Careers & RESPECT Programme
Our Academy is committed to Careers Tuition as a vital means of giving all students the skills, knowledge and understanding to manage their own lifelong learning and career development. Careers Tuition both compliments and integrates within the RESPECT curriculum.
Careers Tuition at Wellacre Academy will prepare all students for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of education, training and employment and also the challenges of adult life.
Emphasis in Careers Tuition will be upon impartial, confidential, independent and informed advice. There is support from Connexions Career Services who work in partnership Wellacre Academy. Careers Tuition is aimed at all students within Wellacre Academy from Year 7- 11. All students in Years 10-11 receive a focused careers interview with Connexions and an action plan which parents are welcome to attend if they so wish. Students in Year 7-9 can access this too and are encouraged to arrange this via a request to their Achievement Tutor.
During a focused Year 11 careers interview with Connexions students will be asked about possible future aspirations, destinations and job choices. This information will be shared with school unless a student or parent/carer inform the school connexion's service that they do not agree to this information being shared. Sharing information allows connexions to offer further guidance and support to students once they have left school in the form of tracking and monitoring to ensure accurate reporting on young people's future activities and destinations.
All students will receive their Careers Tuition through their RESPECT lessons at Wellacre Academy as it is inbuilt in to the curriculum. There are also ample, tailored opportunities and enrichment activities such as work experience, trips to universities to broaden their horizons and inspirational guest speakers to raise the aspirations of all of our students. The curriculum reflects national frameworks for Careers Education Independent Advice and Guidance and puts each student's personal strengths as its focal point. The RESPECT curriculum follows national recommendations for three categories of lessons which are; health and well-being, relationships and living in the wider world. Careers Tuition at Wellacre is accounted for through lessons within the relationships and living in the wider world scheme of lessons.
At KS3 students will be asked to focus upon what their personal strengths are and be made aware of where their KS4 options could take them. Pupils frequently engage in STEM activities and have previously received visits from particular industry experts to provide specific insight about differing career pathways.
At KS4 students will led to consider what 'soft skills' are required for employment and will be made aware of Labour Market Information and changing employment patterns to further facilitate them to making wise choices. This will accompany information on issues such as discrimination in the work place. All pupils will be able to undertake a work experience placement and will have the opportunity to reflect upon this.
As part of Careers Tuition, all students at Wellacre Academy, in Year 10, will be provided with the opportunity to undertake a work experience placement. Work Experience is for many young people the first opportunity they have to experience first-hand what it is like to be in the workplace. It is a valuable and essential part of their education and provides opportunities to learn about skills, work structures, duties and responsibilities that exist within organisations.
Employers value work experience because it helps young people develop interpersonal and employability skills and become more aware of how businesses work. The value of a work placement is that by putting students into real business situations, they start to have an awareness of many aspects of working life which can be extremely difficult to convey in a classroom setting. Many of our students are inspired by their work experiences.
The RESPECT faculty aims to supplement and support students with complementary sessions to enhance the work that has been undertaken within the curriculum.
