Careers Guidance

Empowering students of character for success and fulfilment in the world of work

Aylesford School is committed to providing high quality Career Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) to all students. We believe that CEIAG is important for a number of reasons.

The effects of high quality CEIAG are that it:

• Empowers and prepares young people to gain and sustain enriching employment.
• Raises student aspirations to reach for their full potential which in turn improves school attainment.
• Supports young people in developing the necessary confidence, knowledge and skills to plan for and manage their own future.
• Promotes diversity, social mobility and challenges stereotypes.

Aylesford School is proud to partner with colleges, HE providers, businesses, parents and other external agencies in order to offer broad and effective support to our students.

Our CEIAG provision aims to:

• Give students relevant careers information and guidance through curriculum learning, one-to-one advice and a range of activities, events and trips.
• Display the full range of routes available to young people post-16 and post-18 and to provide personal guidance regarding how to explore them further.
• Impartially support students on an individual basis to choose the pathway that is right for them.
• Expose students to the world of work through work experience placements (available to students in Years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12) as well as curriculum related workplace visits.
• Enable students to consider their own strengths, skills and motivations and to evaluate how these impact future career decisions.

At Aylesford School we are proud to provide an experienced Careers Leader, Mr Doggett, who oversees our Careers Provision. Mr Doggett is a professional Careers Adviser who has a Level 6 qualification in Career Guidance and Development.

At break and lunch times, students are welcome to drop in to Mr Doggett’s office opposite T2. Alternatively formal appointments can be set up by emailing or phoning Mr Doggett on the contact details below.

Email: ben.doggett@aylesford.kent.sch.uk
Phone: 01622 717341 ext 238

All staff contribute towards the delivery of Careers Education through curriculum learning and designated careers lessons in PSHE. Key resources for this are shared internally and additional resources aiding staff in linking careers to the curriculum can be found on the Careers and Enterprise Company’s website.

Aylesford School’s Careers Programme is designed to support students through the different stages of their journey through school. Relevant and targeted guidance is given at each key transition stage to ensure students develop the necessary understanding and skills. This provision is reviewed and developed annually and will next be evaluated in July 2025.

Key focus for each Year Group

The careers activities that each Year Group participates in are tailored to the needs of that stage within the students education. The overall aim for each Year Group is:
• In 7 and 8 the focus is on exploring interests and motivations and developing a broad understanding of the world of work.
• In Year 9 the focus is on building aspirations and exploring career opportunities in more detail, including challenging stereotypes.
• In Year 10 the focus is on developing self-presentation skills and understanding what employers want.
• In Year 11 the focus is on making plans and applications for post-16 learning.
• In Years 12 and 13 the focus is on preparing the students to make good choices, engage in work experience, and understand personal development.

For an overview of what is included in our Careers Programme for 2024/25 please see the link below. For more information, please email Mr Doggett at ben.doggett@aylesford.kent.sch.uk.

Careers Programme Roadmap 2024/25

We welcome any businesses, education institutes or training providers who would like to present to our students. Please contact Mr Doggett if you wish to discuss this further. For more information please read our Provider Access Policy and our CEIAG Policy:

Provider Access Policy
CEIAG Policy 2024/25

We have brought together a number of helpful links for our students. Click on the link above to find out more about universities, apprenticeships, exploring career opportunities and even some live vacancies!

For parents, we have collated a selection of links to help you best support your child in exploring their options and making informed decisions. Whatever Year Group they are in, there’s something helpful to be found in the link above.