Careers Programme

Careers Manager - Jo Bowman

Contact details: bowmanj@lytchett.org.uk 

Work Experience Coordinator - Gail Miller

Contact details: millerg@lytchett.org.uk

Careers and Enterprise Strategy - November 2025

We are living through a time of enormous change; none more so than in the world of work. Our young people need to have the appropriate skills and mindset to adapt to this changing world, and it is the school’s responsibility to ensure that our students remain ahead of the curve as they consider the choices they will need to make when they leave us. University will remain the right option for some students, but for others, the developing apprenticeship ladder will provide them with the experience and training they need to get a head start in their professional careers.

At Lytchett Minster School we will work in partnership with local business and industry groups (such as Young Chamber), local universities, FE colleges, schools, other interested groups (such as Young Enterprise and Rotary), and the Careers and Enterprise Company.

Our careers and enterprise strategy is based very much around the 8 Gatsby benchmarks:

1. A stable careers programme (delivered through PSHE sessions from Years 7 to 13)
2. Learning from career and labour market information (delivered through assemblies)
3. Addressing the needs of each pupil (through a tailored curriculum and 1:1 interviews with our Careers Advisor, provision of Unifrog (an online programme)
4. Linking curriculum learning to careers (through use of Unifrog, UCAS, Apprenticeship websites, Careers College)
5. Encounters with employers and employees (through assemblies by local business people in Years 10 and 12, Careers Fair)
6. Experiences of workplaces (through Work Experience in Years 10 and 12, site visits, and enterprise opportunities)
7. Encounters with further and higher education (through visits to and links with Weymouth and Kingston Maurward Colleges, Bournemouth, Arts University Bournemouth, Southampton and Oxford universities, Careers Fair)
8. Personal guidance (through House guidance interviews, SLT interviews, Mock Interviews and Careers Interviews)

The key employability skills we will seek to develop are:

Arrangements for providing Lytchett students with access to information about further education (see Provider Access Policy):

The school policy is to ensure all our students have unrestricted access to information about vocational courses and apprenticeships available at further education establishments in the area. Bournemouth and Poole College, Kingston Maurward College and Weymouth College are all invited to have a stand at our annual careers fair. In addition, all Year 9 students attend an assembly on KS4 courses available at Kingston Maurward College.

Our Careers Advisor is encouraged to inform students of all appropriate available courses, so that they can make informed choices.

This strategy will be reviewed in November 2026.

AP Mead

Headmaster

November 2025

Years 7 to 11 Programme of Study for Careers, Economic Wellbeing, and Work-Related Learning

Year 7

1. Self-awareness (who am I?) and goal setting (encouraging students to be aspirational) (PSHE)

2. Introduction to Financial Awareness and Careers; exploring the link between qualifications and ability to choose your own lifestyle: ‘The Real Game’ (PSHE)

• Understanding the labour market – consider the changing world of work
• Money – cash, cheques, debit and credit cards
• Banks – how to keep your money safe
• Dream lifestyle (e.g. house, car, luxury items)
• Personal Budgeting
• Understanding principles of income and expenditure
• Types of jobs (e.g. working in an office) and patterns of working (e.g. shift work)
• Jobs  - salary
• Understanding the link between qualifications and lifestyle in adulthood
• The changing world of work (and the role of training)

3. All Year 7 students to be encouraged to strive for Lytchett Values Award (character-building programme)

4. Review of year and target setting

Year 8

1. Employability Skills (PSHE)

• What are the key skills employers are looking for?
• Communication (verbal and written)
• Problem-solving
• Ability to work in teams
• Leadership qualities
• Independent working

2. Personal Finance – spending, saving, borrowing and giving  (PSHE)

3. Understanding the labour market – consider the changing world of work (Head’s Assembly).

4.  All Year 8 students to be encouraged to strive for Lytchett Values Award (character-building programme)

Year 9

1. Self-awareness, having a positive self-image and target setting  

2. Decision-making - (linked to self-awareness, peer pressure, KS4 and KS5 options, careers)

3. Understanding the different range of qualifications – GCSE, BTEC, A levels, Apprenticeships, degrees and the principle of ‘Progression’ (Options Evening)

4. KS4 options process (including Options Evening)

5. Guidance interviews with Head of House

6.  Introduction of the idea of the CV (PSHE)

7.  All Year 9 students to be encouraged to strive for Lytchett Values Award (character-building programme)

8. Introduction to Careers session (PSHE)

9. Financial Awareness  (PSHE)

10. Understanding the labour market – consider the changing world of work (Head’s Assembly).

Year 10

1. Career choices - using UNIFROG, Work Experience database
2. Writing a CV (PSHE)
3. Writing a letter of application for a job inc. addressing the envelope - (English lessons)
4. Work Experience preparation (PSHE)

a) Health and Safety at Work

b) Understanding rights and responsibilities at work

c) Completion of CV writing and letter of application

d) Health and Safety at work

e) Understanding rights and responsibilities at work

5. Interview technique (including, ‘making a positive first impression’) - PSHE
6. Work Experience (1 week in July)
7. Review of Work Experience and evaluation of what has been learnt
8. 1:1 Careers interviews for targeted students (e.g. disadvantaged students, potential NEETS – students with poor attendance, history of exclusions)
9. DofE Bronze Award (leadership skills, employability skills such as resilience, problem-solving, working in a team)
10. Careers Talks in assemblies
11. Understanding the labour market – consider the changing world of work (Head’s Assembly).

Year 11

1. Updating  CV
2. How to access information about careers (e.g. UNIFROG)
3. Personal budgeting (PSHE)
4. Post -16 Progression Routes including Further Education (6^th form and colleges), Higher Education (universities) and Apprenticeships (work and college)
5. 1:1 Careers interviews (open to all) with school careers advisor
6. 1:1 Guidance interviews with Heads of House
7. Post-16 Options process
8. 1:1 6^th form interviews with SLT / Sixth Form Team
9.  Understanding the labour market – consider the changing world of work
10.  Careers fair

Careers Education post-16

1. Year 12 work experience
2. Year 12 and 13 visits to workplaces (e.g. Bank of New York)
3. Year 12 employability skills programme
4. UCAS conference
5. Apprenticeships conference
6. Unifrog training session
7. Careers Talks
8. Careers Fair
9. Finance and Budgeting sessions
10. 1:1 tutorials and Careers interviews
11. Leadership opportunities in the Senior Team
12. Volunteering opportunities
13. DofE Silver Award / Gold Award leadership skills, employability skills such as resilience, problem-solving, working in a team.
14. Understanding the labour market – consider the changing world of work (Headmaster’s assembly).