Careers News at Risedale School

12/07/2023 Top News

A Careers News Round-Up from Mrs Porritt for 2022-2023.

It's hard to believe that another academic year has come to an end. Our pupils were fortunate to have been presented with numerous career-oriented opportunities, starting from the STEM Careers Fair held last November, all the way up to the college Taster Days at the end of June 2023.

At Risedale, all pupils have access to their own Unifrog account, which will continue to provide thousands of resources on career pathways available after secondary school.

New guidelines from the Department of Education were released in January 2023 regarding Technical Pathways and this information was sent to all parents/carers in February: 2022 - 2023 - Technical Training Student booklet - Your-Options

KS3 Careers Overview

During Tutor Time, KS3 pupils completed careers-related tasks for their personal development and had access to further careers information, advice and guidance during their dedicated lessons within the Social Studies programme. KS3 pupils were also able to visit the Careers STEM Fair giving them the opportunity to talk to employers and learn more about future careers in the world of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

In Year 9, pupils have completed the Options process and are ready to begin their next educational milestone at KS4. I would like to personally thank all the pupils who completed a Reception Duty this year. You were fantastic ambassadors for the school and made this programme a great success. Seeing you all gaining confidence, resilience and developing your employability skills has been truly amazing.

KS4 Careers Overview

For Year 10 pupils, the focus shifted to the World of Work at the start of the summer term. They participated in the Big Enterprise Day, explored Higher Education with a visit to York St. John University, attended an Apprenticeship workshop, and completed a week of Work Experience. Once again I’d like to offer my sincere thanks to all the businesses and establishments, locally and nationally, that supported our Year 10 pupils with their Work Experience placements. At Risedale see Work Experience as a crucial part of a young person's development. For many of them, it’s the first time they would have experienced life beyond the school gates and had the opportunity to be independent and responsible young adults in society as well as honing their employability and transferable skills.

In June, Year 10 attended Taster Days at Darlington College and Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, in preparation for them making informed choices about their college applications. This process will continue in Year 11.

All Year 11 pupils received their final 1:1 careers interview during the Autumn term and went through the college application process. Pupils attended post-16 interviews throughout Year 11, before focusing on their GCSE examinations. I look forward to catching up with them again on Results Day to confirm their next destinations for September.

Congratulations to all of our pupils! It truly has been a wonderful year, and I am pleased that I had the opportunity to witness every one of you benefit from the Risedale Careers programme and grow as individuals.