' is one in which the student has an opportunity to explore what it is like to learn in that environment) 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 students. By the age of 18, all students who are considering applying for university should have had at least two visits to universities to meet staff and students.
At Park Community School we have an excellent Gifted and Talented programme where gifted and talented students are taken to a selection of universities to experience what it is like and the opportunities open to them.
Our gifted and talented students visit Portsmouth, Southampton, Oxford including a residential open to Y10 students and 1:1 mentoring program.
However all students also get the opportunity to work with Chichester and Portsmouth University several times throughout their time at Park.
Click on the links to find out more about the options available to you…
We are very lucky to have such a wide range of local colleges, information can be found about the colleges and the courses they offer online. In Year 10 students get an opportunity to visit the local colleges for a taster day, experiencing what it would be like to study at the college and experience the courses they are interested in. Year 11 have further visits and talks from the colleges.
The school buys in Hampshire Futures to provide 2 days a week of impartial information, advice and guidance support.
Our careers adviser will see students individually, for appointments lasting around 50 minutes (however is able see you more than once if needed!) and is also available to answer any quick questions or take referrals on a drop-in basis at break and lunchtime on her days in school.
Students do not have to know what they want to do before they have a careers appointment as our adviser can talk through options, suggest resources for research, and provide detailed information on college courses, qualifications, apprenticeship opportunities and jobs.
Students can self-refer, parents/carers can request an appointment or mentors can refer students. This can be done in a variety of ways:
Our careers adviser will email mentors with the list of appointments for the week and mentors will then let their mentees know if they have an appointment.
At Park Community School we are 'Much More Than Just a School' as part of our drive to ensure our students have more than just qualifications we are keen to ensure our students are set for their future in the work of work.
Could you or your company make a real and lasting difference to the lives of our students here at Park whilst benefitting your own business? At Park we are looking to set up links with businesses to enable our students to access skills from experts within a wide range of industries. Our Business links also enables your companies to connect with each other forming a fantastic business network through the membership of our business ambassador club.
We have already set up links with a variety of companies throughout the school including:
There are many ways in which you and your company can get involved from one off short talks to an extended commitment.
Working with Park Community School will bring direct and tangible benefits:
If you would like to find out more about the possibility of becoming a business ambassador please contact us via Email: Business Links.
At Park we have countless opportunities for our students to work with employers, further and higher education providers. All of our year 10 students undertake hands on work experience for two weeks in the summer term, building on smaller work experiences we offer to the younger year groups.
Every student is given a 1:1 appointment with our Hampshire Futures Careers Adviser, where time is spent thinking about their next step and choosing a course, college or apprenticeship to suit them. They also have a chance to explore the labour market with a fully qualified Level 6 adviser ensuring they are making informed decisions about where their educational choices could lead them.
Our Careers programme ensures all students are provided with opportunities to think about their strengths and weaknesses and how this could link to their futures in the world of work. All our subject departments are experts at linking their subjects to possible career paths and encourage our students to look to where their subject specialism could lead them.
The careers programme is lead by Kirsty Jervis, the school's Career Leader, and is reviewed and adapted annually. The full Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) Policy can be viewed online. The next few pages will show you exactly what the students experience in each year group within our careers programme.
The Gatsby Benchmarks are now used to define the essentials of good career guidance in schools. The seven Gatsby Benchmarks are explained below. Schools are asked to use a compass tool to assess their progress to achieving the seven Gatsby Benchmarks and I am pleased to say Park Community School achieves very highly in each of the sections.
Every school and college should have an embedded programme of career education and guidance that is known and understood by students, parents, teachers and employers.
Every student should have access to good quality information about future study options and labour market opportunities. They will need the support of an informed adviser to make the best use of available information.
Students have different career guidance needs at different stages. Opportunities for advice and support need to be tailored to the needs of each student. A school's careers programme should embed equality and diversity considerations throughout.
All teachers should link curriculum learning with careers. For example, STEM subject teachers should highlight the relevance of STEM subjects for a wide range of career pathways.
Every student should have multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace. This can be through a range of enrichment opportunities including visiting speakers, mentoring and enterprise schemes.
Every student should have first-hand experiences of the workplace through work visits, work shadowing and/or work experience to help their exploration of career opportunities and expand their networks.
All students should understand the full range of learning opportunities that are available to them. This includes both academic and vocational routes and learning in schools, colleges, universities and in the workplace.
Every student should have opportunities for guidance interviews with a Careers Adviser. These should be available whenever significant study or career choices are being made.
A levels are a 2-year pathway.
You would usually study 3 A levels in different subjects.
A-Levels are exam based and the majority of your final grade is achieved by examination at the end of your two-year study.
Further information can be found on Career Pilot.
If you are considering university, we would always recommend you research degrees and check entry requirements using UCAS.
Entry requirements vary depending on the level at which you study:
Level 3 (Advanced) – most courses require five grades at 4/5 or above including English and Maths. Some require 4/5 in a specific subject
Level 2 (Intermediate) – most courses require four grades 3 – 4 at GCSE if you do not have a 4/5 in English or Maths you will continue to work towards this alongside your course.
Level 1 (Foundation) - Some level 1 courses do not require any qualifications. For others you might need 2 grades 1 – 3 at GCSE.
This will depend on the level at which you study. Level 1 and 2 are 1-year courses and level 3 is a 2-year course.
You would usually study 1 vocational course however some colleges offer the opportunity to combine an A-Level with a vocational qualification such as a BTEC Level 3.
Most of the course is assessed via assignments however they do now have examined assessment for some courses.
A student might choose a vocational course if they have decided on a certain career path and want to gain industry approved qualifications or further information on the career sector before entering the work place. E.g. Hairdressing, Beauty Therapy, Childcare, Motor Vehicle Engineering, Construction, Engineering etc.
You may progress up the levels of your chosen qualification or move into employment or apprenticeship.
From an Apprenticeship you can go on to:
