Careers Programme and Documents
Careers Programme
The delivery of careers education at West Hill School is multi-faceted; we have a blend of timetabled lessons, alongside dedicated form time sessions, assemblies and whole school event days. Careers education is the golden thread linking curriculum learning to future prospects. As such, careers activities are also planned into subject curriculum delivery.
Timetabled careers curriculum
As part of the IDP programme, careers lessons are delivered on a 10-week rotation in each year group. This lesson program is centred on powerful knowledge; what do our students need to learn in order to be aspirational and successful in their lives beyond West Hill? These lessons are mapped against the Gatsby Benchmarks, the CDI framework and incorporate the 8 Skills Builder areas.
Key Themes per Year Group
Year 7
| Year Group | Key Themes | Lessons | CDI Framework | Benchmarks Covered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 7 | Introduction to Careers & Self-Discovery |
What is a career? What are skills? Who am I? (My interests and strengths) Exploring career sectors Challenging stereotypes How do my skills and interests link to my future career? How can I develop my skills? Careers in the curriculum Role models and real-life journeys |
Grow throughout life Create opportunities Manage career |
1, 2, 3, 5, 8 |
Year 8
| Year Group | Key Themes | Lessons | CDI Framework | Benchmarks Covered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 8 | Making Choices |
Why do choices matter? What influences our choices? What do I want? (Understanding my preferences) Decision-making in action Linking school subjects to career options What are growth sectors? Jobs of the future and the impact of AI Exploring GCSE and post-16 options What is it like to go to university? My action plan |
Grow throughout life See the big picture Balance life and work Explore possibilities Manage career |
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
Year 9
| Year Group | Key Themes | Lessons | CDI Framework | Benchmarks Covered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 9 | Understanding the world of work |
What is work and why do people work? Types of employment Understanding different sectors and industries Business structures - how do they work? LMI - What's hot and what's not? Employment rights Diversity, equality and stereotyping Succeeding in the workplace What is work experience, and why does it matter? Future-proof me |
Manage career Balance life and work See the big picture Create opportunities |
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
Year 10
| Year Group | Key Themes | Lessons | CDI Framework | Benchmarks Covered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 10 | Preparing for post-16 |
What happens when I leave school? What are the current growth sectors? Planning for the future What is personal branding, and why is it important? Making successful applications CV writing 101 Emails and written etiquette Writing a personal statement Interview success |
Explore possibilities Manage career Balance life and work Grow throughout life Create opportunities |
1, 2, 5, 6, 7 |
Year 11
| Year Group | Key Themes | Lessons | CDI Framework | Benchmarks Covered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 11*–starting in Sept 2026 | Employability and life skills |
Employment and managing finances Managing money - budgeting basics Understanding income – wages, salaries and payslips Tax, National Insurance and public services Creating a personal budget What is targeted advertising? Scams, fraud and consumer rights Becoming independent – the real cost of living |
Balance life and work See the big picture |
1, 2, 3, 7, 8 |
Career-related Learning and Development
The careers programme extends to also include career-related learning and development in the form of:
Form time activities
Job of the Week (JotW): offers information, inspiration and Labour Market Information (LMI).
Character Curriculum: weekly information and discussion of topics relating to both career learning and career development.
Personalised Guidance
Every student has access to impartial careers advice from a qualified Careers Adviser.
Mr Crook is our school careers adviser from TMBC. All students can request a meeting at any time by speaking with Mrs Appleby in the careers office.
All students will have a personal careers meeting during Key stage 4 (between January of Year 10 and December of Year 11). Targeted students will also have a careers meeting during KS3 and at key transition points, ie GCSE option choices.
Students will receive a written Career Progression Plan following a personal guidance meeting. Parents will be informed of the meeting and plans.
Access to Unifrog Careers Platform
Unifrog is a digital careers platform that we introduced to West Hill at the end of the 2024 academic year. All students will be introduced to the platform in IDP lessons and can then use their personal account to explore their interests, record the great things they've done, find education and training opportunities, draft their applications and much more. It offers ‘everything students need, in one place’
Curriculum Integration
Careers education is embedded across subjects, helping students understand the relevance of their learning to future opportunities.
Employer Engagement
We work closely with local and national employers to provide meaningful encounters, including workplace visits, talks, and mentoring.
Trips, Events and Opportunities
Students and parents benefit from careers fairs, college and apprenticeship support sessions, further education and university visits, and mock interviews.
Evaluation and Review
How we measure, evaluate and assess the impact of our careers programme
External accreditation
West Hill have been proud holders of The Quality in Careers Standard and the previous version of the award ‘Inspiring IAG’ since 2011.
We achieved the latest award in July 2024 from Careers Connect following annual reviews ahead of the re-accreditation which takes place every 3 years. Achieving The Quality in Careers Standard demonstrates that our careers provision meets the rigorous national criteria and that we place great importance on preparing young people for life beyond school.
Self and Peer-reviews
The effectiveness of our provision is reviewed termly by the school careers team/ GMACS and The Careers and Enterprise Company using the Compass Plus Tool. This tool is used by schools and colleges across England to support the analysis and evaluation of careers activity against the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks of best practice.
West Hill School is an active member of a local Careers Hub, and work closely with Greater Manchester Apprenticeship & Careers Service (GMACS) as part of the Greater Manchester Careers Community of Practice. This is an external organisation that supports us to validate, develop and strengthen our careers education provision across the whole school.
West Hill School was part of the pilot scheme of The Careers Impact System (CIS) and has continued to use CIS, officially launched in June 2024 by The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC). Supported by GMACS, it's a structured process that includes clear standards for good careers leadership and provision, based on a maturity model. Internal leadership reviews for self-reflection and planning, peer-to-peer and expert reviews to share best practices and identify areas for improvement.
Feedback from key stakeholders
The Careers programme is evaluated by key stakeholders each year to assess its efficacy and find areas for improvement. The careers team and school leaders use the data to inform continuous improvement:
Students provide feedback through the school pupil voice as part of whole school quality audit programme, as well as on completion of events, activities and trips.
The Future Skill Questionnaire (FSQ) from The Careers and Enterprise Company has been integrated into our school careers programme to measure students’ career readiness. FSQ covers key aspects of knowledge, skills and attitudes that are important for successful transitions.
Teachers provide feedback on completion of activities, training and programme delivery.
Employers, colleges and providers are asked for feedback on completion of activities.
The school’s Enterprise Adviser (business owner) provides guidance and feedback on the careers programme during meetings with the careers leader.
Parents are encouraged to give feedback via annual school questionnaires as well as after parental events.
School leaders assess the delivery of the career education lessons through the whole school lesson observation and quality audit programme.
The Careers policy and Provider Access Statement are reviewed annually and submitted for approval by the school trustees.
Destination Measures
Annual destination reports are complied by the local authority annually.
We also internally collect and analyse both intended destination and actual destination data to assess the effectiveness of our careers programme in informing students about the full range of post-16 options available and inspiring them to Aim High (although destinations are most strongly influenced by students’ academic outcomes).
Destination Data
The Post-16 destinations of West Hill School students can be found below:
