The role of the Raising Aspirations Department is to equip students with the skills and knowledge that they need to make informed decisions at key points in their school lives and ultimately to prepare them for the world of work. Our aim is to enable all students to achieve their full potential.
We have developed a Raising Aspirations student and parent portal where you can find a lot of important information regarding different careers, local employers and employability skills. It also has information on applying for apprenticeships and going to university, as well as some handy ‘how to’ guides. The ‘My subjects My Career’ portal links students to the subjects they enjoy to the jobs they could do.
Careers Programme
We are keen for our students to explore all the options available and to realise what potential pathways are open to them. There is an extensive programme of events and lessons that are available to students from Year 7 to Year 13.
Careers Provider Access Statement
Year 7
- Ugly Animals Appreciation Enterprise Day
- Every Bite Counts with ELSA Education
- The Guardian newspaper trip – Make your own front page
- Year 7 career lessons – Introduction to Unifrog and What I want to be when I grow up
Year 8
- Take Your Child to Work Day
- Year 8 career lessons – One Pound Challenge
Year 9
- Post 14 Pathways guidance
- ReAssure Dragons Den
- Future Talent with Willmott Dixon
- Open Doors construction visit
- Cambridge University trip
Year 10
- Get Work Ready Day with ELSA Education
- Take Your Child to Work Day
- Careers fair – over 40 businesses
- CV writing workshops
- Town planning workshop with Morrison Utility Services
- Digital inclusion with Willmott Dixon and Harrison Court supported living
- Oaklands College visit
- Civil Service workshop with iMedia students
- Skills show at the NEC Birmingham
Year 11
- Post 16 Pathways evening
- Post 16 Pathways one-to-one guidance, including assistance with applications and interviews
- Visits to Sixth Form colleges
- Extended work experience
- Mentoring from Year 12 and Year 13 students
- Business mentoring for business students
Sixth Form
- Visit to the National Apprenticeship Show at Milton Keynes
- Visit to UCAS Higher Education Convention
- Visit to UCAS Oxbridge Conference
- Year 12 work experience week
- Talks from Student Finance, Employers and our Alumni
- One-to-one guidance on UCAS applications
- One-to-one guidance on apprenticeship and employment applications
- Post 18 Pathways conference for students
- Paired reading with Year 7 and Year 8 students
- Paired numeracy with Year 7 students
- Mentoring of students in KS3 and KS4
- Provision of assistance to Gap students
Whole School
- Apprenticeship information evening and careers fair
- Careers talks by local business at lunch time and during lessons
- Careers information embedded into class teaching
RA in Form Time
Unifrog
Unifrog is a careers application that allows our students to explore the information on all of the pathways that are available to them at each stage of their educational journey. Our students are able to explore the many different careers available in the world of work and to obtain the information about what qualifications and experience would be needed. The Raising Aspirations (Careers) team who lead the careers teaching within the school are also able to monitor and provide help based on the information students and teachers input into the Unifrog application and to monitor that the provision is being made in line with the Gatsby benchmarks. Gatsby benchmarks are a set of criteria provided to schools to help them in the delivery of careers education and are a measure which could be used by Ofsted when carrying out an inspection.
Hertfordshire Opportunity Portal (HOP)
If you would like to explore careers within Hertfordshire you should visit HOP (Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal), which has been created for Hertfordshire residents so that they can find out about the local jobs in their home county. You will be able to learn about the types of jobs likely to exist now and in the future, find out about some of the big employers you might want to work for and also gain information about apprenticeships. The Priory School works closely with the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership, with Mrs Emler being part of the HOP steering group and a member of the North Hertfordshire Careers Hub. You can follow HOP on Facebook, Instagram (hop_into) and Twitter (@HOPinto_Herts) for information about events and current opportunities.
Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships are a combination of working and studying and can be done in a range of different subjects and areas. They range from level 2 apprenticeships up to degree level apprenticeships. Students can research and apply for an apprenticeship directly from their Unifrog account. For more information about what apprenticeships can offer, have a look at the latest parent pack provided by Amazing Apprenticeships:
Business Links
Finally, as part of our work both supporting students in their aspirations and also helping them to engage with their local community, we have developed the following business links:
Labour Market Information (LMI) / Destination Data
Every student, and parents, should have access to good quality information about future study options and labour market opportunities. Careerometer 2 enables our students to review and compare different occupations, what they involve and what the potential earnings can be.
Raising Aspirations Team
KS3 and KS4 Co-ordinator – Sally Emler (Sally.Emler@priory.herts.sch.uk; 01462 622300 ext. 233)
KS5 Co-ordinator – Emma Shipp (Emma.Shipp@priory.herts.sch.uk; 01462 622300 ext. 233)
STEM
STEM is undergoing a renewed focus at The Priory School.
Eventually, STEM will be evolved into STEAM to include the Arts as it complements Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.
2020/2021
In partnership with the Raising Aspirations department, the profile of STEM-related subjects and clubs are being actively promoted. This heightened awareness hopes to promote an equitable engagement across various clubs, competitions, events and trips.
During the height of the pandemic, students were actively encouraged to participate in the Digital Big Bang 2020 and Digital Big Bang 2021. Furthermore, the Digital Scavenger Hunt run by STEMPOINT East ensured engagement across all key stages.
UP and ATOM!, TPS’s brand new STEM Club, was launched during 2020. Students were involved in designing a habitat for Mars colonisation while exploring possible strategies to terraform the planet.
2021 /2022
The start of the 2021/2022 academic year has seen excitement grow as UP and ATOM! will be competing in two national competitions:
- F1 in Schools
TPS has entered two teams – A junior team (KS3) competing in the Entry Class competition and a senior team (KS4/5) competing in the Development Class competition.
Students have to design, manufacture and race a model F1 race car that must conform to stringent technical regulations.
- CanSat
TPS has entered a team to compete in the event hosted and supported by Esero-UK. Students have to design, program and build a satellite the size of a can that, after being shot into the air by a rocket, has to do some telemetry calculations before landing safely again.
Furthermore, during 2021/2022, each half term will feature a guest speaker or event related to the subject for that half term:
- Autumn 1: Maths
- Autumn 2: Science
- Spring 1: Arts and Music
- Spring 2: Computing
- Summer 1: Design and Technology
- Summer 2: Geography
STEM-related clubs
The following STEM Clubs are in full swing at The Priory School:
- QuadTV Club (Year 9 with Mr Hankin / Mr Woolston)
- UP and ATOM! (KS3 and KS4/5 with Mr Coetzee)
- Science Club (Year 7 and 8 with Mrs Matthews)
- Girls in Computing (Year 8 with Mrs Clark)
- Code Club (KS3/4 with Mr Hankin / Mr Woolston)
- Robot Rumble (Year 8 and 9 with Mr Parmar)
- Rampaging Chariots (Year 10 and up with Mr Parmar)
- Smash Bros. Club (All year groups with Mr Parmar)
- Maths Club (KS3/4 with Mrs Jones)