Careers and Guidance
Have you thought about your future?
College? Sixth Form? Apprenticeship?
What is your ideal job? What careers interest you?
At Thornhill Academy we strive to offer impartial and realistic careers information, advice, and guidance to all of our pupils from year 7 to 11. We recognise our pupils will be entering a competitive labour market and because of this, we aim to equip all of our pupils with, not only the knowledge they will need, but also skills such as financial capability, enterprise, and employability.
Each year group has information and resources that will be used to deliver the CEIAG program in school and that pupils may use independently to find out more.
Please contact Mrs Crane on gemma.crane@consilium-at.com for more information regarding careers and post-16 transition.
We strive to achieve the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks at Thornhill Academy. These are:
- A stable careers programme
- Learning from career and labour market information
- Addressing the needs f each pupil
- Linking curriculum learning t careers
- Encounters with employers and employees
- Experiences f workplaces
- Encounters for further and higher education
- Personal guidance
Our current progress towards meeting the benchmarks is shown in our termly Compass report
Our Careers team includes:
Careers Lead - Miss Siobhan Mills
Careers Governor - Mrs. Debbie Todd
Careers Advisor - Mrs. Lorna Jennings, CareerWave
Explore future careers...
Provision
Our program incorporates a range of activities that take place both inside and outside the classroom.
We aim to meet the needs of all pupils.
We add to and enhance our program when new opportunities arise, in line with our Provision Statement.
We have a clear policy for our CEIAG program in school which can be viewed at the bottom of this page.
We welcome the input of a number of outside agencies, providers and partners to our program.
Our policy for provider access can be viewed below.
Please contact Mrs Crane on gemma.crane@consilium-at.com for more information regarding careers and post-16 transition.
Year 7
In Year 7, we introduce the idea of careers by thinking about the question “Who Am I Now?”
In tutor groups, our Year 7s think about the skills and qualities they have and how they can improve these. We talk about the difference between a job and a career and how to find out about jobs that might suit us.
In Guidance, Year 7 learn the basics of financial literacy and look at how we pay for things and how to keep our finances safe and within budget.
Year 8
In Year 8, we concentrate on the types of jobs that exist in a range of organisations and answer the question "Who could I be?.” All pupils take part in the " Step into the NHS " competition during Guidance lessons, in order to learn about the vast range of jobs that exist within one organisation.
Year 9
In Year 9, pupils concentrate on developing their Enterprise Skills.
Every Year 9 will take part in the National Enterprise Challenge where groups compete for the chance to present a business idea to a panel of nationally recognised business leaders.
Pupils should be starting to think in more detail about their options Post-16 and should visit our Futures Fair or any websites listed to find more information.
All Year 9 pupils will have the chance to participate in Work Discovery Week and in targeted speaker talks and visits to local businesses such as Tyne Tees and Software City. A selected group of Year 9 pupils will also complete the Nissan Industrial Cadetship designed to promote careers in Engineering.
Year 10
In Year 10, all of our pupils take part in the Building my Skills program run by the ESH group . The program aims to develop softer employability skills in the pupils and helps them to produce a portfolio of careers documents to use in the future.
During the program, the pupils have five workshops delivered by local business organisations and then complete five checkpoint activities.
Successful completion of this program can lead to mock interviews, work experience, and training opportunities.
All Year 10 students take part in a five-day work experience program in the summer term. They prepare for this in Guidance sessions using the NELEP's Work Experience Framework. This academic year's work experience will happen in the week beginning Monday 4th July 2022.
Our Year 10 students also have the chance to take part in a range of programs such as:
- Student Leadership
- Girls Network
- Inspires
- Industrial Cadets
Year 11
Year 11 is decision time for our pupils. During this year we support pupils in making a decision about their Post-16 options.
All pupils will complete a careers interview with a CareerWave personal advisor and will receive an action plan. They will all visit our careers convention to talk to colleges, sixth forms, apprenticeships, training providers, and local employers.
Earn to Live Days
Earn to Live is our whole school careers event held in the spring term. During the two days, all pupils will take part in a range of careers related activities such as:
| Year 7 | Destination Uni at University of Sunderland |
| Year 8 | Mental Wellbeing and Careers with Sunderland College |
| Year 9 | FutureMe, Medical Mavericks and Career Options with Newcastle College |
| Year 10 | Experiences of the Workplace |
| Year 11 |
Being a Top Student at Durham University
Being Employable with DWP Where Am I Headed? With East Durham College |
There is also a series of 90-minute “Careers in…” workshops which offer every student a meaningful encounter with an employee from a different industry sector and a hands-on experience of a task that this job involves.
Thornhill Academy is working as part of the North East’s second careers hub with the NELEP. This is allowing us to work collaboratively with schools from across the region to share best practice and innovate.
Useful Websites
The following websites might be of use to you when thinking about careers and your Post 16 options: