Career Guidance

At Cobham Free School we provide career education information, and advice and guidance (CEIAG) which follow the 8 Gatsby benchmarks. The programme is supported through a range of stand alone career related events, the PSHE programme and from different subject teachers. The aim of the programme is to give students the skills and knowledge required to make the right choices to succeed in their lives after Cobham Free School. Provision is supported by a number of external sources, some examples include: The National Careers Service, National Citizenship Service, The Education Development Trust, START careers software and a number of employees and employers.

Key Stage 4 (years 10 and 11)

At Key Stage 4 students have started making choices and the aim is to develop their employability skills whilst supporting them in making informed choices regarding their further education opportunities.

• Year 10 - What Apprenticeship talk (ASK) - Assembly

• Year 10 - Brooklands College talk - Assembly

• Year 10 - Next steps and personal finance - PSHE lessons

• Year 10 - Careers talk from a local employer / employee - ECA

• Year 10 - Encouraged work experience - PSHE lessons

• Year 10 - Next Steps carers event - School trip to Esher College

• Year 10 - 1-2-1 Careers interviews - Off timetable interview

• Year 11 - What Career live? Meet employers, further education and apprenticeship providers - School trip to Olympia

• Year 11 - CV workshop with the National Careers Service - one hour workshop

• Year 11 - CV / Interview and employment skills - PSHE lessons

• Year 11 - CFS Sixth form open evening - After school event

• Year 11 - CFS Sixth form visit and tour - School trip

Parents /Carers

There are a number of ways in which you can support your child with their future prospects. Simply by discussing the world of work at home is a great start. Keeping the National Careers Service Skills Health Check updated is a good option, which students complete in Year 9. In school we will be using the START careers tool which can be accessed both in school and at home, all students will be given their own personal log on. START helps students find potential areas of interest and allows them to explore different career and education pathways, the more time spent on this the more personal the results will be. Although independent careers advice will be provided at key decision making stages free individual advice can be provided by the National Careers Service online or by phone. Information regarding apprenticeships can be found through the following GOV.UK Apprenticeships website.

If you have any feedback, suggestions or are able to support our careers programme in any way please respond via this CFS Careers Feedback Form

Students

Preparing for your steps beyond Cobham Free School is a gradual process one which can take many years. The earlier you start thinking about your journey the better you will understand the different options and routes that are available to you. You may not know what you would like to do when you leave school, the job or career in which you enter may not even exist yet! What is important is that you are developing and learning the skills necessary to help you succeed in the future. Here are some websites that might give you some additional support.

• National Careers Service >

• National Citizenship Service >

• START Careers

Teachers

The staff at Cobham Free School have been informed about the CEIAG programme and offer support to students in a number of different ways including employer interactions, visits to education providers and guidance at key decision making points.

Employers and education providers

Please see our Provider Access Policy in Policies & Documents >