Careers Information and Guidance

Welcome to Careers Information, Advice and Guidance at Hadlow Rural Community School

Preparation for employment is an integral part of our curriculum at Hadlow Rural Community School. We aim to prepare our students to go on to further education or skilled employment and enable them to make a significant contribution to society.

Whilst qualifications remain very important, they are no longer the only consideration. Building on our inclusive curriculum including Land Based qualifications we recognise that employability or work-readiness is becoming more and more important in the wider world. Careers have an extremely important role in our PSHE programme across all year groups.

We do everything we can to ensure Hadlow Rural Community School students develop these skills and attributes to enable them to have the best possible opportunities in their future career path and workplace.

Careers Information Advice and Guidance at HRCS is reviewed on an annual basis in March of each year.

The school uses Compass+ to assess the impact of the careers programme on students and the overall progress of the school related to the Gatsby Benchmarks.

Careers Programme Overview

The school careers programme includes the following areas of focus:

Careers education: A program of learning that enables pupils to:

Learn about the structures, systems and factors that guide, shape and influence people’s career prospects and career development.
Explore how these could affect their future choices, why they need to consider them when making their own career decisions and plans, and how they can do so.
Develop and practice the self-help skills they need to progress their own career plans and development, including the effective use of CEIAG.

Careers information: The provision of accurate, up-to-date and objective information on opportunities, progression routes, choices, where to find help and advice and how to access it.

Careers advice: The provision of advice through activities that help pupils to gather, understand and interpret information and apply it to their own situation.

Careers guidance: The provision of impartial guidance and specialist support to help pupils understand themselves and their needs, confront barriers, resolve conflicts, develop new perspectives and make progress.

START Program: This system delivers careers information and advice in schools and colleges. This is used from Year 7 to 13 to help students make more informed study and career choices at key moments of choice and transition. Students at Hadlow Rural Community School shall create a personal profile, structured activities and decision-support tools help students to navigate comprehensive and up-to-date information from trusted sources in all areas of work and careers. The START Program will help us to meet statutory duties as well as deliver what the Gatsby Charitable Foundation call ‘good careers guidance’ benchmarks.

Work Experience: Work experience is an ideal opportunity to develop a range of skills and to gain an understanding of the requirements of the workplace. Attending work experience will enable students at HRCS put into practice the skills they have developed throughout their time at HRCS.

It is a placement with an employer, where students will also learn about that particular job. Whilst they work, pupils will also have the opportunity to learn about the skills employers look for when they are contracting someone for a vacant job.

Skills that students will learn and develop by taking part in work experience include:

Communication and literacy
Numeracy
Using computers, computer programs and office equipment
Business and customer awareness
Working in a team
Showing commitment and initiative
Problem solving
Research skills
Attention to detail
Taking responsibility

Equality and Diversity: Careers education is provided to all students and provision is made to allow all students to access the curriculum. Students are encouraged to follow career paths that suit their interests, skills and strengths with the absence of stereotypes. All students are provided with the same opportunities and diversity is celebrated.

Careers Programme Summary:

Key Stage 3

The HRCS Tutorial Programme aims to help students to understand more about themselves (self-development), know where to look for useful information (careers exploration) and plan for the future (career management)
Land Based Studies is a unique feature found in few schools across the country. Our students in KS3 follow a cycle of experience across a range of different sectors within the Land Base Industries. Each pupil will experience the work through exploring the skills associated with the particular industry they study on a termly basis
Trips that occur throughout the academic year give opportunity to both inspire and educate pupils throughout KS3 in the world of work
Linking the curriculum to work departments showcase how the subject links with jobs and industries

Key Stage 4

The HRCS Tutorial Programme aims to help students in KS4 to make informed decisions regarding their future prospects post 16
Land Based Studies within KS4 is more focused and driven toward student interest with the possibility to continue study within Hadlow College
All students in KS4 attend a Career Focused Day. This day aims to educate and inform pupils of the choices they will face regarding the world of work as well as teach them valuable employability skills
All students have access to impartial careers advice and guidance and 1:1 careers coaching to support them for their destination choices
Attendance to Careers Fair where pupils in KS4 will have the opportunity to meet a variety of different employers/employees and put into practice employability skills
Selected pupils to attend additional sessions for Young Enterprise Scheme, attending business fairs and operating a business throughout Year 10
All students attend a placement of Work Experience
Selected pupils attend University Visits throughout the school year
Drop-in sessions available for parents and pupils to discuss further education with HRCS Careers Lead
Guidance and Training regarding FE applications throughout year 10 and 11 via Kent Choices