The Careers Department provides students from Key Stages Two to Five with a comprehensive programme (called QE Futures) designed to support and prepare them for the future.
Our QE Futures careers programme recognises the importance to young people of effective careers education and guidance (CEIAG). At Queen Ethelburga’s, career guidance extends beyond solely guiding future career choices; it is centred on preparing our students for life beyond the Collegiate.
"Pupils receive effective guidance to support the decisions they make about the next stage of their education or career. This includes helping pupils to make appropriate subject choices at GCSE and A Level, support in the preparation of university applications and extensive, wide ranging and tailored careers guidance, supplemented by visiting alumni and guest speakers."
QUEEN ETHELBURGA'S COLLEGIATE ISI INSPECTION REPORT, OCTOBER 2023
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Our Careers department provides a programme of bespoke career guidance from Year 5 to Year 13. The Collegiate seeks to ensure that each young person, regardless of their background, ethnic origin, or ability, is fully prepared for the transition to further education, training, or employment. In support of the Collegiate mission to enable students to become 'The best that I can with the gifts that I have,' the Collegiate aims to raise young people's aspirations, helping them develop employability skills and confidence to manage transitions between stages of education, training, and work.
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QE Futures: Our Careers Programme
The QE Futures programme starts in Chapter House with visiting speakers. As students progress through school, a range of career lessons are delivered as part of the Personal Development programme in Years 5 to 11.
In Years 12 and 13, students receive advice on Post-18 options, including apprenticeships, gap years, forces, and higher education. This advice is delivered through either lunchtime workshops or a programme of larger, assembly-style insight talks during form time, facilitated by external speakers such as universities or members of the Careers Department.
There are four themes (Introduce, Inspire, Reinforce, and Prepare) within QE Futures. Students progress through these throughout their time at Queen Ethelburga’s.
| Introduce |
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| Key Stage 2 students are introduced to preparing for their future through Personal Development (PD) lessons such as discussing the question “Who am I?” to raise self-awareness. |
| Inspire |
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The Careers Team aims to inspire students in Key Stage Three during their PD lessons and guide them through their Key Stage Four options, advising them on the best subjects for their future career aspirations. From Key Stage Three, students have access to Morrisby, a careers website that recommends career paths suited to students’ aptitudes, interests, and personalities. As part of their guidance, Year 9 students take the Morrisby Aspirational Test. Then, in Key Stage Four, students complete a more comprehensive Morrisby profiling assessment, which matches students to careers and courses based on their verbal, numerical, and abstract skills, as well as their interests. Students then have an opportunity to meet with a careers adviser to discuss their results and future career options. |
| Reinforce |
| In Key Stage Four, the Careers Department organises a career fair for students to help prepare them for their post-16 options. Students are informed about key skills and academic qualifications needed for their chosen career pathway in 1 to 1 meetings with the Careers Department. |
| Prepare |
| Key Stage Five is the most important stage in the QE Futures programme. Students prepare for their UCAS application in Year 12 by attending a career fair and talks by universities and gap year organisations. |
Toni's Story
From the QE Faculty class of 2022, Deputy Head Girl, Toni, won the Lexden Prize for Most Outstanding Sixth Form Student, for her community outreach work helping underprivileged girls access STEM education. Here, she tells her story of how Queen Ethelburga’s has shaped her future in STEM.
An Outstanding Careers Programme
Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate is committed to working towards meeting the Gatsby Benchmarks.
QE have adopted the eight Gatsby Benchmarks to build their QE Futures programme; see how the programme matches the Benchmarks below:
Addressing The Needs Of Each Pupil
The careers programme is personalised to each child’s needs, encouraging everyone to do their best with the gifts that they have. Extra support is provided for children with learning disabilities, including adapted written resources for different abilities. Personal Development lessons teach students to challenge stereotypical thinking when applying for jobs.
Queen Ethelburga’s records individual advice given to students and provides them with a Morrisby account that gives them a psychometric assessment and suggests tailored career choices. This information is recorded for future career workshops and 1:1 sessions in Key Stage Five.
Linking Curriculum Learning To Careers
Students discuss their future career options when choosing their academic subjects in Key Stage Four and Five.
In addition, the Stretch and Challenge programme enhances students’ learning around career paths they would like to follow, such as Medicine. The gifted and talented course also helps those with high aspirations to meet their goals.
Encounters With Employers And Employees
Throughout the year, there are talks by employers and returning alumni who share their own experiences in higher education and the workplace and inspire current students to pursue their goals.
Experience Of Workplaces
Queen Ethelburga’s has a partnership with Harrogate Hospital for volunteering experience. In addition, students can use InvestIN, an online work experience company that provides students with immersive career experiences across a variety of sectors.
Information about Work Experience is initially provided to Year 11 students. The Careers Team emphasise the importance of work placements in shaping future career decisions and we encourage students to take part in work experience during their school holidays, and the careers department can support students to apply for these opportunities.
Encounters with further and higher education
Students are provided with post-18 university and careers fairs and can sign up for online presentations with higher education establishments. For students applying to Medicine or Oxbridge, the Careers Team provide an enhanced programme that prepares students for applications to competitive courses and for success in university interviews.
Personal guidance
The Careers Team consists of Miss Williamson and Mrs Dobson, both qualified professionals who are members of the Career Development Institute, along with two new members of staff in the department, Miss Grant and Mrs Jefferson. Our Careers Advisers are available five days a week to offer dedicated guidance appointments for all students. Students can receive independent, impartial advice tailored to their needs and interests.
Join Us
We are always looking for parents, employers, businesses and alumni to support our Careers Programme. This could be through:
- Speaking to our students
- Offering work experience placements
- Holding a stand at our Careers Fair
Please get in touch by emailing careers@qe.org to discuss how you may be able to support our students and their future career choices.
