Every student at The Birley Academy is entitled to receive high-quality careers education and guidance. Our careers education offer is delivered through the curriculum and for the entire duration of a student’s time with us.
The main objectives of our careers programme are to:
Your career journey at The Birley Academy is carefully designed to ensure that you can develop a knowledge and understanding of the opportunities available to you after you finish secondary education.
Staff will work with you to help expand your horizons and raise your aspirations. This guarantees that you will leave school at the end of Year 11 with clear goals and the motivation and understanding to achieve them.
Our Year 11 students are sought after by the best sixth forms, FE colleges and apprenticeship and training providers in the city. To this end, we ensure through our curriculum and careers programme that they are starting the next phase of their lives on the best possible path.
The sessions for Careers are delivered through tutor time, PD lessons and assemblies to help students make decisions about their future, with an emphasis on developing employability skills.
We work with many outside providers such as the Higher Education Progression Partnership (HEPP) local sixth forms and colleges and Amazing Apprenticeships to deliver sessions specific to each year group.
We run Inspiration Weeks for Years 7-10 which gives students the opportunity to meet employers from a range of sectors, industries as well as representatives from higher education, in order to gain a better understanding of careers available to them.
For Years 10 and 11, there are a number of additional opportunities to interact with employers and Post-16 providers through workshops, college taster days, work experience, mock interview days and Post 16 open events.
Students have access to independent careers advice via a careers advisor from our partners Progress Careers, who will help inform and guide them to make the best decisions on their futures. Further discussions around careers and aspirations take place during PD lessons throughout Year 10 and Year 11. Support is given to ensure students have the time and resources to produce a quality CV along with guidance to complete their Post 16 applications, to equip them with important tools as they move to the world of work.
This year’s programme constitutes an introduction to Careers. The aim is to raise awareness of a range of a wide range of careers and pathways. Alongside this, students will identify their personal traits, strengths and skills in order to develop confidence and have expectations of themselves and for their futures.
In Year 8, the focus is on extending the students’ understanding of their career options. As part of this, they start to consider what they may want to choose for GCSEs. Students’ encounters with employers and further education providers are increased to encourage aspiration and consideration of their future.
This year emphasises preparation for GCSE options in terms of considering how these link to future careers pathways and progression routes. Students also increase their understanding of the importance of STEM subjects and their significance in a range of careers.
In Year 10, students gain experience of the world of work. By the end of the year, they are also able to describe how the world of work is changing and how this may impact on their own careers.
In terms of the progression focus of this year group, there is an emphasis on making well informed and realistic choices for Post-16 progression. Students also develop better understanding of how Post-16 pathways link to possible progression routes and future careers. All students are supported in finding, planning for and applying for an appropriate intended destination.
It is never too early (or too late) to start thinking about careers and where yours could take you. We have provided some links below that may help you to begin thinking about how your interests, skills and talents could match up to a successful career.
Start with the careers interests quiz from Pearson by following this link: Careers interests
Pearson also provides a wealth of information on a wide range of industry sectors. Have a look by following this link: Industry sectors
The icould website is the perfect place to develop your aspirations. They have videos looking at what a huge number of different careers entail, where you hear about what is involved from the people who do the jobs on a day-to-day basis. There are also personality quizzes to help guide you on which careers you would be well suited to, as well as tips on GCSE options and routes into further education and employment. Have a look by following this link: icould
The National Careers Service provides lifelong information, advice and guidance on careers. There are links to assess your skills, search job profiles and find courses, as well as writing quality CVs and conducting successful interviews. Have a look by following this link: National Careers Service
The school will monitor its success in supporting students to take up education or training which offers good long-term prospects. One way of doing this is through use of destination measures data. The school closely monitors the number of students who are recorded as not in education, employment or training (NEET) after they have left school.
The table below shows the percentage of students who leave The Birley Academy and who move on to and sustain a place in some form of education, employment or training.
| Student Information | Three year trends for post 16 education, employment, or apprenticeship | ||
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
| Internal data | Internal data | ||
| BA students in post 16 destinations sustained for at least two terms | 90% | 98% | 97% |
| BA students not sustained post 16 destinations | 9% | 2% | 3% |
| Cohort size | 204 | 209 | 208 |
Formal monitoring of the impact of CEIAG and provider access will be carried out through:
In February 2023, The Birley Academy was awarded Career Mark, the national ‘Quality in Careers Standard’ for its careers education, information, advice and guidance. Moving forward, leaders at The Birley Academy intend to explore use of this standard in order to provide further verification of the quality and impact of the CEIAG provision on offer at the school.
Mrs L Gillham: Assistant Headteacher
Mrs A Pemberton: Careers Lead / Sheffield Progress Coordinator
T: 0114 2392531 EXT: 2253 (Working days Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday)
Email: [email protected]
Date of school’s next review of the published information: January 2025
