Senior Leader for Careers: Mrs J Elliott • 01732 454 608 • jelliott@knoleacademy.org
Careers Leader: Mrs J Stevens • 01732 454 608 (ext. 214) • jstevens@knoleacademy.org
Careers Administrator: Miss P O’Shaughnessy • poshaughnessy@knoleacademy.org
Please follow us on our Careers Instagram page for more information.
Date of next review of the information published: January 2025.
Gatsby Benchmarks
All staff at Knole Academy are involved in enabling our students with their future choices. The information below is designed to support this process.
Students at Knole Academy are encouraged to explore a wide range of career choices through our Education, Information, Advice and Guidance programme (CEIAG), which has been designed to fulfil the Gatsby Benchmarks as follows:
- A Stable Careers Programme
- Learning from Career and Labour Market Information
- Addressing the Needs of Each Pupil
- Linking Curriculum Learning to Careers
- Encounters with Employers and Employees
- Experiences of the Workplace
- Encounters with Further and Higher Education
- Personal Guidance
Intent
Knole Academy is proud to work with the Career Education Company, The Career Development Institute, The Sevenoaks Chamber of Commerce, The Education People, Education Business Partnership, Kent and the National Citizenship Service (NCS) and Unifrog.
We aim to prepare our students from Year 7-13 for future opportunities in the world of study and ultimately their working life. Students gain knowledge and develop skills in employability awareness through work experience, shadowing and active participation.
Implementation
A broad careers guidance and education programme for all years is provided through relevance lessons and the curriculum, encouraging students to problem solve in order to gain a wider insight into their future choices and outlining the many opportunities available today in the world of work.
Key Stage 4 students have careers focused form time lessons and in-house impartial careers guidance. This takes the form of individual and group career exploration on sixth form pathways, apprenticeships and training, Further Education college and Higher Education courses. This facilitates them in keeping on track with their GCSE studies.
Post 16 students are offered one to one meetings to explore options at university, apprenticeships and employment.
As a follow on from this, we would like to inform students and parents that individual and group career guidance meetings are available by appointment, students may also be accompanied by parents/carers.
Post 16 students can attend the UCAS Higher Education fair and the Apprenticeship Fair. Links are regularly sent to Years 10,11, 12 and 13 for all meaningful career events and opportunities. Trips and business, authors and speakers are invited to give presentations to assist students in understanding their future choices.
Impact
We will assess and measure the impact of our careers programme through questionnaires to students, staff and parents. This information will be used to continue to improve the programme to meet students’ needs.
KS4/KS5 Destinations (2024)
We record Post KS4 and Post KS5 destinations, to reflect on the effectiveness of Knole’s Careers programme; this has shown several students gaining entry to the following different destinations, varying from employment and apprenticeships, gap years and trade specific colleges.
- Bath University: Mathematics
- Bournemouth University: Business & Finance
- Bournemouth University: Journalism
- Brighton Institute of Modern Music: Music Management
- Brighton University: Accounting & Finance
- Brighton University: Aerospace Engineering
- Brighton University: Primary education
- Chichester University: Accounting & Finance
- De Montford University: Primary education
- Greenwich University: Finance & Accounting
- Greenwich University: History
- Greenwich University: Law
- Greenwich University: Primary education
- Hertfordshire University: Robotics and Artificial Intelligence
- Kent University: Accounting & Finance
- Kent University: Finance & Investment
- Kent University: Investment Banking
- Kings College London: Geography
- Leeds Beckett University: Law
- London Metropolitan University: Graphic Design
- Loughborough University: Business Management
- Loughborough University: English
- Nottingham University: Chemical Engineering
- Nottingham University: History
- Queen Mary University: History
- Westminster University: Psychology
- Wolverhampton University: Aerospace Engineering
- UCA: Digital Marketing
- Warwick University: History
- Warwick University: Politics
- Westminster University: Law
Work Experience/Shadowing
Year 10 and 12 students complete a one-week work placement/shadowing or volunteering at the end of the summer term. to give them an insight into the world of work. This opportunity raises self-confidence and interpersonal awareness, whilst giving them valuable skill sets to enhance their personal statements and CV’s, whilst enhancing their future employability knowledge.
Post-16 Information
Choices made after Year 11 can have a big impact on the future. These options can range from Sixth Form and College to Apprenticeships or Work With Training.
The Careers Team is always looking to find and provide opportunities for students and parents to enhance their careers and education, helping them to flourish in the future.
When it comes to the question of what to do following GCSEs, there are a lot of options to consider. Therefore, the Department for Education has put together a couple of simple and handy guides to inform young people and their parents about the options available to them.
- A 2-minute animation – showcasing and explaining each choice in a simple, dynamic and visual manner.
A comprehensive range of information about the education choices available to your child at the end of Year 11 is available in ‘Your Choices at 16‘ or you can look at specific sections about:
Post-18 Information
There are lots of Post-18 options available for children after they leave their formal education. At Knole Academy, we encourage students to write their Personal Statements at the end of June in year 12. This allows them to consider their strengths, weaknesses and interests in whatever route they chose.
Labour Market Information
Students and young people find Labour Market Information (LMI) very helpful when looking at certain job roles and the skills and requirements that are needed within businesses and industries. It helps to enlighten them about the job market, supporting their decisions in assessing what subjects they may need to study at Post 16, Further Education and Higher Education to support their future career choices.
Gap Year Information
You can find all the articles listed below by exploring Omio.
- The benefits of taking a gap year
- How to organise a year abroad step by step (e.g., accommodation, transportation, entry requirements & travel restrictions)
- Itinerary suggestions and tips for traveling in Europe on a budget
- Volunteering in Europe (10 suggestions)
- How to successfully find and apply for an internship in Europe
Parent Resources
Your child’s decisions for their future career choices can become a source of some anxiety for parents. The links below have been designed to help you to support your son /daughter with their future thinking and career development. Parents can also contact the careers adviser at Knole Academy to speak about any concerns they have.
Local Business Support and Alumni
Knole Academy regularly invites speakers from local businesses and colleges, universities, the NHS and the world of media, to give our students an insight into their own career pathways and the opportunities available to young people.
If you are an ex-student or a local business and are interested in speaking about your role/business or can offer an opportunity for work experience, please email Jstevens@knoleacademy.org.
Feedback
The Careers Department would be very grateful if students and parents would complete a short generic survey to assist us with the careers programme within school and to help us continue to support our students by offering impactful careers advice and guidance information.