"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11
Careers Overview
At Derby Cathedral School, we are passionate about supporting students through the process of deciding on their next steps, after they leave school and further into the future.
Our vision for the Careers Programme at Derby Cathedral School is to ensure that all students leave us feeling well equipped and well informed to take their next steps. They will have a strong understanding of the options available to them and clear aspirations for the future. The Careers Programme reinforces our school’s FAITH values, preparing our young people with the skills and attributes they will need for the future. We aim to develop strong links with our local business, employers, universities, colleges, training providers and more, to continue to enrich the careers provision year on year.
Our Careers Programme has been developed in line with the Gatsby Benchmarks for Good Career Guidance (2014), to ensure we are providing good quality careers provision that puts the students' best interests at the centre. This academic year 2023-24 has brought the exciting addition of a Sixth Form to Derby Cathedral School, which in turn has led to the expansion of the careers programme.
Download the 2023-2024 Careers Programme here:
Careers Programme
Our Careers Policy, including a Provider Access Statement, can be found on our school policies page.
Our Careers Leader is Miss B Loughlin. If you have any questions about Careers at Derby Cathedral School, please direct these to careers@derbycathedralschool.org.uk, or call the school telephone number on 01332 325710.
Information for Students
We know that thinking about the future can be daunting and confusing, but there is plenty of support available to guide you along the way. At Derby Cathedral School, we are lucky enough to have access to Unifrog - the award-winning careers platform - as well as a Careers Advisor in school full-time. But it doesn’t have to stop there! We have put together a bank of useful websites and resources for you to explore outside of school:
All students in years 7-13 have access to Unifrog click here to log in now:
Getting started
Not sure where to start? Why not try a personality quiz to explore your interests, skills and qualities. We recommend the Unifrog Personality Profile and Interests Profile.
Careers research
If you’ve got an idea of a career or types of careers you are interested in, you could do some research. We recommend searching the Unifrog Careers Library, or exploring the following useful websites:
Labour market information
If you want to learn more about what the world of work is currently like in our local area, for example the most popular job sectors or the biggest employers in Derby, the D2N2 Start website has some great facts (we call this ‘labour market information’). Click the logo below to access Start.
Websites like Unifrog and the National Careers Service are great sources of labour market information for the whole of the UK.
Further and higher education
You could also find out about the education and training pathways to you after school and beyond. This includes Further Education, sometimes referred to as 'Post-16'. This includes:
- Sixth Form
- Apprenticeships
- Vocational college qualifications
- Traineeships
You can also explore Higher Education, such as university or degree-level apprenticeships. Unifrog has some great information on these, as well as the Subjects Library to help you decide what you’d like to study. These links are also a good place to start:
The D2N2 Start website also has a directory of all the local schools, colleges and universities in our area.
If you are in Year 12, familiarise yourself with UCAS, which is what you will use to apply for university or degree-level apprenticeships:
Employability
You might want to think about your employability skills and get some useful tips on CV writing and job applications. Unifrog has a great CV builder, and the BBC Bitesize Careers is a good one-stop-shop for advice, including a 'has your CV got what it takes?' quiz.
Need a CV template? We recommend this one:
CV Template
Work experience
If you’re currently in Year 10 or Year 12 and arranging a placement for Work Experience Week, check out our useful guide on ‘finding work experience and contacting employers’:
Finding Work Experience
Key dates for this year:
Year 10 Work Experience Week: w/c 25th March 2024
Year 12 Work Experience Week: w/c 20th May 2024
Further support
All students will have a compulsory 1-1 careers appointment with Miss B Loughlin (Careers Advisor) before the end of Year 11, and another by the end of Year 13. You are able to book additional appointments if needed, or drop into the Careers Office during break time.
Information for Parents and Carers
We understand that parents and carers are among the biggest influences on a young person’s career ambitions, but it can be just as confusing for adults as it can be for the students! We have put together the following resources to help you in supporting your child onto their next steps:
Career research
You could find out more about the careers your child is interested in using the websites below.
Labour Market Information
Learn about what the world of work currently looks like in our local area and beyond, for example the top industries and employers (we call this ‘Labour Market Information’ or ‘LMI’)
LMI in Derby and the East Midlands
LMI in the UK
Post-16 pathways
Your child is required to stay in some form of education or training until the age of 18. This could include sixth form, college qualifications (such as level 3 BTECs or T-Levels), apprenticeships or traineeships. We are proud to now have our very own Sixth Form at Derby Cathedral School, offering a range of A-Level and BTEC options, but it is important that your child makes the right decision for them.
Amazing Apprenticeships has lots of great resources, including a ‘parent and carers pack’.
Understanding qualification levels
Derby Cathedral School Sixth Form
University and Higher Education
University league tables and rankings
Financial support at university
Alternatives to university, such as Higher and Degree apprenticeships
Employability
You can help your child to write a CV, apply for jobs or work experience opportunities and prepare for interviews by practicing the STAR method to talk about their skills and experiences.
Your child can log into Unifrog to start building a CV, or alternatively, we recommend this simple template:
CV Template
BBC Bitesize Careers also has lots of useful hints and tips.
Work Experience
Our students complete a week-long Work Experience placement in Year 10 and Year 12. If you are a Year 10 or Year 12 parent and are currently helping your child find a work experience placement, check out our guide to ‘finding work experience and contacting employers’:
Finding Work Experience
Key dates for this year:
Year 10 Work Experience Week: w/c 25th March 2024
Year 12 Work Experience Week: w/c 20th May 2024
Deadlines for securing a placement and handing in Health & Safety documentation will be communicated via email.
Careermag for Parents
Careermag for Parents is a free careers magazine created specifically for parents containing lots of useful guides and inspiring stories. Check out the latest edition!
1-1 guidance
By law, your child is entitled to one compulsory careers appointment with a trained careers adviser before the end of year 11 and another by the end of Year 13. They can book further appointments if needed by coming to the Careers Office during break time or tutor time.
1-1 appointments can involve a discussion around career options, skills identifying activities, CV/cover letting writing, action-planning or just a general ‘chat’ about the student’s thoughts and feelings towards the future.
A record of each appointment is kept on the student’s Unifrog profile.
Keeping up to date
Derby Cathedral School's weekly parental newsletter often features an update on the latest careers activities happening in school, and you can now follow our careers Twitter page: @CareersDerby.
Key information such as Work Experience deadlines are communicated via email.
If you have any questions or concerns about the careers provision at Derby Cathedral School, please feel free to get in touch with Miss B Loughlin.
careers@derbycathedralschool.org.uk
01332 325710
Information for Teachers
At Derby Cathedral School we are committed to making sure our careers programme achieves the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks for Good Career Guidance.
As part of this, we are required to 'link curriculum learning to careers'. This means that students should receive information about careers related to their school subjects and where their studies could lead them in the future as part of their ordinary curriculum learning.
We understand that talking about careers can be daunting for teachers, but you don’t need to reinvent the wheel; this could be as simple as putting up a careers display board in your department to start with.
You could then consider delivering a whole ‘careers in…’ lesson, arranging a visit from relevant employer or organising a career-related subject trip.
There is a folder of resources for you to access on our Staff Sharepoint, including template lesson plans, worksheets and posters for your classroom. Here are some websites we’d particularly recommend:
BBC Bitesize Careers – career case studies by subject
Career Pilot – job profiles by subject and ‘subject story’ videos
The Careers & Enterprise Company ‘My Learning My Future’ teaching resources
‘Think Apprenticeships’ subject videos
Me and my GCSEs – inspirational quotes from career professionals about their GCSE options
Information for Employers and Training Providers
Research shows that having access to employer role models can shape a young person’s career ambitions for the better. As a growing school, we would love to expand our network of employer contacts.
We have various events and activities throughout the year which employers and training providers can get involved in, including:
- Subject-specific careers talks and lessons
- Assemblies for special events, for example National Apprenticeships Week
- Year 10 Work Experience
- Year 12 Work Experience
- Year 11 ‘Post-16 Pathways Day’
- Mock interviews
- Whole school STEM Enrichment day
If you would like to get involved in our careers programme, please get in touch with Miss B Loughlin by emailing careers@derbycathedralschool.org.uk or calling the school telephone number.
Provider access
We are committed to creating opportunities for education and training providers to access pupils in years 8 to 13. Our full provider access statement can be viewed within our Careers Policy.
LinkedIn post by Stone Cladding Systems, one of the employers who visited us for our annual STEM Enrichment day in July 2023.