Information for Parents and Carers
Information for Parents/Carers
West Hill school wants all students to develop an understanding of themselves and the wider world so that they feel informed and empowered to make ambitious future choices.
Research shows that Parents and carers are the biggest influence on young people’s career decisions. We have an uncompromised, aspirational vision that ‘Everybody in our West Hill family will collaborate and support each other to realise their aspirations and celebrate success’.
Where parents/carers can find careers information and support
- Mrs Appleby our school careers leader can be contacted on careers@westhillschool.co.uk or via the school office.
- Mr Crook our school careers adviser from TMBC can be contacted on careers@tameside.gov.uk
- The school website and careers page offers information on our school career programme.
- Our school App is the main communication channel. Please check messages, notices and ‘The Hub’ for regular career-related information, news, and updates.
- Your son’s Unifrog account: Sign In - Unifrog can be used at home. It gives access to a large amount of career information. Unifrog access for parents will hopefully be available by the end of 2025-26 year.
- GMACS | Inspire, Explore, Apply | The Greater Manchester Apprenticeship & Careers Service website is great for local careers information.
- Beeline | GMACS Beeline is an online tool to give students a clear line of sight by various pathways into high quality jobs within Greater Manchester.
- A list of websites.
What parents/carers can expect from our school careers programme
The careers programme is published on the school’s website.
Our school careers programme has the backing of trustees, the headteacher and the senior leadership team, and has a trained careers leader in place.
The careers programme is aligned to the Gatsby Benchmarks and CDI Framework, designed to meet the needs of students, sequenced appropriately, underpinned by learning outcomes and linked to the whole-school development plan.
The programme is regularly evaluated using feedback from key stakeholders to increase its impact.
Parents/Carers can explicitly expect the following from the careers programme:
- Regular notices and information shared via the school App.
- Regular news updates shared via our school Facebook page and website.
- Email and/or letter sharing the learning objectives of any career-related trips or events.
- Careers related information and support at key events eg:
School Open Evening each September.
Pathways evening each February (Year 9).
Post-16 information evening each spring (Year 10).
GCSE success evening each autumn (Year 11).
Requests for feedback via our school questionnaire.
How parents/carers can support students to make ambitious career choices
The Careers and Enterprise Company published an article in 2024 outlining 9 things parents should do to help their Kid’s careers:
A key message is - Ultimately, it’s about starting early, encouraging exploration, and focusing on transferable skills like problem-solving and adaptability—qualities that prepare young people for any future. Parents don’t need all the answers; they just need to be a supportive guide as their children navigate their options and work collaboratively with school.
Top tips include:
1. Start Career Conversations Early:
Begin talking about careers as early as possible. Discuss their interests, strengths, and what excites them. Early engagement builds confidence and helps children explore possibilities without pressure.
2. Encourage Exploration
Support your child in trying out different experiences like weekend or summer jobs, internships, volunteering, or job shadowing. These opportunities provide hands-on insights into what they enjoy—or don’t—and help them develop valuable transferable skills like problem-solving and adaptability.
3. Focus on Skills, Not Just Jobs
Talk about the skills your child can develop, such as communication, teamwork, and critical thinking, rather than pushing them toward specific careers. These skills are essential across industries and prepare them for a changing job market.
4. Be Open-Minded About Modern Pathways
Stay informed about emerging qualifications like T Levels or apprenticeships and careers in fields like digital technology or AI. If you feel unprepared, resources like the Talking Futures website can help you understand these options better.
5. Leverage Your Network
Use your personal and work connections to create opportunities for your child. Whether it’s inviting colleagues to share career insights or helping them find mentors, your network can be a powerful resource.
6. Link School Learning to Real Life
Ask your child how what they’re learning in school connects to real-world careers. This can be anything from how Maths calculations are useful for building/construction to the way science and technology are use in healthcare or engineering careers. This helps them see the relevance of their education and sparks curiosity about future possibilities.
7. Take Advantage of School Resources
Engage with career fairs, workshops, or school-organized events where professionals speak about their industries. If your school offers career-related homework or projects, use these as opportunities to have meaningful discussions at home about your child’s interests and aspirations.
8. Help Them Think About Lifestyle Choices
Encourage your child to consider how their career might align with their desired lifestyle—whether they want to live in a big city, travel frequently, or stay close to home. Lifestyle preferences can shape career decisions in meaningful ways.
9. Support your child in making their decision
Resist the urge to push your child to a decision you would prefer. Instead, act as a sounding board, offering encouragement and advice while letting them take the lead in making decisions about their future path.
In school, we ask that parents are familiar with:
- Our School Careers Programme
- Your son's Career Learning Journey
- Information shared with your son – especially pathway options
- Your son's Career Progression Plan, shared with students after a personal careers meeting. Parents will be notified when these take place.
- Labour Market Information
How parents/carers can support our whole school careers programme
We are always looking for employees or employers to engage with our students and share their career pathways and insights.
Could you spare any time to share your career experiences and job roles with students? In person during assemblies, lessons, or our informal lunchtime career cafés? Maybe you could host a virtual talk with our students if time out of the workplace is limited?
Employee volunteering days – does your employer support community engagement activities? Could your employer offer a workplace visit for a group of students, or maybe support a mock interview day?
Feedback
We welcome parental feedback on our careers programme:
We encourage you to complete the Microsoft Form questionnaire via the link or QR code below:
West Hill School. Career Programme Evaluation – Parent/Carer form
Useful websites for parents/carers
In addition to the websites shared for students:
Talking Futures is a resource created to help parents have informed and constructive conversations with their child about the different training and education pathways available to them.
Bring together universities, colleges and schools across our region with the shared goal of empowering learners to succeed. They have resources to support parents.
Support for parents/carers including the annual Parents’ Guide to University: Expert advice from universities across the UK: guide to university events, student finance, applications, and how students can prepare for university.
Amazing Apprenticeships is a leading organisation in the apprenticeship and technical education sector. Includes T Levels and Higher Technical Qualifications support.
Tameside Careers Service - Tameside MBC
Local authority careers information and advice.
Local authority support available for parents and carers wishing to improve their own employment and skills.
