Launching An Aspirational Career Journey In The Sixth Form

The Personal Insight & Development portfolio of the Colyton Baccalaureate allows students to develop, refine and evidence their careers thinking. We encourage students to champion their extra-curricular involvement and community work so that they can market themselves in aspirational and competitive routes beyond school.

Students begin by reflecting on what they have learnt through work experience in Year 11, develop their CVs, and apply for sixth form work experience placements in February of Year 12.

A programme of Higher Education information, advice and guidance takes students from initial research in Year 12 through to application and interview for university places in Year 13. We work with Russell Group universities (as well as Harvard University) to provide a series of talks on subjects such as the value of H.E., choosing a course, and university life. All of our students attend a UCAS Convention and we run an H.E. Evening for parents in March of Year 12.

We also provide information and advice on alternative routes to Higher Education, such as increasingly popular and competitive degree apprenticeship programmes. Our colleagues at Careers South West provide guidance to those students who want to pursue alternative pathways or are struggling to make a decision about what to do beyond school.

As so many of our students will go on to professional and graduate careers, we invite in a number of inspirational speakers for our Head Start Day in Year 12, when there are also workshops for particular career areas and to give advice in developing professional capabilities. We follow this up in Year 13 when employers come in to school to give individual interview practice for sixth formers.