Careers

Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance

Preparing our students for their future is an integral part of everything we do at The Downs School. Whether students go on to further or higher education, apprenticeships, employment or self-employment once they leave us, we want their time at The Downs School to have provided them with the skills and knowledge to make the choices that are best for them.

Careers Programme

Through our Careers Programme we provide the best possible careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) to all our students including:

  • Up-to-date information about the local employment market;
  • Personal careers guidance;
  • Opportunities to meet employers and employees and to gain experience of the working world;
  • Curriculum links to real-world careers;
  • Information on all post-16 options; 
  • Information on all post-18 options;
  • Encounters with further and higher education providers;
  • Encounters with technical education and apprenticeship providers;
  • Development of employability skills, CV writing and application advice.

Careers Information

In this section you will find lots of useful information and links to the careers information available to students at The Downs School. It includes:

  • Resources for students
  • Resources for parents/carers - How you can help students to prepare for life after school.
  • Resources for employers - How you can help our students and reach the talent of the future.

The school employs a dedicated Careers Leader - Mrs C Wilson-Croombs who can be contacted for information and guidance on careers related matters by the following methods:

By email: careers@thedownsschool.org 

By telephone: 01635 270000

 

Careers Programme

Overview 

At The Downs School we place a great emphasis on our students having a programme that ensures they are well equipped for moving onto their next step after school, whether that be further education, higher education, an apprenticeship or into the workplace. This starts as soon as they arrive at school in Year 7.  We make every effort to ensure all our students are on the right pathway suitable for their particular skill set and this is done through a rigorous programme and focus on careers throughout their school life.

Careers Leader: Mrs C Wilson-Croombs - careers@thedownsschool.org
PDP Programme Leader: Ms G Winfield.

We are constantly reviewing and improving our careers education and guidance in line with the Gatsby benchmarks.  This programme will be reviewed on an annual basis; the next review will be in July 2023.

The impact of the Careers Programme will be assessed through student evaluation on individual events and a general careers assessment questionnaire used at key transition points. Destination Data of our Year 11 and Year 13 students will be used to assess the impact of our Careers Programme. 

Year 7 Careers Entitlement

  • Students are introduced to the careers resources available to them, in particular Unifrog and eClips, and informed how to use them.
  • Individual profiles are created on Unifrog  and students are encouraged to use this platform throughout their school life to record careers activities and to access resources that support their careers education.
  • Students can access careers advice through the Careers Leader.
  • Students will have the opportunity to engage with local employers during assemblies and workshops this may be in person or by video conferencing.
  • Students will have access to local employers through curriculum or interest talks, this may be in person or by video conferencing.
  • Through the Personal Development Programme students will start to consider what their future career will look like based on their interests and abilities, and what skills they need to get there.

Year 8 Careers Entitlement

  • Students further develop their Unifrog profiles and become more aware of the career focused resources available to them.
  • Careers education continues to be recorded on their Unifrog profile.
  • Students can access careers advice through the Careers Leader.
  • Students will have the opportunity to engage with local employers during assemblies and workshops; this may be in person or by video conferencing.
  • Students are introduced to providers of technical education and apprenticeships to get an understanding of the education and training options that they can offer them.
  • Students will have access to local employers through curriculum or interest talks, this may be in person or by video conferencing.
  • Through the Personal Development Programme students will build on personal strengths and begin to link skills to specific careers, enabling realistic and informed decisions using labour market information.

 

Year 9 Careers Entitlement

  • Students further develop their Unifrog profiles and become more aware of the career focused resources available to them.
  • Careers education continues to be recorded on their Unifrog profile.
  • Students can access careers advice through the Careers Leader.
  • Students will relate potential GCSE/BTEC option choices to the World of Work, hearing from business volunteers who will talk about how different subject choices have helped them with their careers.
  • Students will have access to local employers through curriculum or interest talks, this may be in person or by video conferencing.
  • Students are introduced to providers of technical education and apprenticeships to get an understanding of the education and training options that they can offer them.
  • Through the Personal Development Programme students will build on personal strengths and begin to link skills to specific careers enabling realistic and informed decisions at transition stages. Students will be encouraged to challenge stereotypes within the world of work and traditional job roles.

 

Year 10 Careers Entitlement

  • Students further develop their Unifrog profiles and become more aware of the career focused resources available to them.
  • Careers education continues to be recorded on their Unifrog profile.
  • Students can access careers advice through the Careers Leader.  T
  • Students will participate in careers activities during tutor time, which will include activities involving business volunteers and apprenticeship/education providers.
  • Students will have access to local employers through curriculum or interest talks, this may be in person or by video conferencing.
  • Students are introduced to providers of technical education and apprenticeships to get an understanding of the education and training options that they can offer them.
  • Through the Personal Development Programme students will review their skills and interests and link these to career choices, start to plan next steps and produce a CV.
  • Students will be allocated two days to undertake a Work Shadowing Placement.
  • Students identified as needing extra support to think about career options and next steps will be offered additional advice, information and guidance.

Year 11 Careers Entitlement

  • Students further develop their Unifrog profiles and become more aware of the career focused resources available to them.
  • Careers education continues to be recorded on their Unifrog profile.
  • Students can access careers advice through the Careers Leader. 
  • Students are offered a careers interview with an independant and impartial Careers Advisor.
  • Students will be encouraged to use their time when not in school (e.g. evenings, weekends or school holidays) to gain experience of the workplace, attending virtual opportunities and if viable work shadowing with a local employer. 
  • Students will have access to local employers through curriculum or interest talks, this may be in person or by video conferencing.
  • Students are introduced to providers of technical education and apprenticeships to get an understanding of the education and training options that they can offer them.
  • Through the Personal Development Programme students will finalise potential options for after Year 11 and improve their study skills.
  • Students are helped with post 16 choices and encouraged to consider all their options. Speakers from the The Downs School Sixth Form, local colleges and employers will present to students during assemblies or tutor time about potential options.
  • Future destinations are discussed with their tutor during a Careers Mentoring Day in January.
  • Students will have the opportunity to hear from Year 13 students, and those who have recently left The Downs School, about A Level/vocational courses and alternative options.
  • Students will participate in Sixth Form Taster sessions, focussed on subjects only new subjects that will be available to them.
  • Students planning to attend college after Year 11 will have support to complete application forms.
  • Students are encouraged to attend careers talks, fairs, college open days and taster days with employers or attend on-line virtual sessions.
  • Students are kept up to date with post 16 deadlines.
  • Students identified as needing extra support to think about career options and next steps will be offered additional advice, information and guidance.

Year 12 Careers Entitlement

  • Students will have access to local employers through interest talks, may be in person or by video conferencing.
  • Students will be encouraged to participate in opportunities to attend work place events offered by local employers, either in person or virtually.
  • Students will continue to use Unifrog and are introduced to new resources and tools tp support future planning and University/Apprenticeship applications.
  • Students will attend a variety of talks/video conferences offered by local employers during tutor time, assemblies or the Personal Development Programme.
  • Students are introduced to providers of technical education and apprenticeships to get an understanding of the education and training options that they can offer them.
  • Students are given specific support with preparing UCAS applications and applying to university from a dedicated UCAS Manager within school.
  • Students applying to Oxbridge, Medicine, Dentistry or Veterinary Studies are idendified and given additional support by the UCAS Manager.
  • Students are given specific advice on apprenticeships and are supported with applications from the Key Stage 5 Student Manager within school.
  • Students will attend a focused careers day, which will include talks/workshops on the variety of options available after leaving school, including University, Apprenticeships and Gap years.  
  • Students are encouraged to attend university open days, mock interviews, careers interviews and meet potential employers to discuss future options, including virtual opportunities.
  • Students can access careers advice through the Careers Leader.  
  • Students will have the opportunity to attend external Careers Fairs.
  • Students can apply to undertake the Morrisby Profile, psychometric assessment tool to assist with career choices.
  • Students are given support and encouragement to undertake a Work Experience Placement (may be completed in Year 13).
  • Students identified as needing extra support to think about career options and next steps will be offered additional advice, information and guidance.

 

Year 13 Careers Entitlement

  • Students will attend talks given by local employers, apprenticeship providers and university admission teams to provide information on Post-18 options.
  • Students will be encouraged to use their time when not in school (e.g. evenings, weekends or school holidays) to gain experience of the workplace, attending virtual opportunities and if viable work experience with a local employer.
  • Students can apply to undertake the Morrisby Profile, psychometric assessment tool to assist with career choices.
  • Students develop their use of Unifrog to finalise their future planning and University/Apprenticeship applications.
  • Students will attend a variety of talks/video conferences offered by local employers during tutor time, assemblies or the Personal Development Programme.
  • Students are introduced to providers of technical education and apprenticeships to get an understanding of the education and training options that they can offer them.
  • Students are given specific help from Sixth Form staff with preparing UCAS applications and applying for apprenticeships.
  • Students applying to Oxbridge, Medicine, Dentistry or Veterinary Studies are given additional support by the UCAS Manager.
  • Students are encouraged to attend university open days, mock interviews, careers interviews and meet potential employers to discuss future options, including virtual opportunities.
  • Students can access careers advice through the Careers Leader.  
  • Students have the opportunity to attend an apprenticeship workshop.
  • Students identified as needing extra support to think about career options and next steps will be offered additional advice, information and guidance.

 

Resources for Students

The decisions you make from an early stage at school can have a big impact on your future career choices and happiness.  It therefore makes sense to start thinking about your future as soon as possible.

Remember, exploring and understanding your future options is a key part of preparing yourself for success: there is lots of support available so make the most of the careers opportunities provided.

The kind of questions you will be asked to think about.

There is life after school.  To prepare for it, there are a number of questions you will be encouraged to think about whilst you are at The Downs School. The answers you come up with to these questions will inform your subject choices for GCSE and what you choose to do when your leave school.

  • What are you most interested in? What do you like doing?
  • What are you best at? What skills do you have?
  • What sorts of careers interest you? What do they involve? What skills and qualifications do they require?
  • What can you do to find out more about careers that interest you?
  • What can you do whilst at school to make future employers more likely to hire you?

What help you can expect whilst at The Downs?

All students at The Downs School are entitled to have access to careers guidance from Year 7 up until the age of 18.

  • We provide impartial and independent careers guidance which includes a range of careers-related activities.
  • We help you to meet with local employers/work-based education and apprenticeship providers, to gain valuable work experience and insight to the world of work.

Students can arrange to meet with the Careers Leader, Mrs Wilson-Croombs, at any point throughout their time at The Downs School. 

The Unifrog Careers Platform.

The school uses Unifrog as it's main careers platform to help students get the best out of our Careers Programme.  All students have their own individual profile on the platform which they can use to track their career activities during their time at The Downs School.  Unifrog offers:

  • Indvidual Student Profiles: Students can build on their profiles from Year 7 until they leave school at either Year 11 or Year 13. This offers them the chance to reflect on how their careers education has evolved and how their career thoughts and chioces have changed over the years. 
  • Quizzes and Activities: Students are encouraged to use a range of interactive quizzes and activities to help them understand which education and career paths are the right option for them.
  • Employability Skills: Skills are at the heart of Unifrog with tools for students to reflect on their skills and learning as well as the ability to log skills as they are developed or required.
  • Careers Resources: Unifrog provides a complete careers library for students to access containing useful resources to help students with think about their next steps whether that be moving into Sixth Form, applying for a university place or taking on an apprenticeship.

Choosing GCSE and A levels.

When choosing GCSE, A level and other further edcuation qualifications, having at least some idea what sort of careers you might be interested in can be very helpful.  When deciding which subjects to study it is important that you do your research as some careers will require you to gain specific qualifications.

The school will provide you with plenty of support when it comes to making your choices.  There are also lots of sources of information available online.

Apprenticeships.

The school’s Careers Programme will provide all students with an understanding of Apprenticeships and advice on how to explore the opportunities they offer as either a post-16 or post-18 option.

An apprenticeship is a real job with training which would allow you to earn while you learn, whilst gaining a nationally recognised qualification. Apprenticeships take between one and five years to complete and are available in 1,500 occupations across 170 industries varying from construction to manufacturing through to IT and the creative and digital sectors.

There are various levels of apprenticeship you could apply for depending on your interests, current skills and qualifications.

Apprenticeship Level

Educational level

Intermediate

5 GCSE passes at grades A* to C

Advanced

2 A level passes

Higher

Foundation degree and above

Degree

Bachelor’s or master’s degree

 

All apprenticeships will include elements of on the job and off the job training leading to industry recognised standards or qualifications. Some apprenticeships will require an assessment at the end of the programme to assess the apprentice`s ability and competence in their job role.

Apprenticeships are available to anyone over the age of 16, living in England. There are different entry requirements depending on the sector and job.

Work experience at the Downs School.

Work experience is a fantastic way to learn new skills, see what a real workplace is like and gain confidence. It also gives you the edge when it comes to applying for jobs.

All students in Year 10 will undertake Work Shadowing, accompanying a relative or family friend to their place of work.  The fundamental reasoning behind this programme is to introduce the wide and varied range of skills required for working life to students, and to boost their confidence in practical and social skills.  We see this as an invaluable opportunity for the student’s personal development and it will help them realise the value of the skills they are learning in the classroom.

Sixth Form students will be given advice and support to gain work experience placements. It is expected that every Sixth Form student will undertake a Work Experience Placement.

Want to find out more about careers?

Please ensure that you keep up to date with information added to the TDS Careers Pages.  Careers TDS Home Page

Here you will find information on:
 Apprenticeships
Further Education and Resources
Useful Careers Links and Information

You can also find all of the latest on Virtual Work Experience Opportunities, Apprenticeships, Webinars, Open Days on the Latest News page

In addition there are lots of excellent free destinations that offer extensive information and guidance to help you think about future jobs.  Some of the best are listed in the Useful Careers Websites section.

  • General, all-purpose careers sites with a wide range of advice and links;
  • Careers quizzes to help you explore what careers might best suit you;
  • Careers Information & Job Profiles;
  • Information about Apprenticeships and current vacancies;
  • Higher Education & University courses & information;
  • Work Experience & Volunteering opportunities;
  • Guidance on writing a CV; and
  • Guidance on interview technique

Resources for Parents/Carers

The decisions young people make from an early stage at school can have a big impact on their future career choices and happiness. Parents and carers have a vital role to play in this career journey.

Guide for Parents/Carers.

We have created a guide designed to provide an overview of how you, as parents/carers, can help support your student with these important choices.  Please click here for the information.

Future Learn has produced free Resource for parents to Prepare your Child for University.

Learn about the UK's university application process and how to prepare your young person for university and the student journey.

Sign up for courses - FutureLearn

Success at School has produced a FREE careers guide for parents and carers

From university and apprenticeships to work experience, Success at School's careers guide for parents is packed full of advice to help you steer your child through the confusing world of careers choices.

Get Your Downloadable Parents' eBook (successatschool.org)

Parent, Guardian and Carer Guide to support Children with Higher Education choices
Guide by Which

Paths to Professional Careers – A Parents Guide 2020
Parents Guide to Professional Careers

Volunteering - The Downs School Careers Network.

The Downs School Careers Network is a key element of the Careers Programme at The Downs School.  The Careers Network brings together individuals and organisations outside the school – parents, alumni, and local employers – who want to support students at The Downs School.

If you’d like to join the Careers Network and support students at The Downs School, or if you’d like to explore other ways you or your employer could help, please contact the school’s Careers Lead - Mrs Wilson-Croombs:  careers@thedownsschool.org

Apprenticeships.

Apprenticeships provide young people with a wide range of opportunities, but understanding recent developments can be confusing.  For further information see the below guide:

Parents Guide to Apprenticeships (Full Edition 2019/2020) Full Parents Guide 2020

Client logo

Please check out the  Berkshire Opportunities website through this link.

Berkshire Opportunities is the gateway to jobs, courses and apprenticeships in Berkshire as well as providing information on Post 16 Pathways, Post 18 Pathways, Sectors Currently Recruiting, Labour Market Information, Information for Schools and Webinars for Students.

 

Immersive Career Experiences.

InvestIn provide students aged 12-18 a head-start in their futures through our immersive career experience programmes. The Downs Schools students can obtain 10% discount on any of these experiences which include:
Architecture — Art — Computer Science — Dentistry — Engineering — Entrepreneurship — Fashion Design — Filmmaking — International Development — Investment Banking — Journalism — Law — Management Consultancy — Marketing — Medicine — Music — Politics — Psychology — Publishing — Veterinary Science


All programmes can  be viewed here
https://investin.org/collections/all
Please contact the Careers Leader if you need any support.
careers@the downsschool.org

Recent Blogs and Advice for Parents  From Parents Guides 

Get competitive – competitions to help your teen stand out

How stress affects teens and what you can do to help

Engaging the senses to get more out of life for you and your teen

Virtual work experience – why your child should take part

EPQs - For Year 11s going on to Sixth Form, now is a good time for them to consider whether they’d like to take an EPQ and, if so, what they’d like to focus on. We’ve written this blog so parents know why and how an EPQ can be valuable.

Aspire Guide for Parents and Carers

The Aspire guide will help you understand the range of post-school/college options out there, enabling you to help guide your child through an important decision.

Aspire contains everything you need to encourage your child to aim high, broaden their horizons and achieve their potential.

Access your free copy of the Aspire guide

Success at Schools Career Advice Articles for Parents

 

Resources for Employers

Key benefits for your organisation.

Supporting careers education for students at The Downs School can be personally rewarding.  But it can also have concrete advantages for your business.

  • Ensuring that the future generation of professionals are equipped with the knowledge and understanding of the requirements of your industry.
  • Having first hand knowledge of and direct access to potential future employees.
  • Developing your own staff, by providing them with opportunities to develop, mentor and coach the future generation.

How you can help.

There are a range of very practical ways employers can support careers education.  These include:

  • employer mentoring
  • enterprise competitions
  • 1-2 week work experiences
  • careers talks, fairs
  • CV workshops
  • mock interviews
  • work-related learning provided in cooperation with employers
  • employer delivered employability skills workshops
  • workplace visits
  • volunteering

The CBI and the Careers & Enterprise Company have produced a very helpful guide for employers who want to engage with schools https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/sites/default/files/uploaded/careers-enterprise-cbi-employers-guide-schools-v2.pdf

Getting involved – The Downs School Careers Network.

The Downs School Careers Network is a key element of the Careers Programme at The Downs School.  The Careers Network brings together individuals and organisations outside the school – parents, alumni, and local employers – who want to support students at the Downs.

If you’d like to join the Careers Network and support students at the Downs, or if you’d like to explore other ways you or your employer could help, please contact the school’s Careers Lead, Mrs Wilson-Croombs: careers@thedownsschool.org
 

Careers and Enterprise Company

Experiences in the Workplace - Latest Video to encourage supporting Young Adults gain work place experience.

Experiences of the Workplace – Our Guide for Employers - YouTube

 

 

Useful Careers Websites (and websites students are asked to access)

Where to get advice (including websites that our students are asked to access):

Careers Information & Job Profiles:

Careers quizzes:

Local and National Courses:

 

Activities & volunteering:

  • http://www.do-it.org.uk – search for local volunteering & work experience opportunities

     

    Funding & money matters:

The Downs School Careers Network

The Downs School Careers Network is a key element of the Careers Programme at The Downs School.  The Careers Network brings together individuals and organisations outside the school – parents, alumni, and local employers – who want to support students at The Downs School.

Goal

The primary aim of the Network is to:

  • increase access to careers-related experiences for students of all ages by deepening engagement with parents, and alumni and, through them, their employers;
  • to help teachers to continue the development of the links between subject skills/experiences and careers learning through access to business volunteers.

Volunteers

The Network is run by the school’s Careers Leader, but depends on volunteers willing to offer their time and expertise to enhance the career advice and guidance available to students at The Downs School.

Volunteers can support the students by, for example,

  • sharing their own experiences at Careers Fairs and related events;
  • helping with CV feedback and interview practice;
  • offering work experience opportunities; and
  • helping teachers introduce career-related case studies, projects and experiences into their lessons;

If you’d like to join the Careers Network and support students at The Downs School, or if you’d like to explore other ways you or your employer could help, please contact the school’s Careers Leader, Mrs Wilson-Croombs: careers@thedownsschool.org

 

Local Labour Market Information

It is difficult to predict the future employment landscape. Awareness of local labour market intelligence – which roles and skills are most in demand locally now and which will be in the future -  can help us understand the skills, qualifications and wider attributes that are needed for the future in the areas where we live.

Economies and policies change – so do students’ aspirations and circumstances – so it is also important that the range of skills and attributes developed are transferrable and will enhance everyone’s lifelong employability.

Labour market information (LMI) is published by the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership.  It can help students and their parents understand the local job market.

To view the local labour market information presentation please see the attachments Local Labour Market Information for Schools and Career Opportunities in Berkshire.

Students can also use e-Clips and Unifrog to find out information about specific career pathways – password is available to all students in school.

The latest Thames Valley information on Skills and Careers can be found on this site.
People | TVB Intelligence

 

Provider Access Statement

Link to our Provider Access Statement can be found here.

The Careers and Enterprise Company

The Careers and Enterprise Company (https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/) run a national network that connects schools and colleges with employers and careers programme providers and supports them to work together to provide effective work experiences for young people.

The network is facilitated by Enterprise Coordinators, trained professionals who work with clusters of schools and colleges to build careers plans and make connections to local and national employers.

In turn, these Enterprise Coordinators support a group of senior business volunteers, known as Enterprise Advisers, who they match with one of the school or colleges in the network.

Enterprise Advisers use their knowledge of the local business landscape to support Senior Leadership and Careers Team to develop an effective careers plan and to create opportunities with their business contacts in the area for their school or college’s students.

At The Downs School, our Enterprise Coordinator is Denise Firth who is based in the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise partnership.

We are currently waiting to be allocated a new Enterprise Business Adviser.

 

http://www.thamesvalleyberkshire.co.uk/getfile/Public%20Documents/Programmes/Skills%20Education%20and%20Employment/CEC/Careers%20Hub/ThamesValleyBerkshire.png?inline-view=trueThe school has joined the newly formed Thames Valley Careers Hub.  This is a group of 20 schools across the Thames Valley who will be working closely together to further improve the range of outcomes for the young people in the local area.  Increased support will be available to the school through a new Hub Lead, working with existing Enterprise Coordinators, to deliver against the Gatsby Benchmarks. The Hub Lead will coordinate activity and build local networks (for example, with employers, businesses and higher and further education providers). There is a central Hub fund that will offer the opportunity to invest in activities which benefit schools and colleges across the Hub, such as apprenticeship events and broader learning and sharing events.

 

The Gatsby Benchmarks

Statutory Guidance requires all schools to be fully compliant in relation to the eight Gatsby Benchmarks relating to good careers practice in school.  Using the Compass Plus Careers Benchmark Tool issued by the Careers and Enterprise Company, schools are able to track their progress towards these Benchmarks.  A recent evaluation with the Careers and Enterprise Company demonstrated The Downs School is now fully compliant in all 8 Benchmarks. Nationally, on average schools and colleges are achieving 3 of the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks (2019 Careers and Enterprise Company “State of the Nation” report).

Taken from DfE Careers guidance and access for education and training providers, published October 2018:

 

Benchmark

Criteria

Where We Stand

1. A stable careers programme

 

Every school and college should have an embedded programme of career education and guidance that is known and understood by students, parents, teachers, governors and employers.

The school’s career programme is published on the school website and student entitlement statements are displayed in tutor rooms.  The programme is reviewed annually following feedback from stakeholders.  The school has a named Careers Leader who works to develop the careers programme.

2.Learning from career and labour market information

 

Every student, and their parents, should have access to good quality information about future study options and labour market opportunities. They will need the support of an informed adviser to make best use of available information.

All students have access to eClips on-line, which holds up to date Labour Market Information.  Students and parents are further given information on future options through a range of careers activities, particularly at key transition stages, and the Personal Development Programme (PDP).

3.Addressing the needs of each student

 

Students have different career guidance needs at different stages. Opportunities for advice and support need to be tailored to the needs of each student. A school’s careers programme should embed equality and diversity considerations throughout.

Each student has an individual log in for Grofar, the on-line careers software used by the school.  Here they can update their action plan and record careers events they have attended.  The school publishes destination data and works closely with West Berkshire Council to maintain records.  The school actively encourages ex-students to visit the school and talk to current students about their options.

4.Linking curriculum learning to careers

 

All teachers should link curriculum learning with careers. STEM subject teachers should highlight the relevance of STEM subjects for a wide range of future career paths.

All subjects include lessons related to careers; these are identified in the Curriculum Summaries published on the school website.  During the academic year, each faculty will also hold a careers subject week to further explore links between subjects/subject skills and the curriculum.  Careers is also an integral part of the school’s Personal Development Programme.

5.Encounters with employers and employees

Every student should have multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace. This can be through a range of enrichment activities including visiting speakers, mentoring and enterprise schemes.

Every student has a number of encounters with employers during their school career, including a wide variety of STEM employers.  This is through careers events such as “Exploring your Future”, assemblies and visits by employers to subject lessons.

6.Experiences of workplaces

Every student should have first-hand experiences of the workplace through work visits, work shadowing and/or work experience to help their exploration of career opportunities, and expand their networks.

In Year 10 students undertake two work shadowing days, visiting a range of local employers.  In Year 12 students visit Vodafone for an Insight Day, students are also encouraged to arrange individual work experience.  There are also a range of ad hoc trips to local employers to ensure that every student has visited a work place by the end of Year 11, and again in the 6th Form.

7.Encounters with further and higher education

All students should understand the full range of learning opportunities that are available to them. This includes both academic and vocational routes and learning in schools, colleges, universities and in the workplace.

Students are supplied information about all potential options available to them Post 16 and Post 18.  Students hear from universities, local employers and colleges about potential options during assemblies and other career related events such as After 18 Day. 

8.Personal guidance

Every student should have opportunities for guidance interviews with a career adviser, who could be internal (a member of school staff) or external, provided they are trained to an appropriate level. These should be available whenever significant study or career choices are being made.

Every student has access to careers advice through the Careers Leader, who holds a Level 6 Diploma in Careers Guidance and Development and registered as a CDI Professional.  Every student will receive individual careers advice during Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5.

 

 

 

 

Student Destinations and Alumni

Destination data is available in the school comparison tables on the website:

https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/school/110102/the-downs-school

Destinations for those students who left July 2022

Year Eleven

  • There were 180 students in the cohort
  • 105 students joined TDS Sixth Form (58% of total)
  • 34 students joined Sixth Forms in other schools.
  • 33 students joined an FE college 
  • 4 students started an apprenticeship
  • No students were NEET, Not in Education, Employment or Training 
     

Year Thirteen

There were 149 students in the cohort

  • 119 students accepted a university place (2 accepted an Oxbridge offer, 8 accepted a Medicine, Veterinary Medicine or Dentistry course, 53% of students accepted a place in a Russell Group or 1994 Group university)
  • 12 students started an apprenticeship
  • 4 students entered into employment
  • 2 students are continuing in Further Education
  • 1 student joined the Armed Forces
  • 11 students have taken a gap year

 

Alumni

As a school we encourage our past students to keep in contact with us, a number of recent leavers have come back in to school to help with careers events.  If you wish to join our network, please contact careers@thedownsschool.org

Here are examples of what our alumni are doing now:

Hannah BHannah Bamford

Downs School Alumni – Sixth Form (2009-2011)

 I started at The Downs School in year seven and stayed all the way through my A-Levels. Back in 2009, when I started at Sixth Form College I wanted to be a lawyer. I had been inspired after winning a mock-trial competition that I had been part of a few years previously, where a group of students were taken to Reading Crown Court to compete against other local schools. My favourite classes throughout my time at The Downs were History and Law and I was very set on what I wanted to do. It was no surprise to my teachers when I was the first in my year to send off my UCAS application. I went on to study History at Warwick University and subsequently completed my Graduate Diploma in Law at Oxford Brookes. However, since then I have made quite the U-Turn and I now have a successful career in restaurant management. Ever since I was 16 I worked in restaurants and hotels and I fell in love with the thrill of service and the camaraderie between staff. I quickly became enthralled by food, wine and great hospitality and thoroughly enjoyed learning the ins-and-outs of the trade. I started working full time during my breaks from university and was gradually offered more senior roles and added responsibility at the establishments I worked in. By the time I completed my GDL I had been promoted to restaurant manager of a local pub with guest bedrooms.

Even though I enjoyed my work and I was pleased with my progression, I was still convinced that I should be following a more traditional career path and become a criminal barrister. I decided to take a year out and move to Sussex before undertaking my barrister training on a part-time basis so I could continue working in hospitality. Two years later I had been offered my first General Manager position, aged 24, at one of Brighton’s best restaurants. It was at this point that I knew I couldn’t imagine doing anything else and I decided to focus on my career in hospitality completely. I have been at my current role as General Manager at a fine-dining restaurant – Heritage in West Sussex - for two years now and despite the difficult year with the pandemic the business has been a huge success. It is a passion project that has been years in the making and I am lucky to have been a part of it since its conception. My role as General Manager encompasses many things; business development, restaurant and event management, social media management, staff recruitment, training and guest relations. One of my favourite parts of the job is learning about wine and developing our wine list, which has led me to travel all over Europe (and hopefully further afield someday) researching and exploring vineyards and wine makers. I have recently undertaken formal wine training, which I plan to continue this year.

As well as my day-to-day work, I am also an ambassador for Springboard, a charity who is dedicated to inspiring future generations of hospitality superstars. I am working on a number of projects to encourage students to consider hospitality as a viable and rewarding career option and I am actively involved in trade discussions about how best to move forward as an industry. I will always be an advocate for those working in hospitality, utilising the many skills I learnt whilst studying law to benefit my team and my peers on a wider scale.

Downs School Alumni (2014-2016)

My name is Mariella Springford and I attended The Downs School in 2014-2016. Upon leaving Sixth Form I gained a place on Bowmer and Kirkland’s (B&K) Sponsorship programme as a Trainee Quantity Surveyor.  B&K is one of the largest and most successful privately-owned construction groups in the UK.

To successfully complete the programme, I attend The University of Westminster for 1 day a week working towards a BSc Honours in Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management and spend the rest of the week at work. Upon completion of my degree, I will maintain my position as a Quantity Surveyor at Bowmer & Kirkland with the opportunity to progress further up the career ladder. I am currently finishing my third year of the degree course and feel that it has contributed greatly towards my development as a QS. B+K offer a competitive salary, full sponsorship through University and pay any associated with travel/study fees.

A Quantity Surveyor is similar to an accountant and are responsible for all commercial aspects of a construction project.  I am currently working on a £22m commercial office development in Bristol and my responsibilities include Paying consultants/sub-contractors both fairly and promptly, Understanding Contracts, Managing and forecasting costs, Keeping to a budget, and Managing different trade packages e.g. ceramic tiling and decorating.

I moved to The Downs School when I was 16 and thoroughly enjoyed my 2 years there, especially participating in the sports and social events. 

What I Wish I’d known at School:

You are young and not expected to know what you want to do with your life. The best piece of advice I can offer is to gain work experience in any areas that you are interested in. Contact as many companies as possible and go for a work experience placement – this way you get to know what you may and may not like!

Grades are not the be all and end all. Many employers will agree that an individual’s attitude and experience mean far more than their grades. Grades keep doors open but ultimately, they view you as a person. 

I am a keen ambassador for getting young people to enter the Construction Industry – especially encouraging more females to come into a predominately male environment.  To try and implement this, I have given presentations to students at The Downs School for the last three years and attended various careers fairs.

 

Sam van Huyssteen
Downs School Alumni (2008 - 2014)

My name is Sam van Huyssteen, and I went to the Downs from year 7 right the way through to year 13. I finished my GCSE’s in 2012, and my A Levels in 2014. I went on to study Psychology at the University of Sheffield. It was my Psychology teacher at the Downs who inspired my ambition to become a Clinical Psychologist! I did some volunteering at University, running support groups for adults suffering from eating disorders, and after University, I knew I wanted to become a Doctor in Clinical Psychology. So I needed to gain some experience. I worked at a secondary school in for a year and a half, whilst volunteering in a hospital’s child psychology team, and realised that I absolutely loved working with children and young people, even more so than working with adults, and so this led me onto my current job!

I am currently working as an Assistant Clinical Psychologist for the NHS in a children’s mental health service for young people up to the age of 17. I do one-to-one work with patients who are experiencing mental health difficulties, and I also run therapy groups that help young people tackle their anxiety, depression, and help them to manage their emotions. I go to schools to see patients too, as sometimes this helps me to see if the school needs to be doing more to support their mental health.

My favourite memories of being at the Downs were House matches – especially Rounders and Sports Day. The friends I made these memories with are still my close friends now.

When I was at school I struggled a lot with my mental health, and at the end of year 12 it was my Biology teacher who helped me realise I needed help. She sat with me after school till about 5pm and just listened to me. That’s the thing that’s helped me most in my career; sometimes just listening to a young person makes all the different in the world. Giving up my time for them when they need it is the probably the most valuable thing I do.

I wish I’d known that my grades and marks would not define the rest of my life. I overworked and became very obsessed with only achieving the highest possible marks, and this made me really unhappy. I could have enjoyed my school life much more if I knew that I didn’t need top marks in order to succeed in my career, or in life. You are more than your grades!

 

 

 

Future Career Events, Webinars and Useful Local Employer Websites

Future Events
Open Days 

UTC Reading
Virtual Open Events
 

https://www.henleycol.ac.uk/events/course-specific-information-session/

Virtual Open Event to show prospective students and their parents the college. UTC Reading is a college for 14-18 year olds specialising in Engineering and Computer Science.  Please use this link to register for the event:

 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/utc-reading-virtual-open-event-tickets-128409228459?aff=URstf


 

Pathway CTM are excited to be running a Parent / Carer Insight Event for Thames Valley Berkshire

 
 

Pathway CTM employability experts will be joined by Vodafone, Accenture and ICAEW who will be discussing all their roles local to you and training programmes available for young people and how you can support your child to succeed!

 

  • Hear from LOCAL the employers directly about what they are looking for in prospective students
  • Gain insight into the variety of career pathways and options for your child
  • Get the opportunity to have you questions answered directly by employers and our careers experts at Pathway CTM!

Click below to secure your place today!

SIGN UP HERE

 
 

 

 

Berkshire College of Agriculture

Berkshire College of Agriculture are running Taster Sessions which can all be booked online via website.

You searched for Taster Days - BCA

The booking process is detailed here.
BCA - Taster Day Booking Form


 

Sparsholt College
On line Resources - Open Day

https://www.sparsholt.ac.uk/opendays/

 



Newbury College
On Line Resources - Open Day

https://www.newbury-college.ac.uk/openday

 

Apprenticeship Events

Useful Career Webinars


If you missed any of the Pathway Webinars with local employers, the recordings can be found here.

Employer Skills of Today & Jobs of Tomorrow

  • RAF, MACE, SSE, Westcoast, NHS Nursing, Honda, Vodafone, CGI

 

Documents

Careers Advice documents Date  
Apprenticeship Hints/Tips for Parents/Carers 03rd Feb 2022 Download
AWE Apprenticeships 03rd Feb 2022 Download
UKAEA Apprenticeship 03rd Feb 2022 Download
Apprenticeship Parent Pack December 2018 20th Dec 2018 Download
Local College Open Days 01st Nov 2018 Download
Local Labour Market Information for Schools 03rd Sep 2018 Download
Local School and College Open Days 2020 2021 29th Sep 2020 Download
Local College Open Days 2019 09th Jan 2019 Download
Local College Open Days 2019 09th Jan 2019 Download
Provider Access Policy Statement TDS 13th Jul 2023 Download
Provider Access Policy Statement TDS 05th Oct 2023 Download
Provider Access Policy Statement TDS 05th Oct 2023 Download
Apprenticeship Awareness Presentation Nov 2019 02nd Dec 2019 Download
Careers in Berkshire 2019 11th Dec 2019 Download
Local Labour Market Information for Schools 11th Dec 2019 Download
Careers Infomation for home learning website 27th Apr 2020 Download
Careers Infomation for home learning 27th Apr 2020 Download
Careers Infomation for home learning v2 28th Apr 2020 Download
Careers Infomation for home learning v3 06th May 2020 Download
Careers Infomation for home learning v4 13th May 2020 Download
Parents Guide on Apprenticeships 05th Sep 2018 Download
Careers Opportunities in Berkshire 05th Sep 2018 Download
A Parents Guide to Careers Help 06th Sep 2018 Download
Local School and College Open Days 2021 22 09th Sep 2021 Download
Local School and College Open Days 2019.20 19th Sep 2019 Download
Apprenticeship Information Parents Pack 28 September 2021 21st Sep 2021 Download
Useful Careers Websites 21st Aug 2018 Download
Apprenticeship Awareness Evening 21st Aug 2018 Download
Girls in Hi Tech Business Apr 2018 21st Aug 2018 Download
Local School and College Open Days 2020 2021 29th Sep 2020 Download
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