What you get, year by year
Careers support isn't one appointment at the end. It runs right through your time here, from your first week to the day you leave. Here's roughly how it works.
Getting settled
You meet your tutor, set your first goals, and get set up with the tools you’ll use all year.
- Set up Career Coach
- First tutor conversation
- Careers built into Personal Development
Working it out
Try things, meet people who do the job, and narrow down what you actually want.
- Work experience placement
- Employer talks and visits
- One to one careers appointment
Making your move
Applications open. This is when the practical help matters most, and we do it with you.
- UCAS and personal statements
- Apprenticeship applications
- CV and mock interviews
Your next step
Whatever happens on results day, we’re still here. Including if plans change.
- Results day support
- Clearing guidance
- Help if you change direction
Five minute starters
If a full assessment feels like a lot, start smaller. These are quick, low pressure, and surprisingly good at pointing you somewhere.
Which animal are you?
A quick personality quiz that suggests the kinds of work that tend to suit how you think.
Take the quiz 10 minutesXello
Build a profile, save the careers you like, and keep track of your thinking in one place over time.
Open Xello Try it outPractise with Waypoint
Step into realistic workplace situations, make decisions, and get instant feedback before you face the real thing.
Ask us for accessFour ways to go next
There's no single right answer, and no route is better than the others. What matters is which one fits you. Here's the honest version of each.
Apprenticeship
Earn while you learn Apprenticeship A real job with real wages, plus training and a qualification at the end. No tuition fees.
University
Degree level University Apply through UCAS, here or anywhere. You can also study higher education with us and stay local.
Into work
Straight in Into work If you're ready to start earning, we'll get your CV sharp and your interview technique sharper.
Your careers toolkit
Everything you need to actually apply for something, grouped by what you're trying to do. The Student Guide on the right takes you anywhere else in student life.
Your CV and applications
Jobs and apprenticeships
Step by step CV builder inside Career Coach, ready to download when you're done.
University and UCAS
Live apprenticeship opportunities with employers we work with directly.
Explore careers and pay
Every deadline for this cycle in one place, so nothing sneaks up on you.
Helping them decide, without deciding for them
Parents and carers are the biggest influence on a young person’s career choices, more than any teacher or website. A bit of structure makes those conversations far easier.
- How to start the conversationPractical prompts that get past “I don’t know” without it turning into a row.
- The dates that matterUCAS deadlines, apprenticeship cycles and results days, all in one place.
- The routes explainedApprenticeships, T Levels, HTQs and degrees, explained without the jargon.
- If they have SEND or an EHCPHow careers guidance and transition planning works, and who to speak to.
Careers guidance you can trust
Our careers provision is independently assessed and built around the Gatsby Benchmarks, the national framework for good career guidance. Our advice is impartial, which means it serves the student’s interests rather than our enrolment numbers.
Matrix Standard, reapproved 2024 Quality in Careers Standard Gatsby Benchmarks Our careers programme
The full programme, our CEIAG policy, provider access statement and how we measure ourselves against the benchmarks.