Careers

Our vision is that whilst at Briarwood School, pupils will be taught the skills and attitudes required to enable them to become as independent as they can be and to prepare for adulthood.
We aim for pupils to have an enriched and stimulating curriculum to give them every opportunity to reach their full potential regardless of their gender, race, learning disability and/or physical disability.

Briarwood provides a relevant and engaging careers curriculum which meets the differing needs and requirements of our learners. This is developed throughout a learner’s time at the school and is always supportive of their abilities, strengths and skills.

Careers Provision at Briarwood

All learners have access to the following:

• Briarwood Life skills curriculum (Employability handbook; see Appendix 3). Preparing for life after Briarwood is a fundamental aspect of our life skills curriculum.
• Briarwood acknowledges the important of Preparing for Adulthood and this is built in to everything we do, starting with the youngest students to give them the best start in life and the best possible careers and independent living outcomes.
• Visitors in to school and offsite visits support learners in developing their understanding of a range of different post 19 providers.
• All learners from Year 9 have access to advice via an external careers advice provider (trained lvl 6) where appropriate.
• Regular communication with families and Governors with regard to careers provision and its impact.
• Learners have access to relevant transitions and careers events hosted at Briarwood and other schools in Bristol.
• All learners should have scheduled timetable opportunities for enriching employment experiences such as internal and external work experience, career support and planning, coaching and time to explore work opportunities as appropriate.

Key Stage 3

• Pupil pathways onto accredited and vocational courses are planned and prepared for in KS3.
• Learners take part in Enterprise projects across the school year.
• Learners  (from Year 7) engage in careers/employability related learning tasks that will help them decide next steps where appropriate.
• Year 9 learners and their families invited to relevant careers and skills fairs such as the annual Transition Fair at Briarwood school.
• Learners in Year 8 and 9 (where appropriate) have the opportunity to access different training providers to develop the variety of experiences they have to support informed choices about future education, training and employment pathways.

Key Stage 4 (in addition to KS3 ongoing provision)

• The school Careers Leader supports KS4 pupils are prepared for appropriate accreditation (ASDAN transition challenge and Towards Independence).
• Learners where appropriate in Year 10 and 11 undertake Work Experience and work-based placements and opportunities.
• Meaningful employer encounters.
• Learners in Year 10 and 11 (where appropriate) have the opportunity to access different training providers to develop the variety of experiences they have to support informed choices about future education, training and employment pathways.
• Access to trained level 6 careers adviser for an interview by the age of 16, where appropriate.

Key Stage 5 (in addition to KS3 and KS4 ongoing provision)

• One-to-one meetings with families, the school Careers Leader in Years 12-15.
• KS5 learners and their families invited to relevant careers and skills fairs such as the annual Transition Fair at Briarwood school.
• Meaningful employer encounters.
• Access to accredited Employability KS5 curriculum pathway.
• Learners in KS5 have the opportunity to access different training providers to develop the variety of experiences they have to support informed choices about future education, training and employment pathways (where appropriate).
• The majority of KS5 learners take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award, where appropriate.
• Access to trained level 6 careers adviser for an interview by the age of 19, where appropriate.

Briarwood school has many enriching and thriving business enterprise projects for those students who cannot access work experience including the school café ‘Copse Café’, an arts and crafts business, and a gardening business. These enterprise businesses are run by students within our post-16 department and generate revenue.

The overall organisation of work experience is undertaken by the school Careers Leader who liaises with the Senior Leadership Team and teaching team to ensure the most relevant and engaging opportunities are taken.

Families are informed and communicated with throughout the process via newsletters and a work experience diary is sent home termly (see appendix).

Parent Feedback

We invite you to participate in our questionnaire designed for parents of students at Briarwood School. This survey aims to gather your insights and feedback regarding our careers provision and the support we offer to our learners as they prepare for life after school.

Provider Access Requests

A provider wishing to request access should contact
Careers Leader Antonios Petropoulos: email antonios.petropoulos@bristol-schools.uk or call: 01173532651;
Sam Cooper: sam.cooper@bristol-schoosl.uk or call 01177337042;
Sarah Lane-Batt: sarah.lane-batt@bristol-schools.uk or call 01173532651

Careers Programme Information

A summary of our school’s careers programme is published on our school website, including details of how pupils, parents, teachers and employers can access information about the careers programme. Information shared with pupils

Pupils, parents, teachers and employers can request any additional information about the careers programme by contacting Antonios.petropoulos@bristol-schools.uk; sarah.lane-batt@bristol-schools.uk; sam.cooper@bristol-schools.uk

• Parents/carers and pupils are welcome to attend Briarwood’s Careers and transition coffee mornings which happen twice annually for both Secondary and Sixth Form.
• Lists of potential placements for social care provision; Further Education; Employers; and services are sent out every year twice to all parents and pupils in Secondary and Sixth form.
• Letters containing information in regards to personal guidance and future action plans are being shared with parents and carers.
• Information is also shared during EHCP meetings.
• Transitions Fayre in term 6.
• Termly Newsletters

Assessing the impact on pupils

Our career programme is designed so pupils can give feedback, and their progress measured as they move through the Key Stages.

We measure and assess the impact of the programme's initiatives by: pupils accessing reflective accounts after career-related activities; feedback forms completed after career-related activities; progress within the curriculum (especially in employability/careers related activities); staff observations; EHCP pupil voice; accreditation results.

We also track long-term outcomes through destination data of our leavers.

Further Information

All learners on placement are covered by the employers’ insurance and places of work are risk assessed by the Careers Leader.

You can contact our careers' leader Antonios Petropoulos by email antonios.petropoulos@bristol-schools.uk

You can find our Careers Policy & Employability Handbook in the policy library linked below.

If you are a school or provider and would like to know more about implementing our approach, or accessing our documents and templates, please contact us.