The Ridgeway School and Sixth Form College
Careers Overview
The Ridgeway Careers Curriculum provides students with inspirational, achievable and current information, advice and guidance to allow individuals to make informed choices for their future.
Each year group has dedicated mentoring career sessions each term specific to their year progression in addition to whole specific days or weeks targeted at key points in the year. Eg Yr 7 employer Questions and Answers, Yr10 Employer Interview Day, Yr12 UCAS days and WEX week (Yr 10 & 12) where students engage with external employers.
Furthermore, we provide membership for every student to a dedicated careers site with a variety of tools and resources and students have access to an independent careers adviser for bespoke support and guidance.
Key Outcomes:
Learners as Leavers of our school will:
Self-awareness:
- Be aware of their passions, skills, and work preferences and understand how these could inform their career choices.
- Be inspired and motivated by career opportunities which they may not have otherwise considered.
- Be able to articulate and demonstrate what they have learnt throughout their careers learning journey.
Career knowledge and decision-making
- Have a broad knowledge of a range of career opportunities which enable informed decision-making.
- Have a deeper level of knowledge and understanding about the roles, responsibilities, and pathways of careers in their areas of interest.
- Understand how the local and national labour market is changing and what this might mean for their career choices.
- Be able to evaluate the risks and rewards of the full range of pathways available at key transition points.
- Be able to evaluate the risks and rewards of different types of employment and working environments.
- Be able to make links between their curriculum to skills, pathways, and to the world of work.
- Be able to identify and make effective use of available support systems.
- Be able to recognise and challenge stereotypes about career pathways and understand that their career aspirations should not be limited by them.
- Have a clear understanding of the learning pathways and qualifications that they will need to pursue their career goals.
Recruitment and workplace readiness
- Have developed essential skills which will support them to transition to the workplace.
- Understand how recruitment and selection processes work (including interviews and assessment centres) and what they need to do to succeed in them.
- Understand the expectations, behaviours, and cultures of a range of workplaces.
- Be able to evidence when they have applied their knowledge and skills within the workplace.
- Be able to articulate their knowledge and skills to potential employers.
- Be able to use their work experience to make informed career decisions.
Key Outcomes:
By the end of Key Stage 3:
- Develop an awareness of individual skills, strengths and preferred learning styles in relation to Key Stage 4 options.
- Research different careers analysing skills and educational requirements.
- Receive careers information and on-going support from staff such as their mentor.
- Have taken part in an enterprise activity through an external business.
- All students meet with a variety of different employers and will be able to ask questions about their careers.
By the end of Key Stage 4/5:
- Be offered at least one individual appointment with a Careers advisor (at both KS4 and KS5) and given advice and guidance on post-16 education, employment and training and apprenticeship options
- Devise an action plan towards your career goals
- Have listened to talks on different careers
- Have been given the opportunity to speak to representatives from various sectors of the world of work
- Have developed financial capability skills
- Have produced and reviewed a curriculum vitae
- Have written a formal letter, e.g. covering letter
- Have a formal interview experience with an employee from an external business or company
- Take part in a formal Work Experience programme
- Develop presentation and interview skills
- Be offered the opportunity to take part in taster days/ sessions for post 16 destinations eg 6th form taster day and College experience days.
Year 7 - A Wide World of Choices
Aim: Pupils will have awareness that there are a wide range of careers which may be suitable for them and to know how to research an area of particular interest.
During mentoring students will investigate and research careers that are new to them. They will develop presentation & research skills by presenting their findings to the mentor group. In each career, they will research potential skills, education, conditions and what a typical day is like.
Mentoring programme Career sessions include:
- Your Personal Journey
- Unifrog - Intro
- The World of Work
- Who Am I?
- GREEN CAREERS WEEK
- Exploring possibilities
- What is a Career?
- What is an entrepreneur?
- National Apprenticeship Week
- STEP INTO THE NHS
- National Careers Week
- What is a work life balance?
- FE and HE
- Personal Skills
- My Path Careers
Career Event Day Term 3:
Employer engagement day where students hear from different employers and able to ask questions and explore a variety of different careers.
Year 8 - How The Working World Works
Aim: Pupils will gain an understanding of the skills required to develop careers successfully and develop and the link between career and personal well being.
All students will analyse their leadership and teamwork skills during mentoring and discuss what these bring to the workplace.
Mentoring programme Career sessions include:
- Your Personal Journey
- The World of Work
- GREEN CAREERS WEEK
- What are my Interests
- Superhero CV’s
- Challenges and Rewards of Work
- Creating the life and vision you want
- National Apprenticeship Week
- What does success mean to me?
- National Careers Week
- Careers & the Climate
- Careers - Public Services
- FE and HE
- Future Skills Questionnaire
- Personal Skills
- My Path Careers
Career Event Day – Term 4
All students will participate in an employability enterprise day via a local external business where they will need to work in groups to design and build a new software app. This will test all areas of teamwork and leadership skills and learn about running a business for the consumer market.
Year 9 - Choosing Your Options
Aim: Pupils will have been given the knowledge and skills to make right decisions about their GCSE options. Pupils will have to develop their knowledge and understanding of different careers and the skills and qualifications needed to pursue these types of careers.
Year 9 is the moment where students really begin to craft their future by making decisions which will affect their potential career. In order to ensure all students have the skills and knowledge to do this successfully they will:
- Have a dedicated 1:1 careers tracking interview with mentor.
- Have an opportunity to discuss potential subjects with teachers and Heads of Departments in parents evening and options evening.
- Students will be given an opportunity to attend the Swindon Careers Fayre held at STEAM museum
- Selected students will be invited to attend University open days
Mentoring programme Career sessions include:
- Your Personal Journey
- GREEN CAREERS WEEK
- What are my skills?
- What comes after school?
- Choosing what to study at KS4
- Taking control of your careers journey
- National Apprenticeship Week
- Managing your money
- National Careers Week
- What is LMI?
- Careers in Curriculum
- FE and HE
- Future Skills Questionnaire
- Personal Skills
- My Path Careers
- Career Event Specific Days
- Options Evening
Career Event Day
All students will participate in an Employer Visitor Day as part of their preparation for options where students will experience a range of presentations by different employers and businesses exploring the skills and qualifications needed to pursue a career in their field.
Year 10 - Exploring the World of Work
Aim: To be able to evaluate and have a good understanding of suitable jobs and to know what it takes to be successful in a job interview.
All students will take part in an employer mock interview day where 50+ local employers visit the school for each student to have a Mock interview to prepare them for the world of work.
Mentoring programme Career sessions include:
- Your Personal Journey
- Reflecting on my career Journey
- GREEN CAREERS WEEK
- Exploring Employer Profiles
- Work Experience Launch
- What type of career is best for me?
- Work Experience part 2 - Preparing for interviews
- National Apprenticeship Week
- Study Higher
- National Careers Week
- Wellbeing in the workplace
- Presenting yourself and skills needed
- Post 16 Pathways
- FE and HE- What comes next after school-
- Personal Skills
- Work Experience preparation and plans
- Interviews with employers day Term 4 (all)
- Yr10 into R6 day (experience life as a 6th former)
- College experience days/University visits (throughout year)
- Work Experience Week July (all)
- Individual Careers Guidance interviews (Term 6 start)
Career Event Day x2
Students will interact with employers from community with each student receiving a mock interview.
Students will also gain an insight into the world of work by preparing for and taking part in an external work experience for 3-5 days in the summer term.
Year 11 - The Next Steps
Aim: Students apply what they have learnt to make informed decisions on their future. Students will be supported to ensure they maximise their potential to reach their intended destination. Students will;
- Receive a 1:1 Careers Interview with an independent careers adviser
- Receive information from local colleges for academic and vocational pathways available to them
- Be invited to R6 and other Colleges open evenings.
- Selected students will attend Swindon College to see the courses available to them.
- Students who need support will be offered a follow-on interview that will support them through the application process.
- Any undecided student will receive bespoke 1:1 support in finding their perfect destination.
Mentoring programme Career sessions include:
- Setting Goals
- Preparing for exams
- Post 16 applications
- R6 Assembly and introduction
- GREEN CAREERS WEEK
- National Apprenticeship Week
- Study Higher
- National Careers Week
- What comes next after school
- FE and HE
- ApprenTFest STEAM 10th Feb 2026
- College Experience days
- Employer visits into school
- Specific Curriculum trips and visits to employers
Year 12 - Exploring possible opportunities and choice in local area and beyond
Aim: In Year 12, R6 students will have a variety of opportunities to explore the Post 18 landscape and to make informed decisions about their future pathways. Some of these opportunities include:
| Term 1 | UCAS Discovery Day Bristol Universities and Apprenticeship providers – all Year 12 |
| Term 2 | NCSL Festival Birmingham NEC. A range of external speakers during enrichment deliver sessions on workplaces, securing apprenticeships, starting Uni etc. |
| Term 3 | National Apprenticeship week 10-15th Feb activities and information. ApprenTFest STEAM 11th Feb |
| Term 4 | University visit – all Year 12 Reading University |
| Term 5 | Friday 2nd May – External speakers in during Enrichment |
| Term 6 | Work Shadowing week 23rd June. Progression Day – external speakers – Study Higher, universities, UCAS sign up, Alumni Q&A fair |
Year 13 - Refining and Pursuing chosen next steps and destinations
In Year 13 the focus is on securing the desired pathway for students. This includes lots of tailored and bespoke support including:
- One-one support – R6 Student Advisor and R6 Team with applications to universities and conservatoires through UCAS.
- Appointments with the Careers Advisor to explore a variety of options.
- Interview preparations including a full mock interview – panel or MMI
- Portfolio support
- Alumni information sessions
Our Year 13s can also take advantage of the some of the Year 12 experiences if needed – a visit to the NCSL Festival offered to those who are unsure of their plans post 18. Equally, Year 13 are encouraged to continue to take advantage of the range of external speakers who visit the school.
List of Employers
The following are some of the different types of employers and establishments that have been engaged with our school and students as part of our careers curriculum programme;
- UKRI – Environmental Science; Communications / PR
- Gallagher (AJG) – Recruitment Marketing
- Just for Fun Holiday Club Ltd – Childcare & Welfare
- BMW – Apprenticeships
- NatWest – Banking & Finance
- Leathwaite – HR and Talent Attraction / Recruitment
- Network Rail – Technical / Engineering Management / Railway
- RWE – Project Management / Planning
- DICE Telecoms Ltd – Telecoms, Project Management, Battery Energy Storage Systems
- Hampshire Council – Social Worker / Safeguarding
- Motability Operations Ltd – All HR (incl. Graduate Recruitment)
- AVEVA – Project Management
- UKSBS – IT Service Desk Manager
- Nationwide Building Society – Finance / Accounting / Management; Business Analytics; Risk Management; Customer Service Roles in Banking
- Capita Learning – Sales, Customer Account Management, Leadership, Finance & Accountancy Recruitment
- Thirst4 consulting Ltd – HR Learning & Development
- RGF Staffing BV (Netherlands HQ) – Human Resources
- Zurich Insurance Group – Actuarial (Finance / Accounting)
- NHS – Nursing
- The Croft Primary – Teaching
- Check Point Software – Enterprise Security (UK)
- OxSonics Therapeutics – Medical Devices & Pharmaceuticals (QA/QC/RA)
- Gracey Grazing – Admin / Business Development
- Royal Air Force – Military, RAF & MOD Civilians
- Lloyds Banking Group – Finance
- NG Bailey IT Services Ltd – IT Services
- Retired – Engineering Consultancy
- Dyson Technology Ltd – Finance & Business Performance
- Syamic Ltd – IT Service Management Consultancy
- Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service – Fire Service
- The White Horse Federation Multi-Academy Trust - HR/IT/Finance/Teaching/Marketing