Careers at St Thomas More Catholic School.
St Thomas More School is committed to providing impartial careers guidance to all of its students from 11 to 18 years. The implementation of a stable careers programme will support students to make well informed choices and realistic decisions for further and higher education, training and ultimately, a future career path.Following the Gatsby Benchmarks to providing ‘good careers guidance’, the school intends to support each student as an individual through a multitude of opportunities to learn more about careers opportunities, such as engagement with local employers, Labour Market Information to inform the young people of the school of upcoming career sectors and growth, and personal guidance for each student on their career and learning decisions.
Among the various career activities that St Thomas More holds for its students, employer engagement is a challenging obstacle that we are looking to overcome by giving students the opportunity to engage with a wide variety of professionals from different sectors. We encourage employers and professionals to contact the careers leader directly and contact details can be found in the Careers Policy Statement document.
This space on the website will be used to upload information on opportunities such as university open days, local careers opportunities and enterprise activities, so students, parents and teachers can keep up to date with all of the upcoming events.
The careers programme at St Thomas More School is reviewed annually at the beginning of each academic year to ensure the information, advice and guidance is up to date and appropriate for our students. We are keen to incorporate feedback and suggestions from both parents of students and employers and have provided a Google Form below for this feedback to be submitted.
Careers Leader:
Mrs B McAdam bmcadam@stthomasmore.org.uk 0191 499 5018
At St Thomas More School we have a core belief that high quality CEIAG is fundamental to ensuring that students are equipped with the right information in order to give them high aspirations and to make informed choices. The programme developed has the Gatsby framework Principles at its heart and are working towards achieving all of the Benchmarks of ‘Good Career Guidance’ to ensure that each and every student is motivated to achieving their goals and to raise the aspirations of the all in the school community.The Gatsby benchmarks can be used as a measure of the impact of the careers programme and the careers calendar depicts which benchmarks are being met and where. The 8 Gatsby Benchmarks are:
- A stable careers programme
- Learning from career and labour market information
- Addressing the needs of each pupil
- Linking curriculum learning to careers
- Experiences of workplaces
- Encounters with further and higher education
- Personal guidance
Students are also encouraged to give feedback on their careers education and interactions with employers, further and higher education providers and training providers to evaluate the meaningfulness of each interaction and how useful the instance was.St Thomas More destination data can also be an indicator of the impact of the careers programme on pupils. Whilst a large percentage of students opt for A Levels at St Thomas More Sixth Form, a good number of students progress onto college courses and apprenticeship opportunities with a number considerably below the national and regional averages for NEET and not known destinations. Of our Sixth Forms destinations, the vast majority of students are successful applicants to higher education via both university degrees and higher level apprenticeships. A small number of student progress at this stage into full time employment.
KS4 Cohort destinations for 2015-16 data:
| Statistic | Number | Percentage |
| Number of pupils | 226 | 100% |
| Pupils in education | 200 | 88% |
| Pupils in apprenticeships | 17 | 8% |
| Pupils in college or other further education provider | 57 | 25% |
| Pupils in School Sixth Form | 143 | 63% |
| Pupils in Sixth Form College | 0 | 0% |
| Other education destinations | 0 | 0% |
| Pupils in education or apprenticeship not sustained | 4 | 2% |
| Pupils not captured | 5 | 2% |
16-18 Cohort destinations for 2015-16 data
| Statistic | Number | Percentage |
| Number of students | 177 | 100% |
| Pupils in education | 124 | 70% |
| Pupils in apprenticeships | 19 | 11% |
| Pupils in further education college or other further education provider | 9 | 5% |
| UK Higher education institution | 102 | 58% |
| Top third of higher education institutions | 42 | 24% |
| Oxford or Cambridge | 2 | 1% |
| Russell group | 35 | 20% |
| Other higher education institutions or providers | 60 | 34% |
| Other education destinations | 13 | 7% |
| Students in education or apprenticeship not sustained | 7 | 4% |
| Students not captured | 27 | 15% |
How they work:
Apprenticeships are a combination of work and study that unite on the job training and classroom learning. In an apprenticeship you are 'full time employed' and complete a formal qualification relating to the sector you're working in, usually with a training provider.
The Training
Usually the training part of the apprenticeship takes place once a week or a fortnight, depending on the employer and training provider, to develop a portfolio of work. This allows the apprentice to spend the majority of their time learning on the job skills whilst working towards a qualification. Some examples of the qualifications are below;
- Functional skills - GCSE equivalent qualifications in English, maths or IT.
- National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) - from level 2 (comparable to five GCSEs) up to level 7 (the level of a postgraduate degree).
- Technical certificates - such as BTEC, City and Guild Progression Award etc.
- Academic qualifications - including a Higher National Certificate (HNC), Higher National Diploma (HND) foundation degree or the equivalent of a full Bachelors degree.
The work:
Whilst on an Apprenticeship program you are entitled to holiday allowance, Apprenticeship wages and other company benefits available to other employees.
The work experience gained in this way is invaluable and pairing a qualification alongside work related experience demonstrates to future employers an individuals potential in the workplace, as well as good time management and the ability to learn and demonstrate a range of skills.
The wage:
The current minimum wage rate for an apprentice is £3.70 per hour. This rate applies to apprentices under the age of 19, and those ages 19 and over who are in their first year of the apprenticeship. This wage increases annually in October. On average, apprentices tend to ear around £170 a week, some employers can choose to pay an apprentice a higher wage, and some higher level apprenticeships have salaries of £20,000 and up.
How to apply:
A great number employers both large and SME’s (small-medium enterprises) use the National Apprenticeship Service to advertise their vacancies. Businesses also often advertise on their own vacancies page for apprentices. UCAS also has a vacancy search function for higher level apprenticeships.
Levels:
| Name | Level | Equivalent educational level |
|---|---|---|
| Intermediate | 2 | GCSE |
| Advanced | 3 | A Level |
| Higher and Foundation | 4 & 5 | Foundation Degree / HND / HNC |
| Degree | 6 | Master's Degree |
| Masters | 7 | Bachelor's Degree |
Useful information specifically for parents and guardians can be found here:
Info regarding apprenticeship vacancies in the local area will be posted here. The page will be updated regularly so keep checking back to find the perfect option for you! Application packs and info regarding the position will be posted here.
If you would like further information on any of these vacancies, please contact our in-house careers advisor.
Apprenticeship Vacancies |
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