The role of the Raising Aspirations Department is to equip students with the skills and knowledge they need to make informed decisions at key points in their school lives and ultimately prepare them for the world of work. Our aim is to enable all students to achieve their full potential.
Raising Aspirations Student & Parent Portal
We have developed a Raising Aspirations Student & Parent Portal where you can find important information about different careers, local employers and employability skills. It also includes information about apprenticeships and university, together with useful ‘how to’ guides.
The My Subjects, My Career portal links students’ favourite subjects to the jobs and careers they could go on to pursue.
Careers Programme
We are keen for our students to explore all the options available to them and to realise what potential pathways are open to them. There is an extensive programme of events, activities and lessons available to students from Year 7 to Year 13.
Our programme includes careers education, employer engagement, work experience, further education and university guidance, apprenticeship information and opportunities to develop employability skills.
Provider Access
We work with a range of education, training and apprenticeship providers to ensure that students are able to explore the different pathways available to them.
Year 7
- Buzz Quiz
- Every Bite Counts With ELSA Education
- The Guardian newspaper trip – Make Your Own Front Page
- Stevenage FC Assembly
- Cambridge University Assembly and Workshops
- Taylor Wimpy Workshop
Year 8
- Take Your Child to Work Day
- Year 8 Career Lessons – One Pound Challenge
- Sky Studio Assembly
- Power of Events Workshop
- Settle Workshop
Year 9
- Post 14 Pathways Guidance
- Cambridge University trip
- Apprenticeship assembly
- NHS Assembly
- Unifrog Careers Lessons
Year 10
- Get Work Ready Day with ELSA Education
- 3 Days’ Work Experience
- Networking Event
- CV Writing Workshops
- College Visits – NHC, Oaklands and Shuttleworth
- College Assemblies
Year 11
- Post 16 Pathways evening
- Post 16 Pathways one-to-one guidance, including assistance with applications and interviews
- Visits to Sixth Form Colleges
- University of Hertfordshire Assembly
- College Assembly
- NHC Discover Days
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 businesses at lunchtime and during lessons
- Careers information embedded into class teaching
Raising Aspirations in Form Time
Careers and aspiration themes are also incorporated into form time activities throughout the school.
Unifrog
Unifrog is a careers application that allows our students to explore information about the pathways available to them at each stage of their educational journey.
Students can explore different careers and find out what qualifications and experience may be needed. The Raising Aspirations team can also monitor students’ progress and provide support based on the information entered by students and teachers.
Unifrog also supports the school’s monitoring of careers provision against the Gatsby Benchmarks, which provide a framework for good careers education.
Hertfordshire Opportunity Portal
Hertfordshire Opportunity Portal (HOP) provides information about careers and opportunities across Hertfordshire.
Students and families can explore local jobs, employers and apprenticeships, as well as opportunities that are likely to be available now and in the future.
The Priory School works closely with the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership through our Raising Aspirations provision and local careers networks.
Labour Market Information (LMI) & Destination Data
Every student and parent 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.