Careers and Enterprise
At HAB, we believe that a well-structured and highly effective programme of Careers and Education Guidance will play a key role in contributing to how the Academy prepares its young people for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life.
Education about careers pathways is aligned to the academy’s values of ambition, compassion and respect.
HAB students are always encouraged to be ambitious and set themselves audacious goals irrespective of their starting points and backgrounds. They are informed about the education, training and employment choices available to them. They learn how to identify the benefits of each choice, to recognise personal barriers, and to determine strategies to overcome these barriers. The school careers and curriculum entitlement support the development of the skills and knowledge that students need to realise their ambitions.
You can download our Careers and Education Guidance Policy from our Teaching and Learning page.
As part of their careers education, students also learn about prevailing stereotypes and inequalities that exist across different courses and jobs. They are encouraged to advocate for themselves and others, and to challenge practices that discriminate. As an Academy, we seek to engage with employers, and education and training providers who champion diversity and inclusion in their organisations, and to provide a diverse group of career role models as part of employer encounters and mentoring.
At HAB, all students receive tailored, confidential careers counselling from a highly qualified Careers Advisor. They also have the opportunity to better understand the labour market and prospects for career development in different sectors through careers’ encounters and as part of the PSHE Curriculum.
By the time students leave HAB, they will be well informed about a variety of qualifications, including those of a technical, vocational and academic nature and both University and Apprenticeship options.
Careers Programme 2024-25
|
| Autumn | Spring | Summer |
| Year 7 | Careers assembly
Into university | PSHE careers lessons
Theme Day – careers focus
Careers Assembly
National Careers Week / National Apprenticeship week
Gatsby 5: Employer assembly
Into university | PSHE sessions – financial literacy
|
| Year 8 | Careers assembly
Into university
Baker clause talk 1; technical training pathways and apprenticeships | PSHE careers lessons
Theme Day – careers focus
National Careers Week / National Apprenticeship week
Into university
Baker clause talk 2; technical training pathways and apprenticeships
Gatsby 5: Employer assembly |
Into university
|
| Year 9 | Careers assembly
Into university | PSHE careers lessons
Theme Day – careers focus
Careers Assembly – subject options
KS4 options events
National Careers Week / National Apprenticeship week
Into university Gatsby 5: Employer assembly |
Into university
Baker clause talk 2; technical training pathways and apprenticeships
Workplace and university visits |
| Year 10 | Careers assembly
Into university
Baker clause talk 4: Technical courses and vocational pathways post-16
Work experience launch
Work experience planning and preparation | PSHE careers lessons
Theme Day – careers focus
Careers Assembly
National Careers Week / National Apprenticeship week
Into university
Gatsby 5: Employer assembly |
Careers interviews start – group interviews
Work experience preparation
Work Experience
Into university
|
| Year 11 | PSHE sessions – preparing for 1-2-1 interviews and applications
Individual Careers advisor appointments
Theme Day and Post-16 Taster sessions
Y11 Raising Achievement event
Baker clause talk 5: Technical courses and vocational pathways post-16
| PSHE lessons – financial literacy
Careers Assembly
National Careers Week / National Apprenticeship week
Into university
Gastby 5: Employer Encounter
Individual Careers advisor appointments | Post-16 application / destinations support
|
| Year 12 | PSHE sessions – VESPA (setting your Vision, importance of effort, systems, practice and attitude)
Theme Day sessions – Developing oracy skills within the workplace.
Gatsby 5: Employer encounter
Assemblies on Careers from Work experience providers. Pathway CTM Access Aspiration Uptree Assembly Launch of Work Experience Program
Assemblies from Universities Ludus K+ Social Mobility Foundation
Interactions with universities and companies KCL Paediatric Society – university study skills Blueprint – employability skills focus
Financial Literacy Sessions Tax and Savings Student Finance | PSHE sessions – Post 18 Options
Unifrog Launch
Tutor tracking of post 18 preferences for students.
Launch of Construction Youth Trust Apprenticeship Sessions. National Careers / Apprenticeship Week
Launch of Volunteering Programme – Reader leader and Peer mentoring training
Gatsby 5: Employer encounter
Work experience planning
Into university
| PSHE sessions – Post 18 Options and Employment rights
One to one academic meetings and future pathways.
Individual Careers advisor appointments
Trip to TEDI University
Parent Post 18 Options Information evening
Work Experience Placements
Mock Interviews
Workshops on how to write a CV and Cover Letter.
Workshops to register for UCAS and produce first draft of personal statement. |
| Year 13 | UCAS and Apprenticeships follow up lessons and individual appointments.
Into university
Loughborough University sessions on student finance and personal statement writing
Theme Day Sessions
Individual Careers advisor appointments
Gatsby 5: Employer encounter
Trip to London Olympia What career, what uni?
Next Step – STEM sessions | PSHE sessions – financial literacy / investments.
UCAS and Apprenticeships follow up lessons and individual appointments.
National Apprenticeship week
Gatsby 5: Employer encounter
| Post-18 application / destinations support
|
Work Experience
All students in Year 10 and Year 12 will complete work experience on the following dates in July 2025:
Year 12: Tuesday 8th - Thursday 10th July 2025
Year 10: Monday 14th - Wednesday 16th July 2025
All information has been shared with students in their launch assembly in Autumn Term, please see the letters below for further information.
Work Experience Letter to Parents and Students - Agreement
Work Experience Letter - Employer
Students will need to record their placements on their Unifrog account, sign into Unifrog at www.unifrog.org/student
Key contacts
Assistant Principal and Senior Careers Lead: Daisy Mercer daisy.mercer@harrisbermondsey.org.uk
HAB Careers Lead: Donna Donnelly donna.donnelly@harrisbermondsey.org.uk
Harris Federation Careers Advisor: Alishea Robinson alishea.robinson@harrisfederation.org.uk
Careers Governor: George Hudson
Useful links
nationalcareers.service.gov.uk. Government website detailing a range of support and activities available to support young people with options including GCSE, Post 16 /18, via email or telephone.
harriscareerseducation.org.uk. Being part of the Harris Federation means that our students get lots of opportunities to work with some very big companies. Visit the site to hear talks, look at job opportunities for degree apprenticeships and find out about sixth form.
apprenticeships.org.uk. All current apprenticeship vacancies can be found on this website. You can register and receive information on new vacancies as they arise - intermediate, advanced and higher level apprenticeships available
university.which.co.uk/advice/a-level-choices. Advice and guidance on A Level subject and course choice from Which? University. Find out the best A-Level options to take for your future career path.
ucas.com. One stop shop for all the information you need on university courses - eg full and part-time courses, entry requirements, how to apply, important dates to remember, an dclearing with links directly to university websites, and now Degree Apprenticeships and Higher Apprenticeships. This also has a parental section with really useful and relevant information.
informedchoices.ac.uk. Informed Choices brings together guidance from admissions teams at Russell Group universities to give pupils clear information about the subjects they should consider if they are hoping to progress to a competitive university.
notgoingtouni.co.uk. Other post-18 options available, including employment opportunities.
Provider Access Policy
The document Careers guidance and access for education and training providers (January 2023) sets out that:
The provider access legislation (occasionally referred to as the ‘Baker Clause’) requires all schools and academies to provide opportunities for a range of education and training providers to access all year 8 to 13 pupils to inform them about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. Through the Skills and Post-16 Act 2022, the government has strengthened this legislation by introducing a minimum number of six provider encounters that every school must provide and, for the first time, introduces parameters around the duration and content of these encounters so that we can ensure they are of high quality.”
All maintained schools and academies must provide six encounters with a provider of technical education or apprenticeships for year 8 to 13 pupils. We have timed these six meetings to inform consideration of post-14, post-16 and post-18 options and progression to the next stage of education or training.
As a minimum, schools must offer:
- Two encounters for pupils during the ‘first key phase’ (year 8 or 9) that are mandatory for all pupils to attend, to take place any time during year 8 or between 1 September and 28 February during year 9.
- Two encounters for pupils during the ‘second key phase’ (year 10 or 11) that are mandatory for all pupils to attend, to take place any time during year 10 or between 1 September and 28 February during year 11.
- Two encounters for pupils during the ‘third key phase’ (year 12 or 13) that are mandatory for the school to put on but optional for pupils to attend, to take place any time during year 12 or between 1 September and 28 February during year 13
The careers implementation strategy is integrated into students’ experience of the whole curriculum including subject based learning, the PSHE Curriculum, assemblies, enrichment and trips. The academy also plans and participates in events during National Careers Week and National Apprenticeships Week as a means of promoting different pathways to the student population.
The HAB Provider Access Policy can be found on our Teaching and Learning page.
Management of provider access requests
A provider wishing to request access should contact Daisy Mercer daisy.mercer@harrisbermondsey.org.uk, telephone: 0207 237 9316.
Visitor access
Visitor access will be granted in accordance with Academy procedures (see the Safeguarding Policy downloadable from our Safeguarding page).
