Careers Guidance & Post 16
Good quality careers education has been shown to raise the aspirations and attainment of all students. As a result, King Edward VI Academy values our careers programme; supporting students in their chose of a career and higher education route that they are capable and passionate about. King Edward VI Academy aims for every pupil to reach their full potential and information is the first tool to aid with this. We offer a comprehensive programme of careers education plus information, advice and guidance through these website pages, event, school activities and one-to-one meetings with Darrell Collins our level 6 Careers Adviser. We aim to inspire, engage and motivate our students in their own personal career paths and to achieve high academic qualifications using up-to-date labour market information, online tools and engaging with local businesses. In addition, we offer all our students a visit to a university, college taster days, mock interviews.
Our program is supported by Vicky Booth (Careers and Enterprise Company) and our two fantastic Enterprise Advisors: David Weatherley (Director at Walnut Care) and Ashleigh Herbert (Export Customer Services Co-ordinator at Micronclean). These experts work with us to review and update our provision, ensuring every pupil has the support and the experiences to make the right choices for them.
Miss Henshall our Career Leader is also available most lunchtimes students with questions and Darrell Collins will be available in the meeting room Wednesday lunchtimes providing a drop-in advice service - students from any year group are welcome during the days she is on site. In addition to the programme of activities detailed in our career plan we also offer events and guest speakers when appropriate and link to subject curriculum and periodically run competitions.
Careers Plan
kevi careers programme overview yr 7 11 2025.pdf
Last Reviewed: September 2025
Next Review: September 2026
Teachers Role in the Careers Programme
All staff within King Edward VI Academy have a responsibility for supporting students with their career pathways. Miss Henshall has overall responsibility for the careers programme. In addition to this, subject teachers are responsible for ensuring they clearly outline the industry links their subject has with the wider world of work. Form Tutors deliver some of the careers programme through the tutorial system and feedback student comments to the careers leader.
Information for Students
Please speak to Miss Henshall if you have any careers questions or need some further information. Below are some useful websites.
- Different career options - home - icould
- Selecting A levels advice - Which A level subjects should I take? | TARGETcareers
- Apprenticeships - Find an apprenticeship - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- National Careers - Careers advice - job profiles, information and resources | National Careers Service
- Comparing degrees at University - Search Degrees, UK | Uni Compare
- Working for NHS - Working in health | Health Careers
- Working in sport - Careers in Sport | News, jobs and career advice for Sport (careers-in-sport.co.uk)
- Working in Law - LawCareers.Net | all about law careersor Law Careers. Law Graduate Jobs & Law Internships | AllAboutLaw
www.theworldofwork.co.uk - local labour market information
www.careerswales.com – for a range of careers information and support
www.amazingapprenticeships.com - apprenticeship advice and planning
www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship - for apprenticeship opportunities
icould.com - to support students to find out more about themselves
Information for Parents/Carers
Our students are introduced to many option routes for after their time at King Edward VI Academy. Year 11 students will have support in the autumn term to complete their college or apprenticeship applications with support of King Edward VI Academy staff and outside agencies as required. This is a big decision for our students, so we aim to ensure they have all the information they need prior to this process beginning. Parents and guardians can also support from home in the following ways:
- Talk to students about what the best option is for them. You can also contact Miss Henshall for advice
- Do the research by looking a college website, other career websites (please see information for students’ section) and going to open events. Also attend our post 16 option evening in the autumn term
- Aim high, the staff at King Edward VI Academy will support all students to reach their full potential. Students should challenge themselves to obtain top grades and attend revision session to support their learning. If applying for an apprenticeship, Miss Henshall or Jess White can offer support with portfolios and interview practice.
- Support students in their GCSE exams. These are important as they are the first step on their career journey so, please help your child to be organised, have good attendance because all teaching time is valued time and missing lessons will have an effect. Support students in attending after school revision sessions or if this is not possible there are lunchtime alternatives for many subjects.
Finally, many businesses are looking for students who can demonstrate the CBI’s 7 main employability skills. Therefore, King Edward VI Academy aims to offer students opportunities to develop and demonstrate these skills in lessons and extra-curricular clubs. Therefore, parents and guardians should encourage students to build up this skill set, and students should refer to these in any applications they make.
- Self-management – taking responsibility for your organisation, arriving on time, completing tasks on time
- Teamwork – being comfortable working with others (regardless of background), contributing to team goals
- Business & customer Awareness – understanding what makes a business successful and developing, ensuring everyone’s needs are met
- Problem solving – accepting challenge, working out a solution, asking questions
- Communication & Literacy – reading, writing, listening, following and giving clear directions, expressing ideas coherently
- Application of Numeracy – Application of Numeracy – making sense of data, patterns, understanding time frames
- Application of ICT – Application of ICT – learning required technology and using appropriately
All of these skills are underwritten by a positive attitude which many employers see as an essential attribute of any future employee.
Our Careers Leader in school is Miss Henshall who organises a programme of events and advises all of our students throughout their time at King Edward VI Academy.
Email address: nhenshall@Kingedwardacademy.co.uk
Telephone: 01790 753260
kevi parental learning journey2025.pdf
Information for Employers
At King Edward VI Academy we are passionate about supporting our students to achieve their full potential. A key factor in accomplishing this is providing students with inspiration through finding out more about the world of work and the local and regional opportunities. If you are willing to support and can commit time, we would be delighted to hear from you. Below are a few examples of how you could support our careers programme:
- Mock interview day – our learners really value this opportunity
- Supporting our CV and job skills workshops
- Providing talks about your industry/sector and your own career journey
- Allowing a group of learners to visit your place of work
- Work shadowing/work experience placements
In dedicating your time to support our careers programme you are not only supporting community development, but you can also support your future workforce recruitment needs. To discuss these options further or share opportunities you would like to provide our students with, please contact our Career Leader – Miss Henshall at nhenshall@Kingedwardacademy.co.uk or call 01790 753260.
How we measure the impact of the provision
We review our careers programme each year and ensure we involve all year groups. We monitor the value of our careers programme by ensuring our year 11 students are all following the destinations that they are interested in and feel both prepared and confident for their educational journey ahead. We are using the COMPASS+ tool to evaluate through the 8 Gatsby benchmarks to ensure we are providing a good careers service throughout the academy. In addition, we seek to listen to students’ opinions through evaluations of events.
Who to Contact for more Informaton
Our Careers Lead in school is Miss Henshall.
Email address: NHenshall@Kingedwardacademy.co.uk
Telephone: 01790 753260
