Careers And Options

Andy Primmett advises students on careers and higher education.

Choosing options and getting careers advice is so important that students get help at every step of the way. The timetable is structured so that everyone is able to take the subjects they want and, even if they change their minds then they can always swap groups right up until the October half term.

Vice Principal, Trish Stringer, who co-ordinates the timetable said; 'We're not like other schools where children have to pick one subject from this category and two subjects from that one. Here the students sign up to do the subjects they want and we build the timetable around that <0x2014> it's not a case that the first 25 students to sign up for a course can take that option and others then have to settle for second best. No student here is a square peg in a round hole, they each get to choose and try the options they want.'

Careers advice is equally as individual and the College takes the subject so seriously that it has a permanent consultation room and an adviser on site for two days a week. Andy Primmett guides the students through their career choices and has introduced the 'Pathfinder' careers matching programme so that each student gets a print out of their strengths, weaknesses and suggested career options suited to their particular abilities. The advantage of this software is that the questions can be tailored to specific year groups or ability levels, giving finely-tuned results. Currently Year 9 and Year 12 students are benefiting from the software but such has been the success of the scheme that future students and more year groups will get a chance to participate.