Careers Education

At Ark Walworth Academy every student is encouraged to set their sights high for their futures, regardless of their background or individual circumstances. Our vision is to develop young people with the social confidence, self-efficacy and goal clarity to become highly desirable employees of the future. Underpinning this vision are our shared CARES values of Commitment, Aspiration, Resilience, Excellence and Self-Management which we believe exemplify a successful member of any community.

We aim to develop the fundamental skills for a successful career such as teamwork, communication, cooperation and problem solving as part of our day to day curriculum in all academic subjects. Alongside their academic education our students benefit from our careers education programme that focuses on three key areas; developing good study habits and social confident skills, access and exposure to the employers, further and higher education, as well as strong pathways and guidance advice. The programme will equip our young people with the knowledge and skills necessary to make the transition to further study, apprenticeships, or employment.

Careers Advice

All students have access careers advice and guidance through their tutor, Inclusion Coordinator, Director of Progress, Mr. Perkins (Careers Lead) and Mr. Fazackerley (Director of Sixth Form and Aspirations). All Year 10 and 11 students have a one to one meeting with Ms. Bennett-Wilson (Independent Careers Advisor) each year to plan for their post-16 choices. In the Sixth Form students benefit from the Next Steps Programme which helps them to develop a deeper understanding of future pathways and options, which is supported by access to both careers and application advice for all post-19 routes.

Unifrog

Unifrog enables young people to explore their futures and brings together in one place information about both apprenticeship and university options post-16 and post-18. Not only does every young person have access at school, they can also log on wherever they have an internet connection.

University and Employer Taster Days

All students are given the opportunity to attend at least two taster days at a university and an employer visit each year. These trips are designed to give students more knowledge and experience of what life is like at a higher education establishment with the hope of, one day, inspiring them to attend university. Following up a university taster day with an employer visit helps our young people to make connections between academic success and employability.

University trips have included Cambridge University, the University of Warwick, Royal Holloway, London Southbank and City University. Employer visits have included Tata Consultancy Services, JP Morgan, London Bridge Station and the Nuclear Industry Association. 

Work Experience

Ark Walworth Academy is committed to providing every single one of our students with at least a week of work experience in Year 10 and a further week in Year 12. Working with our partners at Southwark Education Business Alliance enables our students to access a variety of local employers to gain invaluable insight into the workplace. Through a deep immersion in the real world of work students see and experience the impact of the vital work ready skills represented by our academy CARES values, meaning that when they return they are better able to appreciate why these values are so critical to their university and careers success.

Apprenticeships

The Academy is keen that students consider apprenticeships as a route at 16 and 18. To do this we have programmes facilitated by the Construction Youth Trust in Year 11, 12 and 13. We are also keen to welcome employers and their training providers to visit us and our students. Here is an episode that may be useful for Parents to listen to about Apprenticeships:https://share.transistor.fm/s/b7a7b308

Elephant Project

15% of secondary school pupils in the UK are eligible for Free School Meals, but these students make up only 2% of the intake at top third universities. The Project seeks to reduce this by providing volunteer tutors who work with students one-to-one, meaning they are able to respond to their tutees' needs and help them to improve. With a one-to-one tutor in one or more of their subjects, students can boost their grades and make competitive university applications.

IntoUniversity

Students across each year group work with the charity Into University on their secondary FOCUS Programme. This unique programme offers young people learning experiences which aim to immerse them in a single topic or subject area. It includes workshops and holiday FOCUS activities, Extending Horizons Weekends away; and after-school Careers-in-FOCUS.  All FOCUS provision concludes with a ‘graduation’ ceremony with certificates and a celebration of the young people’s work.

You may find out more about their work here http://www.intouniversity.org

Baker Clause

As part of our commitment to informing our pupils of the full range of learning and training pathways on offer to them, we consider all requests from training, apprenticeship and vocational education providers to speak to pupils and students as well as actively seeking to build relationships with these partners as we plan activity throughout the school year to ensure that providers have multiple opportunities to speak to students and their parents across years 7-13, to offer information on vocational, technical and apprenticeship qualifications and pathways. Opportunities for providers to speak with pupils and students may include school assemblies, employer and provider engagement events or opportunities to speak with students and parents on a one-to-one basis supporting GCSE, post 16 or post 18 option choices.

Ark Walworth Academy’s Pathways and Enrichment programme is monitored for quality and impact by the Academy’s Senior Leadership and Governance Teams and monitoring of access to and opportunities to engage with, technical, vocational and training providers will form part of this process.

In the first instance, requests by providers should be sent to the Academy’s Careers Lead, Earl Perkins, careers@walworthacademy.org or 020 7450 9570, with a minimum of 6 weeks’ lead time. All requests will be considered based on; staffing availability to support the activity, clashes with other planned activity, trips or visits, interruption to preparation for examinations or rooming and space availability to host the activity.

Year 7-13 Careers Education Information Advice and Guidance 2022-2023

Develop social confidence, self-efficacy, and goal clarity to enable all young people to become highly employable

Develop transferable skills (planning and organisation, problem-solving, teamwork, communication)

and behaviours (CARES) that will be valued by post-16/19 educators and employers