I'm banging the drum for careers everywhere

I started at MEA as a curriculum leader of English and recently moved into the senior leadership team. Part of my role is the careers lead, which was a completely new experience for me.

The main challenge for our pupils is a lack of knowledge of careers opportunities.

We’ve got above average levels of eligibility for pupil premium and high levels of disadvantage. Pupils quite often have lower aspirations or a very limited knowledge of the opportunities that are actually out there for them.

A very steep learning curve  

One of the biggest challenges for me has been an absolute lack of my own knowledge.

One of my colleagues, who had been in the career’s leader role previously, had been on the Teach First Careers Leader programme and given positive feedback.  

My senior leadership team were brilliant and supported me with this CPD, which meant I could succeed.  

I've spoken to other careers leaders from other schools who are in a similar position.

We've shared ideas and resources, and all of the sessions we've done either in person or online have been practical. I've really, really loved it.

Overcoming knowledge limitations

There is a lack of awareness about careers. Many of our pupils are limited in terms of their spheres of knowledge.  

They're obviously aware of the jobs within education because they see them on a daily basis. They're aware of the emergency services, the NHS, and the airport because that's near our school.

Pupils also know about the jobs that their parents do and jobs in retail because there are a lot of shops in Wythenshawe.  

But when you start to move beyond that immediate sphere, there are gaps in knowledge and realisation of what different opportunities and pathways are out there.

A large number of our pupils might be the first generation to go to university and access higher education.

It might be that university is not the right path for them. There might be a path that better suits their intended goals and aspirations. And we do a lot of work looking at all of those alternate pathways.

Amazing in-person conferences

The best support I’ve had has come from the in-person conferences.  

It’s an opportunity to meet up with people who are working in different schools and different contexts. We’ve shared expertise and resources with our professional peers.  

We set up a group email where we can share resources or information. It’s been absolutely invaluable, especially at the start when I was very overwhelmed. Just knowing there are other people who feel the same, and there's lots of resources out there that I didn’t even know about, makes a big difference.

My entire perspective of careers has changed

I know as a curriculum leader myself, if I was asked to make links to careers, it would be quite superficial. I’ve never had to think holistically about it.

I now sit in leadership meetings, continually saying we need to have careers as a golden thread that weaves throughout everything we're doing at the academy. This is important because we want to improve our pupils’ academic results and we want to raise their aspirations.

It's been amazing working with our Year 11s this year, especially our pupils who are at risk of being NEET (not in employment, education or training) – all of our pupils were offered or found a work experience placement.

And the feedback from the employers was phenomenal.  

Those pupils who struggle in terms of attendance and behaviour around the academy were actually those pupils that the employers fed back about and scored a 10 across the board in every aspect of the placement.  

That was a real kind of ‘wow moment’ for me and really reinforced the need for careers education. Helping pupils find the correct pathway for them allows them to thrive and flourish.

If you'd asked me 12 months ago, would I want to be a careers lead, I would have probably said no.  

But the careers leader is the part of my job that I'm enjoying the most.  

Flipping the triangle

Looking at my longer-term career’s strategy, I keep talking about flipping the triangle.  

I think careers education in general is focused more on Key Stage 4. When pupils get into Year 10 and Year 11, they are bombarded with opportunities, experiences, careers interviews, work experience, and actually we do very little at Key Stage Three.

Flipping the triangle would give pupils the breadth and depth of careers education and experiences at Key Stage Three. Then, when they get to Year 9 and choose their options, they can link these to careers and their future aspirations.

By the time they are in Year 10 and Year 11, they'll have a clearer picture of the pathway that they want to go on; they can start to have more targeted, bespoke experiences and encounters.

The Careers Leader programme is invaluable

The reassurance, the knowledge, and the support that the Careers Leader programme has provided has been phenomenal.

I've come away from every single session feeling really enthusiastic, full of ideas.

When I started the programme, I had no idea what I was doing. Now, I can say ‘This is my plan. This is what I want to do. This is what is important and needs to be prioritised.’

To find out more about how we can support your school to raise pupil outcomes and aspirations with our free careers training, visit our Careers Leader programme page, or get in touch.