Careers
Careers preparation at Sexey’s School
At Sexey’s School we provide all our students in Years 7 to 13 with a comprehensive programme of careers preparation, education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) and work related learning (WRL) to complement their curriculum learning and prepare them for life after school.
Careers preparation programme
| Key Stage 3 | - Introduction into careers and interest guides - Planning for the future – let’s talk about jobs! |
| Key Stage 4 | - Year 10: Employability and block work experience - Year 11: Financials - Taster days at local colleges - Careers presentations: including talks from professionals and local employers - South Somerset Careers Convention at Fleet Air Army Museum, Yeovilton - CV writing and assistance with post 16 applications - External speakers covering all post 16 (and post 18) options |
| Key Stage 5 | - UCAS convention visit, UWE, Bristol for all Year 12 - Oxbridge conference for HE+ students - HE+ programme to support Oxbridge and competitive applications for medicine, veterinary science and dentistry - Regular talks from professionals and local employers - Work experience week (including briefing and debriefing) - Y12: Allocated careers week (July) with university visits, professional speakers, workshops on GAP years, university, apprenticeships and employment - Support and presentations on CVs, letters and application formats, including mock interview practice - Access to alumni network of speakers and careers advice - A Level results and clearing service |
| Post Sixth Form/Year 11 | - Ex-Sexey’s students can access support from the Independent Careers Adviser in the year after they have left, e.g. Gap Year students, those wishing to change their university course, look for apprenticeships, or recovering from illness |
All students can access up to date labour market information and research tools via the School’s Independent Careers Advisor and on the Student Information Area below.
Full details of our Careers Policy can be read and downloaded here.
Measurement and assessment of the impact of our careers programme
The impact of Sexey’s careers programme is assessed by the Assistant Head using the following means:
- Lesson and tutor observations within PSHRE lessons as part of School Self Evaluation
- Student focus groups. Resulting action points then feed into the following years’ planning process to ensure they are addressed.
- Review of the school’s adherence to the Gatsby Benchmarks undertaken in conjunction with the careers adviser.
Upcoming events: Student area
1. 
Get Curious! Explore all the latest information and opportunities to support your career options with the Heart of the South West’s free-to-use student Padlet Careers Hub
2. Speakers for Schools
As part of our commitment to providing students with a wide range of opportunities to prepare them for life beyond school, we have joined Speakers for Schools – a national network helping schools and students access influential people and opportunities to help raise aspirations. This service allows students to access free events, virtual talks, resources and wider careers programmes including virtual work experience opportunities. All opportunities will be listed below. Students in Year 10-13 have been offered the option to register their interest for bespoke careers opportunities from Speakers for Schools, but will need to have completed the required school form (previously sent to parents/guardians) to support the application process – please ask Miss Dickson for more information.
Watch here a variety of successful (and some famous) professionals speak about their work and how to achieve within their industry.
3. Somerset TalentEd Academies
Learn about the world of work from local employers!
The Somerset TalentEd Academy Programme launched last November with the first in a series of four industry insights for this term with more to follow in the Spring.
Register in advance here to access and for a list of insights and further information. Open to all students in years 10 and 11.
4. Young Professionals Work Experience Festival
Summer is almost here! This means it’s time to start thinking about how you can enhance your skills and gain valuable work experience during your break. Young Professionals understand how hard it is to gain such valuable opportunities, especially those that are in-person in the competitive industries of Business, Law, Technology Finance, Accounting and Professional Services…
That’s why they’ve decided to organise their biggest (ever!) Young Professionals Work Experience Festival.
You are invited to join us the greatest summer student event of the year, taking place on Thursday 20th July in Central London, from 1pm – 5pm. Set to take place at the Queen Elizabeth II (QEII) Conference Centre in Westminster, this iconic venue is right next to the Houses of Parliament and in easy reach of public transport links.
Not only will this be the largest student Careers Festival the capital has ever seen, but we will also be bringing together some of the world’s most prestigious employers for this event. You must have heard of the banking GIANTS, Goldman Sachs? Or maybe ‘the Big 4’ accountancy and professional services firm PwC. And hold on to your seats because they have a surprise guest – the Managing Director of Strategy & Operations at Google! They will be there not just for networking but also to deliver a keynote talk at the event.
Key Event Details:
- In-person Young Professionals Careers Festival on Thursday 20th July from 1pm – 5pm
- Location: Queen Elizabeth II (QEII) Conference Centre in Westminster, London
- Keynote talks, networking, and workshop sessions with global brands and FTSE100 firms
- Exciting high-profile special guest speakers
- Goodie bags and prizes available on the day!
- Tickets will be allocated on a first come, first served basis until they reach capacity
- Certificate of attendance for your portfolio and CV
- Suitable for any student in Y10 – Y13 and University Students interested in gaining an insight into careers in Business, Finance, Accounting, Professional Services, Law & STEM (there will be networking zones and specific talks for each of the industry sectors)
For more information and to purchase tickets click here.
5. Creative and linguistic fields
Discover creative careers has an amazing bank of resources linking to jobs in creative industries. You can find links to it and screen skills – a website focusing on the television and film industries here:
If you are in the process of considering subjects to study in the future, careerpilot.org has a section exploring where different subjects can take you. Links to find out where languages and philosophy and ethics can take you are here:
Career Pilot – Philosophy and Ethics
Headstart
Find out more about subsidised STE(A)M university residentials: www.etrust.org.uk/headstart
7. Peninsula Pathways Workshops
If you are considering a career in medicine, dentistry, dental therapy & biomedical sciences then you may want to kick start your preparation for university courses with this FREE online workshop run by Plymouth University:
Register and sign up at the link above.
Options for Post 16 Education
Sexey’s Sixth Form offers a range of subjects at A Level and BTEC the link to the subjects offered and curriculum can be found here
Other local colleges and Sixth Form’s will offer a mixture of A Levels and BTEC courses.
A number of Post 16 Colleges will offer a range of a T Level courses. Locally this includes:
Watch a six-minute video to find out about T Levels here: What Are T Levels
Watch this one min video summarising Subjects you can do as a T level
Subject videos: Business & Admin and Science
Traineeships – A skills development programme for 16-24 year olds, includes an unpaid work placement and designed to help you get ready for an apprenticeship. Traineeships can last between six weeks to one year – watch the video here
For more information and to see current vacancies please visit Somerset Skills & Learning pre apprenticeships
National Apprenticeships
You can take an Apprenticeship after GCSEs…
Find out the basic information on apprenticeships here
You can find live vacancies on the The National Apprenticeship website here
Or after College and Sixth form – get your degree for free!! Find out more here
Information for parents can be found here
An inspiring full-length film featuring a wide range of apprentices in green roles, from organisations including Amazon, GEA and Leonardo – watch the video here – Green Apprenticeships Film – Amazing Apprenticeships
For further, individual advice about Careers and Apprenticeships, contact wwatson@sexeys.somerset.sch.uk
Work Experience
Students in Year 9 and above can apply for virtual work experience through springpod. To view the course and options available visit Virtual Work Experience Search (springpod.com)
Careerometer Widget
The widget below can be used to explore and compare key information about occupations to support the process of identifying potential careers.
The Careerometer widget provides access to a selection of headline data relating to pay, weekly hours of work and future employment prospects.
The data are organised by occupation: simply type in the title of the job you are interested in and the widget provides a series of options from which you can select the most relevant to you.
Skillsometer Widget
Thinking about skills, interests and the ways these can link to jobs can be a helpful first step in identifying possible future jobs. Take the Skillometer quiz, which requires you to reflect on a number statements and decide what you love, are not sure about or dislike. The statements are presented within six well established occupational categories (Artistic, Realistic, Investigative, Conventional, Enterprising, and Social), which are then ranked against jobs. Once you have completed the quiz you will be given a short list of job suggestions that are most likely to be suited to your own particular skills and interests. Each job can be explored as a description is presented together with information on pay and hours. For further information on the job, and to compare with other jobs go to the Careerometer.
Provider Access Statement
Employers & Training Providers
At Sexey’s School we are busy growing your employees of the future. We welcome the help of local businesses to raise the career aspirations of our students, develop their employability skills, assist with mock interview days and give career or curriculum talks to help students learn more about the exciting industries in Somerset and the wide range of careers available.
We welcome Training Providers and employers to come into school and talk to our students. Please see our Provider Access Policy / Baker Clause, for events information email us.
Sexey’s School has the benefit of a key business volunteer who works with us on a strategic level, encouraging the development of our careers programme and connecting us to the business community across the county. This role is recognised nationally as an Enterprise Adviser (EA) and they are part of the Heart of the South West Careers Hub community of support driving the connection between careers education and the business sector.
Our Enterprise Adviser is Rose Hiron-Grimes who brings a wealth of experience from her Business, Events and Education background – now working as a Lecturer in Business and Management at Bath Spa University.
Procedure
A provider wishing to request access should contact Mr Philip Clackson, Assistant Head – Pastoral and Safeguarding:
Telephone: 01749 813393
Email
Opportunities for access
A number of events, integrated into our careers preparation programme outlined above, will offer providers an opportunity to come into school to speak to students and/or their parents/carers. Access to students will be granted or refused at these events depending on the suitability of the topic for discussion, as determined by the Careers Team and in line with our Safeguarding Policy, which outlines the school’s procedure for checking the identity and suitability of visitors. Education and training providers will be expected to adhere to this policy. Please speak to our Independent Careers Advisor to identify the most suitable opportunity for you. Our Provider Access Policy Statement can be read here.
Premises and facilities
When accessing students, we will provide suitable rooms (for example the school hall), wifi connection and HDMI cables for presenting audio/video. Please agree these facilities ahead of your visit with the Independent Careers Advisor, who will also take receipt of any handouts for distribution among students.
Find out more
Pupils, parents, teachers and employers may find out more information about Sexey’s School’s careers preparation programme by contacting:
Careers Lead – Mr. Philip Clackson (Assistant Head –Pastoral and Safeguarding Officer)
Careers Coordinator – Miss Fiona Dickson
Independent Careers Advisor – Wendy Watson
Telephone: 01749 813393
Email us
Teachers can access additional information regarding careers on our school SharePoint site.