Careers and Continuing Education Guidance
Careers Overview
At St Bernard’s we prepare all students for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life. Our aim is to allow all our students to achieve their considerable academic potential celebrating individual differences, capabilities and characteristics. As part of this we work to prepare pupils for the world of work and education beyond their time at St Bernard’s through a series of careers related activities; following the Gatsby Benchmarks. We want to make our pupils confident and skilled learners who we know will thrive in the 21st century workplace and in their continuing education. Careers lessons for every year group take place during our Tutorial lessons as part of the PSHE programme throughout Year 7 - 13. Year 12 and 13 students also receive careers lessons as part of the General Studies programme.
We have signed up with Unifrog as our careers platform and every student has an account and will be introduced to it as part of their PSHE. Unifrog is used as a tool alongside our careers lessons and students are encouraged to use it for independent careers research, to build their own portfolio and CV as well as for their UCAS personal statements.
Key Stage 3 students will utilise the tool to identify where their interests are and what options and careers they may wish to take to help students make informed choices when deciding on their GCSEs.
For KS4 and 5 students Unifrog brings into one place every undergraduate university course, apprenticeship, and college course in the UK, as well as other opportunities, such as School Leaver Programmes, MOOCs (Massive Open Online Course) and every college at Oxford and Cambridge. This makes it easy for students to compare and choose the best university courses, apprenticeships, or further education courses for them. They can also explore exciting opportunities further afield by looking at English-taught undergraduate programmes available in Europe and the USA. This helps students make informed choices when deciding on their future pathway. Additionally, the platform helps students successfully apply for these opportunities by using Unifrog to guide them to write their personal statement, applications and CVs.
In the Sixth Form, preparation for next steps is a core part of the pastoral provision. Alongside the provision through Unifrog advice and guidance on University choices or apprenticeships, writing personal statements, and interview techniques are all core aspects of the program for ‘life after St-Bernard's’. There are a wide range of activities which help support of pupils. For those looking to study at Oxford or Cambridge there is specific advice and guidance given to assist pupils in preparing their application and how best to perform well in interview. For potential doctors, there is our medical society which provides a wide range of activities to broaden both the work experience and the academic experience they will require to be successful. There is also an engineering society and a law society to further the breadth of experiences of those interested in those subjects.
Students in Year 11 - 13 are encouraged to take part in work experience. So as not to detract from curriculum/classroom time work experience will take place during students’ free time. The Sixth Form Study Coordinator shares opportunities with students in Year 11 – 13 via announcements on Class Charts.
Student Destinations
Local Labour Market Information
Labour Market Information is information relating to occupations and industries, such as job numbers and salaries in the local area. It can also include a range of more specific details, such as educational levels for occupations, workforce demographics, and numbers of establishments in particular sectors. Understanding the LMI about our local area and the UK will help you to make informed and realistic decisions.
LMI 2021 Careers in Berkshire - Labour Market Information 2021
LMI 2020 Careers in Berkshire - Labour Market Information 2020
LMI 2019 Careers in Berkshire - 2019
You can explore this information further, as well as searching for jobs, apprenticeships and courses in Berkshire on this website:-
https://www.berkshireopportunities.co.uk/
Can you help us?
Are you a successful business who would like to give back to the community?
We are committed to providing our students with enrichment activities and experiences to help them learn new employability skills and reduce barriers to entering the world of work. We would like to engage our young people, improve future recruitment and introduce businesses to future leaders.
You can help our students in a variety of ways:
- Delivering assemblies
- Enterprise activities
- Workplace visits
- Apprenticeship and work experience opportunities
- Sharing your workplace knowledge with small groups of pupils
If you can support us with any of these opportunities please contact the careers leader via office@st-bernards.slough.sch.uk with information on:
- Your career / area of expertise
- If you have a particular idea about how you would like to help us
- If you have a connection to the school
Is there a website / opportunity that you would like us to share with pupils / parents?
Provider Access Policy
Further Information
The National Careers Service provides information, advice and guidance to help you make decisions on learning, training and work opportunities. The service offers confidential and impartial advice. This is supported by qualified careers advisers. Apprenticeships
This site offers guidance on different types of apprenticeship and how to apply for them. It also includes an Apprenticeship Vacancies section.
UCAS provides application services across a range of subject areas and modes of study for UK higher education providers.
For specific subject careers guidance students should speak to the Head of Department/Faculty, they may also find some helpful links below.
English
Jobs that use English and Drama - BBC Bitesize
What can I do with an English degree? | Prospects.ac.uk
Resources | The English Association
English and Journalism - Bing video
Maths
https://www.mathscareers.org.uk/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/tags/zrsg6v4/jobs-that-use-maths/1
https://www.stem.org.uk/stem-careers/maths
Humanities
Careers in History/Historical Association
Royal Geographical Society - Why you should study geography (rgs.org)