'’Can we do this again next Friday?’’ ... that was one of the comments from our Year 10 students who attended the Careers Networking Brunch last half term. We introduced this event last year and it was a real success as we invited a small group of employers from a variety of businesses to join a selection of students for a morning brunch. The aim of the event is to push students out of their comfort zone as they converse with employers. Students were provided with a question sheet to help conversations flow and after the initial meetings took place, the hour flew by and we could hear many interesting conversations taking place, and students opening up about their own aspirations. When students transition into the world of work, they will have many ‘first time meetings’ with employers and colleagues so the more we can get students used to communicating with people they are unfamiliar with, the more prepared they will be for these scenarios.  

Preparations are underway for the Year 10 Careers Week in June. Students have recently completed their ‘My Future’ Post-16 Questionnaire, which highlights the areas in which they require additional support and information with regards to post-16 options, post-18, sectors/industries and personal support. We use this information to plan our programme of workshops and presentations and create bespoke timetables for each student. This year we have our three days of Work Experience embedded into the programme which the students are very much looking forward to as we now reach our placement deadline on Friday 12 April 2024. 

Each year I publish an overview of the post-16 destinations for our school leavers. Our careers programme provides a wide range of experiences that deliver key information, advice and guidance to help prepare our students for their next steps. I always enjoy seeing the variety of destinations that our Year 11 students move onto after their time at Hessle High School and it continues to vary year on year. Most of our Year 11’s have now completed their post-16 applications and have a plan set in place for September 2024, and I am continuing to work with students who are still finalising. We typically receive the ‘actual’ destination data for our leavers in November with a final update in February. 

2023 Leavers Overview 

It’s great to hear that some of our Year 11 students have signed up for the National citizen Service (NCS) which takes place this summer. The upcoming summer break will be one of the longest breaks our students will have and although they will be ready for a well-earned rest, I’m sure some will become fidgety! The NCS programme is largely funded by the UK Government and is designed to give the students a fantastic experience of living away from home, meeting new friends and taking part in fun activities to develop key life and employability skills. This year NCS have introduced three different programmes in which students can sign up to depending on their interests, these include: LIVE IT, BOSS IT, CHANGE IT. More information can be found in the Parent Information Pack. 

It was that time of year again when the Prison Me No Way (PMNW) team came on mass to deliver a wide variety of impactful workshops to our Year 9 students. This has become an annual event at Hessle High School due to the positive feedback received from students, staff and parents. PMNW began in 1993 when three prison officers decided to act to reduce the increasing number of young offenders they were meeting at work. The range of workshops offer students the opportunity to not only think about their own personal health & safety but also to explore the consequences of making ‘wrong’ choices and how this can affect not only their lives but the lives of others. Students were able to ask questions about a variety of job roles and to learn about volunteering opportunities within the criminal justice service. 

Something different for this academic year was our first ever Living Faith event for Year 7 students. This took place across two afternoon and students were given the opportunity to meet and talk with people that hold working roles across a variety of religions, this included an Iman, Vicar, Missionaries and volunteers supporting local religious communities. The students revelled in the opportunity to speak with these influential people, and we enthused by their stories and the information they shared. It’s definitely an event for next year's calendar! 

We continue with our Careers Tutor Programme and recently I focussed on several student requests for our ‘Career in the Spotlight’ topics, it’s nice to see that students are engaging with the programme and are having an input. Some of the more recent careers we have covered include; Hairdressing, Royal Air Force, Estate Agent and a popular one amongst the students was looking at the different roles that make up Formula 1, often when we look at a company, we think about the obvious roles but forget about the ones behind the scenes! We also looked at Religious Education and important links to the world of work, T-Levels and Self-employment, as well as celebrating National Careers Week (NCW) with a ‘Real or Fake’ jobs quiz... and students were surprised to learn that ALL the jobs were in fact REAL and had fun learning about them. Some of these included; Professional Queuer, Professional Bed Warmer, Cool Hunter, Sewer Flusher, Waterslide Tester and Pet Food Taster. 

Upcoming Careers Events:  

• Year 8 Ambition Day – Thursday 18 April 2024 

• Year 9 Enterprise Day – Wednesday 22 May 2024  

• Sixth Form Induction – 27 & 28 June 2024 

• Year 10 Careers Week – w/c 1 July 2024 

• Year 10 Work Experience – Wednesday 3 to Friday 5 July 2024 

• Year 12 Work Experience – w/c 15 July 2024 

Miss Lawes

Careers Leader