Careers

Darrick Wood School recognises the importance of providing students with careers education and advice to prepare them for life beyond school and to give them the skills they need for successful careers development. Students are given the opportunity to gain valuable employability skills as well as providing access to a range of resources to allow them to consider a wide range of options for their future.

Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) is delivered to all Students in a variety of ways through various platforms, such as the PSHE programme, careers guidance sessions, visits by external organisations and employers, higher education encounters, taster days and various pathway events including our Pathways Careers Fair.

Darrick Wood School incorporates the eight Gatsby benchmarks when planning our Careers Programme. Our location plays a key role in establishing a stable careers programme, as being situated within the London Gateway and the M25 offers us access to funding opportunities, a wide range of diverse employers, and specialised careers support within the region.

We collaborate closely with Local London – Careers Hub East, an external organisation who helps us enhance and strengthen our careers programme. The effectiveness of our provision is reviewed each term by the Careers and Enterprise Company using the Compass Tool. This tool is used by schools and colleges across England to assess and evaluate career activities in alignment with the eight Gatsby benchmarks. This process has been pivotal to the stability of our careers programme, enabling us to regularly review initiatives, address the evolving needs of our students, and adjust our approaches to meet all Gatsby Benchmarks. Alongside the termly Compass evaluations, the development of our Careers Programme is shaped by annual audits and adaptations based on various factors, with a focus on meeting the current needs of our students and providing accessible information and guidance for students, teachers, and parents/carers.

Our careers programme is evaluated annually by key stakeholders to assess its effectiveness and identify areas for improvement including feedback from students, employers, teachers and parents/carers about their interactions throughout the year. We use this data to guide the continuous improvement of the programme.

The CEIAG Programme is designed to enable students to:

Review their progress in School, identify their interests, strengths and weaknesses, to set targets for improvement and to plan ahead for post-16 and 18 pathways.
Research their career interests using a variety of careers literature, web-based tools and software to explore future education, training and employment opportunities.
Develop effective career management skills including self-assessment using information and guidance to devise realistic action plans to shape their future studies at School and beyond.

Darrick Wood School works closely with specialist providers including Independent Careers Advisors who provide impartial advice and attend various events run by the School. Students are encouraged to contact Mrs Collier, our Head of Work Related Learning, for support and guidance when making post-16 and post-18 pathway decisions. The Careers and Work Experience Department is HI2 which is located in the Support Corridor between Main Reception and the Maths Department. Students can access information about career choices, further and higher education including prospectuses, work experience, apprenticeships, internships, gap years, and other work-related areas such as CV writing and application processes. Form Tutors and Achievement Coordinators will also be happy to support decision making and discuss future plans.

Career Related Documents

Provider Access Policy Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance Policy Careers Education Programme 2025-2026 Post-16 Pathways Explorer Parent/Carer Toolkit Post-18 Pathways Explorer Parent/Carer Toolkit

Local London Careers Hub Support

Darrick Wood School is part of the London Local Careers Hub incorporating the London Enterprise Adviser Network East, supported by the Mayor of London, European Union Social Fund, the Careers and Enterprise Company and Local London. Our allocated Enterprise Coordinator is Jenny Beckford. The Careers Hub is designed to bring schools, colleges, employers and apprenticeship providers in the local area together, to support schools in preparing young people for their next steps. The Hub also ensures that Darrick Wood School meets all eight Gatsby Benchmarks as well as meeting current statutory guidance by completing an annual Compass assessment which is a benchmark tool to evaluate Darrick Wood School’s careers provision.

Colleges

We have established links with local College providers and share information with our students regarding this pathway including College Open Days. We recognise the importance of ensuring that our students are able to make meaningful decisions about their future pathways on results days. We encourage students to consider all of the post-16 and post-18 options available to them, including making multiple applications to a number of various pathways including Colleges.

Important Questions to ask when attending Open Events

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships are a popular pathway choice for students where they can combine working in a paid job with training in a classroom-based environment such as a college, university or training provider. Usually, an apprentice would spend four days per week working within an organisation and study at a college or a training provider for one day. However, this structure varies depending on the apprenticeship. Apprentices receive a contract, apprenticeship salary and various benefits similar to employees within the organisation that they are part of. The organisation also funds the training element of the apprenticeship.

National Careers Service

The National Careers Service website is useful to use as a starting point when researching careers as well as providing young people and their parents and carers with free impartial advice (online, by phone, social media or email) from experienced advisers from 8.00am to 10.00pm seven days a week.

The website enables students, parents and carers to explore careers and in-depth careers advice by using the tabs on the main page. The National Careers Service Skills Assessment is an effective tool if you are not sure about the type of career pathway you may follow when you leave school, take this 5 to 10 minute assessment to find out what job categories, and which particular job roles, might suit you.

Click on the images below for useful links for Pathways Information:-

Careerometer - Labour Market Information for all

The widget provides key information about various careers and occupations which is a useful tool when considering pathways. The widget includes information relating to the role itself, salary, weekly hours and future employment as well as an indication of forecasting projections of how the role will develop within the next few years.

CV Writing and Personal Statement Support

The Careers and Work Experience Department can support you with writing your CV or Personal Statement. PSHE sessions in Sixth Form focus on writing Personal Statements as part of our UCAS application support process.

Employers and External Providers

Are you an employer or organisation who could support our students with their post-16 and post-18 pathway decision making? If so, please contact Mrs Collier at l.collier@darrickwood.bromley.sch.uk

Useful Websites