How we support Holly Lodge pupils’ journey to a successful career

At Holly Lodge, we recognise the importance of excellent Careers Education, information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) which is designed to prepare pupils for life in modern Britain by providing the knowledge, understanding, confidence and skills that they need to make informed choices and plans for their future learning and career.

Our CEIAG programme runs from Year 7 to Year 13, and prepares our pupils for life after Holly Lodge and we ensure we meet all aspects of Government guidance – ‘Careers guidance and access for education and training providers – Statutory guidance for schools January 2023’. Our pupils receive the benefit of developing skills that allow them to progress personally and professionally through teaching and learning from the fantastic staff at Holly Lodge.

A ‘positive career’ will mean something different to everyone, but it will typically mean –

  • Being happy with the way you spend your time
  • Being able to make a contribution to your community
  • Be able to have a decent standard of living

At Holly Lodge we provide our pupils with lots of opportunities to learn –

  • Through work – our pupils take part in work experience in Year 10 or Year 11 and Sixth Form.
  • For work – our pupil are taught a wide range of skills needed to succeed within the world of work.
  • About work – our pupils have many encounters with employers and learn about different careers and the various routes into these careers and will be inspired to challenge the stereotypes and discrimination.

The school welcomes opportunities to work with other educational establishments and apprenticeship providers so that they can share valuable information with our students about technical qualifications and apprenticeships as only 4% of young people start an apprenticeship after their GCSEs. The Skills for Jobs white paper schools and colleges states schools should always focus on the student and what is best for them. Although our universities are world-class, it is not the only choice: in many cases, a college course or apprenticeship can offer better outcomes.

A review of post-18 education and funding showed that only 66% of graduates were in high-skilled employment in 2019 and we have a smaller proportion of people with higher-level technical qualifications in this country compared to competitors like Germany and Canada, for example. Research shows that in the UK men with a higher technical (level 4) qualification earn on average £5,100 more at age 30 than those with a degree (level 6). For women achieving a higher technical (level 5) qualification, the difference is £2,700.

Providers of technical education and apprenticeships are welcome to talk to our pupils and our Provider Access Policy is listed below.

We cannot do this alone, we need partners’ support. Our pupils gain impartial guidance from Sandwell Connexions Service (part of Sandwell Local Authority) as well as other providers of technical qualifications and apprenticeships and Colleges and Universities. Holly Lodge is a member of the Careers and Enterprise Company’s Black Country Careers Hub, ensuring we receive up to date information from the Government on policies relating to CEIAG and we receive up to date Local Labour Market information (LLMI).

The Careers tab on our website includes the following information that will help pupils, parents/carers, teachers, governors, employers, other educational providers, training providers, community organisations and past pupils understand how everyone can help our pupils with their next steps when they leave our care and includes:

Our offer How this helps our pupils
Our Strategic Lead for Careers ensures we fulfil our statutory and non statutory requirements, supported by our Careers Leader. We have a Leader of Learning responsible for our Personal Development programme and the training of form tutors to deliver. Pupils benefit from a team of people passionate about achieving an excellent CEIAG journey for our pupils to support them to their well chosen, researched post 16 option at the end of Year 11 and beyond if they remain with us for 6th form.
CEIAG and Provider Access Policy
Learning Providers – we welcome help from Colleges, training providers, Universities who offer technical qualifications and apprenticeships.
You can view our CEIAG Policy in our policies section of our website.
Demonstrates we have a clear vision of our CEIAG programme and our Provider Access Policy demonstrates that we acknowledge that we need the help of other educational establishments providing technical qualifications and apprenticeships so that our pupils can make the best choices Post 16.
Pupils will receive 6 encounters with providers from Year 7 – Year 13.

Our CEIAG programme is built in to our Personal Development (PD) curriculum and covers:
• The 8 Gatsby benchmarks
www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/careers-leaders/gatsby-benchmarks/
• The Careers Development Institute’s’ 6 Career Development Skills
www.thecdi.net/New-Career-Development-Framework

ALL pupils receive a weekly Personal Development lesson through the year, 5 of those lessons are dedicated to Careers, taught by form tutors.

We use Unifrog, an impartial online package from Year 7 onwards to deliver all lessons of Personal Development –

UNIFROG Website learning journey

UNIFROG Website information

All form tutors and pupils receive consistent CEIAG messages and their skills and knowledge around careers grows as they move through our school.

Pupils and parents can access Unifrog at home and it contains EVERYTHING a pupil needs to know relating to careers, starting with quizzes to help pupils understand their likes/dislikes and suggestions on careers they may like and pupils can keep revisiting these quizzes/suggestions as they grow/develop and move throughout out school.

We have a Careers Room and pupils can drop in for information, advice and guidance with our qualified Careers Leader.
All relevant information from numerous organisations relating to careers is passed to pupils via emails to them and their teachers.

Pupils regularly check their emails to see what our Careers Leader has sent them.

Pupils drop in for chats with our Careers Leader and email her for advice and guidance.

Links to curriculum / lessons – our Careers leader keeps teachers updated about anything Careers related around their subject areas, including Labour Market Information (LMI).
LMI is information that gives a broad view of employment in an area. It is used to help pupils make informed decisions about their future – it tells you the industries/sectors that are expanding, recruiting.

https://www.lmiforall.org.uk/
LMI information all on one portal.
https://careermap.co.uk/careerometer/
Select a job, then up to date information on wages etc. is displayed.
An in depth report on the Black Country economy
https://blackcountry-blackcountry.hub.arcgis.com/

Posters are visible in classrooms showing have displays in classrooms/corridors showing successful people in different careers linked to subject areas.

Helps teachers keep abreast of what is going on in the labour market and how their subject areas is relevant.

Pupils can see how lessons in ‘Math’s’ for example are relevant to work.

Many stereotypes/myths about who can do what jobs are dispelled.

Industry/workplace visits/training providers/ apprenticeship/careers events etc.
We take advantage of every opportunity offered to us to take our pupils out of school.
Leaving the school premises is a skills in itself, learning how to behave in other settings, often with pupils from other schools.
Seeing ‘for real’ is the very best way of gaining knowledge.
As an alternative we invite guest speakers into school, often as part of our Frog Friday online talks from people from a range of careers/backgrounds, to hear about their career paths, what they have liked/not liked, what they wished they had done differently for example. This is usually done virtually with all pupils in lessons. Any opportunity to hear about someone’s careers path will have relevance for our pupils. They need their knowledge increased about the wide range of careers and paths to get you to those careers as possible.
Visits to/from Universities are embraced here at Holly Lodge. Opens pupil’s eyes to life outside Holly Lodge, to see the range of academic and technical routes and apprenticeships offered by Universities.
Work Experience – We have an amazing work experience programme that starts in Year 10 or Year 11. Pupils are encouraged to make contacts with local companies, and use their networks of friends and family to secure a placement. Pupils who struggle with this are supported. Apart from the week’s experience, the preparation for work experience enables pupils to send emails, visit companies, send letters, make applications, plan their route to/from a placement – all vital skills for later in life.
Work experience is a huge step for pupils, the opportunity to organise and travel to a new place, meet people of all ages, from all backgrounds, to be able to talk to them about their career paths and observe and have a go at work tasks and see what work is actually like outside the parameters of Holly Lodge.
Connexions
https://www.connexionssandwell.co.uk/
Sandwell Connexions Careers Service is part of our Local Authority, and high quality 1-1 ‘impartial’ guidance interviews are purchased for every Year 11 pupils, and all pupils have access to help from Connexions. Pupils with with additional challenges in school or at home receive extra support from a dedicated Connnexions Advisor.
Who How this helps our pupils
Alumni – past pupils of Holly Lodge – Alumni Our pupils love to hear about what our ex pupils have done, where they went after Holly Lodge, their tips for current pupils. A very powerful message to help them decide on their routes post 16.
Parents/Careers/Friends/Family –
We recognise the important role that parents/carers/family/friends have in a child’s career development.
Can you help us with career talks – what you wished you knew when you were at school, feedback, visits to your company, work experience places.
The more information pupil’s receive relating to careers the better. There is a lot of national resources, video’s on line etc, but to hear from someone local to the school makes it more relevant and real.
Employers/Businesses/Community organisations
Holly Lodge sits in diverse area, with may businesses, small and large and many community agencies providing much needed support and employment for the community where our pupils live and study.
Our pupils need to widen their knowledge beyond the classroom. They need to know what companies/industries/service areas are around Smethwick alongside learning about the world further away. This is the only way they can make informed choices about their future.

Unifrog our online Careers Education portal tracks pupil’s progress in relation to Career’s activities from when they first create their account in Year 7.

Together with our partners at Sandwell Connexions Careers service, we follow up every school leaver to ensure they are in the best Post 16 option form for them, and guide them appropriately if not.

Annually we receive data relating to where every Year 11 pupils has gone – we call this their “Destination”.

Year 11 leavers 2023 – Holly Lodge High School College of Science Destinations Report

Year 11 leavers 2023 all Sandwell Schools- Year 11 leavers Sandwell Local Authority Destinations.

Year 13  Leavers – What have past students done and where are they now?.

We welcome feedback and suggestions for improvement. Please contact relevant members of the Careers team – our details are shown above. Alternatively, please call us on 0121 558 0691 or email us on info@holly-lodge.org

Careers Statutory Guidance – Governement guidance on what schools must offer in relation to CEIAG
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/careers-guidance-provision-for-young-people-in-schools
Your rights and safety when looking for a job – gov.uk
https://www.gov.uk/browse/working/finding-job
Apprenticeships –
https://www.sandwell.gov.uk/thinksandwell – Sandwell Council’s apprenticeship support
https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship – Search for apprenticeships
https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk – Search for apprenticeships

University
UCAS – informtion on everything University related – courses/apprenticeships
https://www.ucas.com/

Russell Group – informed choices – https://www.informedchoices.ac.uk/start – what you study at 6th form or college for your options can affect your choices for University – this link will help you understand what you should consider.

National Careers Service – provide careers information, advice and guidance.
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/
Part time job – are you looking for, or have a part time job? Sandwell Council’s website’s guidance
https://www.sandwell.gov.uk/schools-education/child-employment.

Careers Team

Ms K Dunn
Ms K DunnSenior Assistant Headteacher (KS5 Director)
Fiona Burgess
Fiona BurgessCareers Leader
Mrs Z.Smith
Mrs Z.SmithWork Experience
Mr R Singh
Mr R SinghSchool Governor