Careers and Guidance

School Careers Leader

​Longdendale High School’s Careers Leader is Miss G. Lowe. If you would like further information about careers, please email queries to admin@lhs.spt.ac.uk or alternatively call the school on 01457 764006. 

Careers Vison Statement

Excellence and Ambition for All: Opening doors, providing choice and creating opportunity.

Meet our Careers Adviser

Caroline Higgins from ‘Positive Steps’ is Longdendale High School’s Careers Adviser offering independent and impartial information, advice and guidance to students on their future career plans.

Caroline is based in the careers office next to the common area every Tuesday and Wednesday to offer careers advice and guidance to students. She also offers a KS4 drop-in during late lunch on a Tuesday and Wednesday in the school library.

During the school year, students will have the opportunity to meet with Caroline in small group sessions, one-to-one interviews. Caroline is also happy to work with parents/carers, attend Parents’ Evening and get in touch with parents if required.

Caroline Higgins can be contacted via school. Appointments can also be booked by request via Form Tutors or Heads of Year. Alternatively, her direct number is: 0161 621 9275 and her email address is: carolinehiggins@positive-steps.org.uk

Careers Interviews

Careers interviews are confidential one to one discussions which helps students develop career management skills and make well informed decisions about their career pathways in the future.

Why going to your Careers Interview is very important

• It is an opportunity to think and talk about your plans on a one to one basis with a trained, independent and impartial adviser.

• It can help raise aspirations and increase your motivation to achieve highly in your GCSEs and vocational courses and beyond.

• It can help with making decisions related to your options after school, whether it is college, sixth form, apprenticeships or other study programmes. It will help you choose the best pathway for you.

• It can help with college or job applications.

• It can help with contacting colleges for you if you have not heard from them, have missed appointments or changed your mind on courses.

• It can help with writing your CV and covering letter for college / job applications.

• It can help you to search for job/apprenticeship vacancies and tell you how to apply for them.

• It can help you to consider options post 18 and research them so that you can choose the right pathways/ subjects and courses at 16.

Positive Steps

In an ever changing and complex technological world it is more important than ever before that young people get excellent advice and guidance required to ensure that they are able to navigate the huge array of choices available and get the right skills and experience required for future employment.

Careers Education, Information, Advice & Guidance

To develop students’ knowledge, understanding and skills relevant to life in a rapidly changing world

Aims of the Careers Programme

Longdendale High School believes that very student should have opportunities to learn about the world of work, employability skills and the personal qualities that are valued in the workplace in order to increase self-confidence and raise aspirations. Students can then make informed choices about future careers and develop employ-ability skills.

The careers programme promotes equal opportunities and challenges stereotypical thinking and attitudes. It helps students, including disadvantaged students and students with special educational needs to overcome any overt and/or hidden barriers to progress that they may encounter and ensures that all students receive appropriate information and guidance, especially at key decision and transition points.

High Quality Provision

Longdendale High School are working towards full implementation of the Gatsby Benchmarks to ensure that careers provision is of the highest quality for students.

The Gatsby Benchmarks are:

1. A stable careers programme

2. Learning from career and labour market information

3. Addressing the needs of each pupil

4. Linking curriculum learning to careers

5. Encounters with employers and employees

6. Experiences of workplaces

7. Encounters with further and higher education

8. Personal guidance

Further Information

Please contact Miss G. Lowe, Assistant Headteacher, for more information.

What is Work Experience?

Work experience will provide students with an introduction in to the world of work through undertaking a work placement on employer premises, carrying out tasks or duties in the role of an employee and learn valuable work skills such as punctuality, communication, commitment and team work.

Prior to work experience students will receive the correct preparation regarding how to find their own placement, arriving, working, lunchtime arrangements, health and safety etc.

In line with HSE guidelines we will check that employers have up to date Employers Liability Insurance at the time of the placement, brief them on work experience and best practice, and undertake health & safety appraisals where necessary to ensure the health, safety and welfare of students.

While on placement students should be monitored by a member of school staff so that they can check attendance and progress.

PLEASE NOTE - Should a student show any Covid symptoms they must not attend their work placement; the employer and school must be notified immediately.

In addition to face-to-face work experience that takes place for Year 10s during the spring term.

Why is Work Experience Important?

Work experience is an opportunity for young people to experience working life while they are still in school. It provides students with a chance to...

• Work with adults as part of a team

• Practice their skills and develop new skills

• Learn the importance of transferable skills

• Gain confidence in their abilities

• Apply their school-work to the workplace

• Think more clearly about their future working life

There are 6 key skills that have been identified and it is hoped that each young person will have the opportunity to develop them.

Communication
Listening, speaking clearly, asking and responding to questions, discussing, using the telephone, reading and responding to written material, producing written materials, including the use of diagrams.

Application of Number
Using numbers, collecting and recording data, interpreting and presenting data, handling money accurately, measuring, and estimating.

Information Technology
Using photocopiers / scanners, using computers to search, select, explore and prepare information, processing, developing and presenting relevant information.

Working with Others
Getting along with others, working in a team, taking responsibility, working co-operatively with colleagues.

Improving Own Learning & Performance
Target setting, action planning, manage time, learn from others, working to a planned programme, developing confidence, reviewing and evaluating progress.

Problem Solving
Recognising and describing problems, seeking the right information, making decisions, selecting and carrying out appropriate solutions.

In a sense, work experience is the whole reason students have been attending full-time education – to prepare for adult working life.

Work Experience

Letter to Parents/Carers
Students' Guide
Employer Information
Employer Form