Academic

Our careers and higher education guidance is tailored to individual aspirations through our dedicated Careers Leader and Independent Careers Advisors.

We aim to:

• Raise aspirations and awareness of the diversity of opportunities available to students; empowering them to make, access, and manage realistic and well-informed career decisions, facilitating personal and economic stability and well-being.
• Develop learners’ career management attributes, especially those associated with adaptability, resilience, and enterprise. Students are equipped with the employability skills that are needed to excel, enabling them to be dynamic, innovative, flexible, resilient, self-initiating and collaborative, to accommodate and thrive in workplaces, or to develop entrepreneurial skills and talents.
• Students are given opportunities to expand their horizons in an ever-changing workplace through visiting speakers, employer engagement, alumni presentations, links to the British Armed Forces, and leadership development. Young people’s potential is improved by helping them to identify the standards that are important to them, linked to the School’s core values of courage, integrity, respect, commitment, loyalty, and self-discipline. Students are encouraged to understand the importance of voluntary and charitable work for social awareness as well as for career progression.
• From Year 7, students are guided as they explore, investigate, question, and visualise how their future careers may develop. Parents are fully involved in this process and are kept informed about progressions, and new trends within careers and job markets, so they may encourage and assist Dukies on their career paths. The school aims to offer students in Years 12/13 the opportunity to be mentored by an alumnus from a relevant profession or industry sector.

Students at our School benefit greatly from attending Careers Workshops facilitated by our Independent Careers Advisors. These sessions allow us to offer detailed and personalised career guidance to each student, helping them navigate their post-18 pathways effectively.

Furthermore, we organise highly anticipated “Dukies Inspiring Dukies” events and a Careers Fair, inviting alumni back to share insights into their professions. These events foster valuable connections between students and professionals across various fields, including engineering, healthcare, law, and the military.

With a well-equipped Library, featuring a dedicated careers section, students have access to a wealth of resources covering university courses, apprenticeships, gap years, student finance, armed forces careers, and more.

Moreover, in PSHEE lessons, students receive assistance in crafting CVs, researching potential career paths, and participating in mock job interviews, equipping them with essential skills for their future endeavours.