Careers Information

We have an extensive careers programme that aims to give students the tools they need to make informed decisions about their future and begin thinking about life beyond Cranbourne. Careers information is embedded into our curriculum from the very start of Year 7 until Year 11.

Career Contact Details

• Careers Lead: Paige Day
• Careers Support Administrator: Angela Pope 
• Email: a.pope@cranbourne.hants.sch.uk
• Careers Education and Guidance Link Governor: Shibaji Shrestha and Debs Bagg
• Careers Adviser: Pippa Barrowclough

Work Experience 

In Year 10, students get the opportunity to take part in a week's work experience. This could be a placement that they have sourced themselves, or via the extensive EBP Database. This gives them an excellent insight into the world of work where they can learn valuable transferable skills for use in later life. Previously, students have had placements in a diverse selection of sectors including teaching, mechanics and engineering, hospitality and retail.

Colleges and Further Education

We work closely with our local colleges and Sixth Forms to support our students as they prepare for the next steps in their educational journey. In the Autumn Term, Admission teams from local colleges host drop-in application clinics in school, where Year 11 are able to get advice and support with submitting their applications. 

We organise a College Taster Day at Basingstoke College of Technology (BCoT) in the Summer Term for our Year 10 students, which is a great opportunity for students to get first-hand experience of what courses can offer, see the state-of-the-art facilities and speak to current college staff and students.

Throughout the school year, students in Years 9 to 11 benefit from presentations delivered by local colleges and sixth forms, universities, apprenticeship providers and the armed forces. These assemblies give students lots of useful information about potential career pathways and further education opportunities available to them.

In Year 9, students visit Reading University for a day of exploring the campus, participating in Q&A sessions where students share their top tips for university and have the chance to attend a lecture and experience their first taste of higher education.

Meetings with the school careers adviser 

Key Stage 4 students are entitled to meet with our school careers adviser, who is a Registered Career Development Professional and a member of the Career Development Institute, qualified to Level 6 in Careers Guidance. This ensures that the advice and guidance provided follows the CDI code of ethics, providing an impartial and professional service.

Students initially meet with our careers adviser for a 1:1 meeting in Year 10. They have the opportunity for follow-up careers meetings in Year 11, should they require this.

We also work closely with DWP to run a mentoring programme to support our vulnerable students in developing a plan for their future and creating a CV.

Careers Fair 

Each year we run our Careers Fair which invites local businesses and charities to talk to our students about their industries and the pathways that led them there. Students have the chance to interact with prospective employers, asking insightful questions and fostering meaningful conversations and receive guidance on navigating their futures. 

If you would like to take part in this event, please contact Angela Pope on a.pope@cranbourne.hants.sch.uk

Careers in the Curriculum 

Careers lessons begin in Year 9 and are delivered as part of the Personal Development Programme. These lessons are taught by a trained team of teachers and are enriched by relevant external visitors, such as representatives from local colleges, apprenticeship providers, and employers. The CEIAG programme includes careers education sessions, career guidance activities (group work and individual interviews), information and research activities, and work-related learning, developed using the CDI Career Development Framework.

Year Group	Autumn Term	Spring Term	Summer Term
Year 7			Careers Fair
Year 8			Careers Fair
Year 9		Army Apprenticeship assembly PSHE Careers Education Module 1: GCSE Options	Careers Fair University trip Supported Internships Talk (NHS)
Year 10		Meeting Careers Adviser DWP Mentor Meetings University assemblies Apprenticeship assemblies (AWE) College assemblies Get Inspired Trip PSHE Careers Education Module 2: Getting ready for work experience	Meeting Careers Adviser DWP Mentor Meetings Work Experience  BCoT Taster Day Supported Internships Talk (NHS) T-Levels assembly (BCoT) Careers Fair PSHE Careers Education Module 3: Work experience – setting targets & post-WEX reflections
Year 11	Meeting Careers Adviser DWP Mentor meetings College assemblies Apprenticeship assemblies College application workshops University assembly PSHE Careers Education Module 4:Taking my best next step	Meeting Careers Adviser Apprenticeship application clinic University assembly	Meeting Careers Adviser Supported Internship Talk (NHS)

 Measuring and assessing the impact of Cranbourne's careers programme

At Cranbourne, we are always looking to improve our careers programme so it can have the optimum impact on our students. The programme is reviewed and evaluated annually as part of the school's self-evaluation process. We gather feedback from students using the Future Skills Questionnaire (FSQ) on Compass+ to help us to make targeted interventions, evaluate our programme and identify the impact of our careers education. We monitor the pathways of our students from Year 11 and record their destination data.