Careers Service @ MGGS
MGGS broadens horizons and inspires our students to achieve their goals and ambitions
Welcome to our Careers Service
At MGGS, Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) are taken very seriously. As such we employ a full time, dedicated ‘Careers Leader’, provide an accessible and up-to-date careers library equipped with computers, careers guides and university prospectuses, and offer interactive workshops and talks from businesses, apprenticeships and universities across all the year groups. In addition we offer five RISE Days, spread throughout the academic year, with each year group experiencing careers themed sessions, aimed at encouraging them to think about the future, meet potential employers and practice essential employability skills such as CV writing and interview skills.
Our Careers Service aims to provide students with:
We believe that providing careers education is an essential part of a young person’s development into a young adult. We aim to provide students with:
In addition, students can arrange one to one appointments with our full-time Careers Leader to discuss options, CVs, interview practice, apprenticeships, UCAS applications and any other careers guidance. The Aspirations and Careers Lead can be contacted by email during term time. Each student has access to impartial CEIAG through the school’s careers programme. EBP Kent supports us with our biennial Careers Fair. http://www.ebpkent.co.uk/
Pupils are eager to explain how the school’s extensive and well-considered curriculum is helping them pursue their dreams, whether this is to be a doctor, actor, author, scientist or something else.
Ofsted
How is our Careers programme delivered?
Our Careers programme is delivered across varying platforms, spread throughout the academic year, these include;
Our Careers Programme is updated regularly to include any new opportunities which present themselves throughout the year, all events are advertised to the school community via Google Classroom and the School Blog.
Careers Provision Map
Winter:
Careers RISE Day – sessions include information on transferable skills and LMI
Careers Fair (biennial)
Spring:
National Careers Week – Opportunities for students to learn about different careers and their pathways through activities and speakers
National Apprenticeship Week – Students learn about types of apprenticeships available and how to find them
STEM Week – Opportunities to learn about the range of careers in STEM
International Day of Women and Girls in Science
Summer:
Introduction to unifrog National University Week – Opportunity for students to learn about university life and the types of courses available
International Women in Engineering Day – Opportunities to raise the profile of women working in engineering roles
Winter:
Careers Focus Day
Careers Fair (biennial)
Spring:
National Careers Week – Opportunities for students to learn about different careers and their pathways through activities and speakers
National Apprenticeship Week – Students learn about types of apprenticeships available and how to find them
STEM Week – Opportunities to learn about the range of careers in STEM
International Day of Women and Girls in Science – Opportunity to raise the profile of women in science roles
Summer:
National University Week – Opportunity for students to learn about university life and the types of courses available
International Women in Engineering Day – Opportunities to raise the profile of women working in engineering roles
Winter:
KS4 Options assembly and parents evening
Careers Fair
Spring:
1-1 GCSE option choice interviews
Careers RISE Day – Launch of the Step Into NHS Competition
National Careers Week – Opportunities for students to learn about different careers and their pathways through activities and speakers
National Apprenticeship Week – Students learn about types of apprenticeships available and how to find them
STEM Week – Opportunities to learn about the range of careers in STEM
International Day of Women and Girls in Science
Summer:
Start of GCSE Option subjects
National University Week – Opportunity for students to learn about university life and the types of courses available and where they lead to
International Women in Engineering Day – Opportunities to raise the profile of women working in engineering roles
Winter:
Careers Fair (biennial)
Spring:
Work Experience
Careers focus in RISE Day – Activities using Unifrog including creating a CV and post-16 planning
National Careers Week – Opportunities for students to learn about different careers and their pathways through activities and speakers
National Apprenticeship Week – Students learn about types of apprenticeships available and how to find them
STEM Week – Opportunities to learn about the range of careers in STEM
International Day of Women and Girls in Science
Summer:
Employability skills day – sessions including transferable skills and CVs and employer talks
Vision Event Introduction to Sixth Form
1-1 Post-16 Guidance meetings for all students
National University Week – Opportunity for students to learn about university life and the types of courses available
International Women in Engineering Day –
Contact with a vocational provider.
Winter:
Post-16 options assembly and parents evening
Careers RISE day – sessions on CVs, post-16 options and employability skills
Careers Fair
Spring:
1-1 post-16 interviews and guidance meetings with Leadership Team
National Careers Week – Opportunities for students to learn about different careers and their pathways through activities and speakers
National Apprenticeship Week – types of apprenticeships available and how to find them
STEM Week – Opportunities to learn about the range of careers in STEM
International Day of Women and Girls in Science
Summer:
Sixth Form Induction
National University Week – Opportunity for students to learn about university life and the types of courses available.
Winter:
Careers Fair (biennial)
Work Experience launched
Spring:
National Careers Week – Opportunities for students to learn about different careers and their pathways through activities and speakers
National Apprenticeship Week – Students learn about types of apprenticeships available and how to find them
STEM Week – Opportunities to learn about the range of careers in STEM
International Day of Women and Girls in Science
Apprenticeship Fair
Summer:
UCAS Discovery Exhibition
Post-18 Information Evening
Information on UCAS and apprenticeship applications
1-1 post-18 guidance meetings
National University Week – University talks and application support
International Women in Engineering Day – Opportunities to raise the profile of women working in engineering roles
Winter:
Careers Fair (biennial)
Support with UCAS/apprenticeship/employment applications and interviews
Spring:
Ongoing support with apprenticeship and employment applications
National Careers Week – Opportunities for students to learn about different careers and their pathways through activities and speakers
National Apprenticeship Week – Students learn about types of apprenticeships available
STEM Week – Opportunities to learn about the range of careers in STEM
International Day of Women and Girls in Science
Summer:
Final support for apprenticeship and employment applications
UCAS Extra/Adjustment/Clearing support
National University Week – helping students to prepare for the transition to university
Across our career provision, students are challenged to consider their future while being aware of their skills and how they can adapt and apply these to the world beyond school. By giving students access to information about a wide variety of possible career paths, we broaden their horizons and inspire them to achieve their goals and ambitions.
We measure the impact of our careers programme in a number of ways including our destination information; after an individual event students and any employers involved are asked to fill in an evaluation (this covers Careers fairs, RISE day activities and other workshops or talks throughout the year). We also annually get students and staff to evaluate the careers provision via feedback forms, this information is then collated and used to inform the careers programme for the next academic year.
For further information about the school’s Careers policy and CEIAG entitlement programmes for our students, please contact careers@mggs.org
Information for Students
All students from Years 7-13 are entitled to impartial careers information, advice and guidance meetings. Meetings can be booked by email careers@mggs.org.
All students can have one-to-one guidance meetings in Year 9 to discuss GCSE options, Year 11 to discuss post-16 options, and again in Year 12 to discuss post-18 options. You will be supported to make your decisions at each of these transition stages.
Students from each year group will have the chance to become Careers Ambassadors, working with the Aspirations and Careers Lead to ensure careers provision is exciting and engaging, and relevant as you develop and move through the school.
All students are encouraged to read the Careers Newsletter which is posted to year group Google Classrooms every Friday.
Resources for Students
You will use Unifrog. regularly during your time at MGGS. There are lots of great resources on there from the Careers Library to the Know How Guides. If you can’t login, please contact careers@mggs.org for help.
Careermag for Students is a free termly magazine subscription designed to help you make career choices, with information on careers and qualifications.
Information for Teachers
Each teaching department will have a Careers Champion, working with the Aspirations and Careers Lead to ensure careers education is taken as a whole school approach and is being embedded into curriculum learning.
Resources for Teachers
Subject in a Box is a free lesson resource from Loughborough University, designed to help teachers provide students with an insight into degree-level study while engaging in an interactive lesson.
Unifrog has lots of resources for teachers and ideas as to how you can link careers to your lessons. If you can’t login, please contact careers@mggs.org for help.
Guidance for Parents/Carers
Our Aspiration and Careers Leader is always available for guidance to parents; please contact careers@mggs.org
When your child is applying for further education, it can be a very stressful time and you may wish to seek advice on how best you can support them.
Maidstone Grammar School for Girls offers three evenings dedicated to supporting students and their parents; the first is our Sixth Form Opening Evening. This is an opportunity for students to talk to subject department heads, sixth form students, the Student Leadership team and our careers lead about what life is like at MGGS sixth form. Students and parents are encouraged to visit and talk to teachers and departments about course requirements, workload, extracurricular activities and any career concerns they have. Feedback from this night has always been overwhelmingly positive, and our sixth-form guides are always on hand for tours and honest advice and feedback about their experiences. The second night is our GCSE options evening. This is an informative evening for both our Year 9 students and their parents, to help support your daughter with their GCSE option choices. The third night is our Post 18 evening. We encourage parents and students to attend this evening to learn about the UCAS process, as well as the other post 18 options available such as Degree apprenticeships, what and who is involved and how we can help and support students and/or parents/carers.
If you would like to share your experiences and offer a careers talk to our students, please email careers@mggs.org.
Resources for Parents
The UCAS Guide for Parents is a very useful tool for parents/carers. It has advice and tips covering all parts of the UCAS process.
Careermag for Parents is a free termly magazine subscription, designed to help you support your children with information on careers and qualifications.
Information for Employers
If you are interested in engaging with the school to offer work experience, work opportunities such as apprenticeships or school leaver programmes, career talks or anything else employment or career-related, please contact careers@mggs.org
Resources for Employers
The Careers and Enterprise Company has some handy guides on work experience and supporting careers activities in schools.
I can honestly say that since my daughter has been at MGGS that her confidence has improved, she’s more likely to express her opinions and generally seems much happier in herself. She never considered going to university until attending this school, but now she is and it seems as though her future is looking more promising than ever.
Sixth Form Parent
Events such as the International Women’s Day exemplifies the school’s thought-provoking and extensive careers programme
Ofsted
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