As we have many new starters at Newark Academy, I wanted to introduce the careers team so that students and parents understand the key staff who are involved in the careers provision.
Careers sits within Personal Development at Newark Academy and the PD Team all play a key part in ensuring that students have enriched opportunities to help them to develop into individuals that are well-rounded and ready for their next steps, when they leave us, whether after KS4 or KS5.
SLT link for Careers Careers Leader / Advisor PD Lead - SLT Student Leadership/Enrichment Leader
Careers Intent
Newark Academy are committed to delivering the highest quality careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) to all students form year 7 through to year 13, ensuring that all students have exposure to the best opportunities available to support their personal development and chosen pathways.
Our aim is that when a student leaves Newark Academy, they are fully prepared for the next step for success, whatever that looks like for each individual student.
The strategic plan for careers is reviewed annually and the next date for review is August 2023. We gather feedback from stakeholders throughout the year and also use the Future Skills Questionnaire with all students, to help analyse the effectiveness of the careers programme.
To help us do this we link our careers guidance to the Gatsby Benchmarks which have been explicitly referenced throughout the DfE’s Careers Strategy (January 2023) and the new Statuary Guidance for careers (January 2018). These all 8 benchmarks out lined below:
A stable careers programme
Learning from career and labour market information
Addressing the needs of each pupil
Linking curriculum learning to careers
Encounters with employers and employees
Experiences of workplaces
Encounters with further and higher education
Personal guidance
Aims:
To enable students to make informed choices about their future career paths.
To be committed to giving students insight into developments in careers information, including social media and networking.
To maintain and develop links with a range of external and community organisations to provide students with opportunities for work placements, mentoring etc.
To provide comprehensive information, advice and guidance in all student’s career education.
Objectives:
To provide opportunities for students to identify their strengths, aspirations and options through a variety of means, including discussions with subject teachers, class teachers and career staff.
To help students to understand and develop the necessary skills to equip them for whatever career path they choose.
To research and provide up-to-date information about employment, labour market trends, FE courses and training providers, undergraduate courses and work experience.
To ensure and promote the importance of the Careers Service and ensure that all pupils at KS4 have interviews with an impartial, qualified careers guidance practitioner.
You can lots of other useful information on our Academy careers page here such as our full student entitlement, so that you can see what's coming up each term, in advance. There is also a virtual careers library where students can find lots of useful labour market information on various industries and jobs.
On Monday 30th September it was wonderful to welcome our year 11 students along with their parents into the Academy. The opening session was around the importance of attendance and how being in school everyday and giving your all can lead to amazing results that open doors to your future. It then led on to the Science of learning and how effective revision and study habits support understanding and transfer knowledge from the working memory into your long-term memory.
There was then a carousel of activities delivered by Mr Woolley, Mrs Parkinson, Mrs Woodhouse and Mrs Curtis. Mr Wooley went into detail about how to use SPARX efficiently to support revision as well as independent learning. Mrs Parkinson demonstrated how to build schema. Firstly, recalling information about a key topic, watching a short video and the adding more summarized key knowledge. Mrs Woodhouse modeled how to make efficient flash cards from core knowledge, the best way to quiz yourself with your family’s support. Finally, Mrs Curtis spoke about effective study habits and revision skills in year 11 and how they transform your learning and understanding into NA6.
OPTIONS AT 16
If you’re in Year 11, it’s time to start thinking about what you want to do after you leave school.
What you can do after Year 11 depends on things like where you live, what kind of grades you’re likely to get, what you’re interested in and what kind of environment you want to learn in.
Until the age of 18 you have to stay in some form of education but you can choose from a range of options. All students in year 11 will receive a 1:1 or small group careers interview, where they will receive information and guidance, to support with their next steps.
Check out this useful, local booklet detailing all the information you need about post16 settings here
SIXTH FORM & SIXTH FORM COLLEGES
Sixth Forms are often attached to a school and sometimes sixth forms are completely separate from any other schools, and teach students from lots of different place. The courses available are mainly A- Level but some do include vocational qualifications like a BTEC too. A levels offer a great route into Higher Education and employment. NA6 is the Newark Academy sixth form and we welcome you to check out our current offer here however, we do have an open evening on 14th November! Put the date in your diary!
FURTHER EDUCATION COLLEGES
Offer a huge range of courses that can help at every stage of life from Level 1 courses through to degrees and professional qualifications. Colleges offer a range of full-time and part-time courses related to a broad employment area such as Business, Engineering, IT, Health and Social Care etc that can lead to a specific job.
APPRENTICESHIPS
Offer a way to learn on the job whilst working for an employer, building up knowledge and skills, gaining qualifications and earning money at the same time. If you have a job sector or career in mind then an apprenticeships can be a great choice.
EMPLOYMENT / VOLUNTARY WORK
If you do choose the work / voluntary work route, this will involve you working towards a nationally recognised qualification as well as being employed, self employed or volunteering for 20 hours or more a week.
HOW TO CHOOSE
Think about how each option fits with your other GCSEs. Does a subject go well with your other choices? Or does a subject provide a welcome change? If you’re taking lots of Science and Maths based subjects, it can be good to include one choice which is essay based.
A good place to start planning your post-16 options is to think of these three questions.
Of course, at 16, young people may not know the answers to all these questions, but now is the time to start exploring information about careers, jobs and courses.
If you really aren't sure about what you want to do in the future then 'stay broad' - do a broad range of subjects so that you can decide later!
It might also help to get advice from people who know you well (like parents & teachers) or ask your school careers adviser, Mrs Brown - abrown@newarkacademy.co.uk
For the first World of Work with on WC 30th September, we have welcomed back an Alumni student, Thomas Eason. Tom attended The Grove school and 6th form and left us to go to university in 2014. Tom is now a lecturer in Politics & International Relations at Aston University, in Birmingham. Tom came in to deliver a Politics seminar to our year 12 Politics students and were joined by some year 11 students too. Tom also delivered a full crew by Teams, to year 10,11,12 & 13. It was great for our existing students to hear about Tom's journey and we hope that he has inspired many of them to start thinking about their future, in particular whether university is something they aspire for.
We also invited Mark Shevill, Director of OneCard in to talk to our year 7,8 & 9 students. Mark talked passionately about his journey through the world of work and how he has overcome many challenges in his life to reach the level of success he has achieved.
This term through our Personal Development curriculum, Newark Academy students will further explore the world of work to support their understanding of career opportunities and develop ambitions to reach their personal goals. Students are encouraged to explore and reflect on their future aspirations celebrating their talents, values, and beliefs.
They are asked to deepen their understanding of their legal rights as young people entering the workforce such as the legal age limits which may restrict their choices until adulthood, working conditions and the hours they can commit to when working.
As they start to enter the world of work and earn their own money they are asked to consider the skills they need to develop in order they manage their money correctly, the dangers of financial risk taking, loans and debt.
Whole school voting process
Recently, the whole school participated in the Student Leadership Lead Ambassador elections. NA6 students competed by creating a promotional video outlining their values and explaining why they believed they were best suited for the role highlighting qualities such as dedication and leadership skills. These videos were shared by the whole school to watch.
The voting process involved the whole school student body. After watching the videos, each student had the opportunity to vote for the candidate they felt would best represent the school community. This is a democratic process and gave everyone a voice in selecting their future Lead Ambassadors. Once the votes were counted, the winning candidates were announced to the whole school via Microsoft Teams, making it a moment of celebration for all students and staff.
My name is Harriet and I am doing a Sports Development Apprenticeship at Active4Today. I studied at Newark Academy and stayed into sixth form taking a Double Sport OCR qualification gaining two distinctions alongside a D in Geography at A level. I was never sure what I wanted to do so I thought staying on at school for an extra two years would be beneficial to gain more qualifications and give me more time to think about what my next steps would be.
After finishing school, I always knew the university pathway wasn’t for me but I liked the idea of doing an apprenticeship where I’m learning and earning money at the same time. The Sports Development Apprenticeship then came up at Active4today which I took an interest in due to my passion for sport. I have always said I want to do something that I enjoy and this is exactly that.
Within this job role working alongside my colleagues I work with young people, clubs across Newark and Sherwood, corporate partners, GP referral clients, exercise classes etc. I also help with the admin side, as well as dedicating many hours a week to my course work. The thing I love about this job is that every day is different. I go to a variety of events, networking, gaining more knowledge and meeting new people. I am now 5 months in and my confidence has grown immeasurably and I can’t wait to see where I will go next on my career pathway.
Hey, I’m Georgia and I was a part of Newark Academy from 2016-2023 through GCSE and A levels. I started my university journey in September 2023 as a student midwife! First year went by so incredibly quick, I spent lots of time making friends in each other’s flats and going to freshers' events. The universities make it so easy to make friends through all their events and sharing accommodation. It can be daunting at first, but you settle in so quickly as University life can be very busy and hectic! From September until January, I was at university and then I moved out into placement at the hospital, I witnessed over 15 c-sections and 5 births and delivered 5 baby boys myself! The journey so far has been incredible, and I don’t think the emotions and feelings after delivering babies will ever change for me, I cry every time! But most importantly having friends around me and seeing my family really helped me adapt to university life.
For anyone taking their GCSES or A-levels now my best advice to you is to stick with it! The process can be so hard with all the revising and exams, but I promise it is worth it when you get to go on and do the things you love such as your job or university. If you still don’t know where you want to go after school that’s okay, try looking into your favourite subject and what jobs may stem from this, that’s how I knew I wanted to be a midwife, and if you think this could be a job for you to feel free to contact me! Mrs Brown will share my email address with anyone that want's to reach out. I wish you all the best of luck, you will smash it!!!!!
Some of our staff have lead fascinating and varied lives, with careers that have taken them to many exciting places. Each term, there will be a focus on sharing some of their journey with our students and families. For this edition, we thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to introduce some of our new staff members, that have joined our Senior Leadership Team.
Mrs Bracegirdle
I was lucky in secondary school to study a wide range of subjects; I hold 16 higher grade passes at GCSE, ranging from A*-C. I would describe myself as versatile in terms of my interests and ability in subjects. I then went on to VI Form to study English Literature, Business Studies, ICT and Media Studies.
During the summer after my GCSE exams, I went to work for McDonalds and loved the fast-paced environment and comradery from the team. I was promoted quite quickly and became the UK’s youngest Shift Manager at 17 years old. I went to work for McDonalds in Australia, and this ignited my passion for travel, which still lives on today.
I studied Business Management and Finance through the University of Essex and graduated with a BA Honours Degree. From this I was lucky enough to secure a place on the Graduate Teaching Programme through Nottingham Trent University. I decided during some extensive work experience and after I had submitted my dissertation, that practical subjects such as Food and Design Technology were where my heart lay. I undertook a year of teacher training which was enjoyable, yet challenging.
In my first year of teaching, I taught at an outstanding school in West Bridgford. During my time there I was promoted to Second in Department for Design and Technology. I taught KS3 DT, Food, Electronics and Textiles, alongside KS4 Food, Art Textiles and practical Graphics, along with my specialism of Food at KS5.
In my fourth year of teaching, I moved schools to The Dukeries Academy as Head of Food Technology. I oversaw the development of the curriculum and reaching Healthy School status.
My next career step came when I moved to Cowes Enterprise College on the Isle of Wight as Director of Education for Technology. The department was failing and in four years went from the worst performing to the best performing subject area. From here I was headhunted to work for the Isle of Wight Education Federation where I became part of the Senior Leadership Team and led Technology across 3 schools. I worked there for 5 happy years developing the curriculum, securing my Masters in Education and a Level 7 apprenticeship in Educational Senior Leadership.
I now find myself back in Nottinghamshire as Associate School Leader and Executive Leader of Technology at Newark Academy. I am excited to work alongside all the staff and students at Newark Academy and continue to develop my career further. Please feel free to come and find me to discuss any information shared here.
Mrs Howarth
I got my degree from Manchester University and then straight into training to be a teacher in Leicester, being a teacher was what I had always wanted to do. After completing my training. I decided to try something different, I moved to Bristol where I worked for the Cancer Research Campaign in the office but quickly realised my passion was for teaching and I wanted to get back into the classroom. I moved back up to Leicester where I taught sociology and humanities in Loughborough for 12 years. I moved to teach in Rugby as head of sociology then became a member of the senior team and head of humanities. I worked in that school for 10 years. In September I was appointed Associate School Leader at Newark, and I work with the amazing sixth form team.
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