Careers Information, Advice and Guidance

• 1:1 Careers Guidance Meetings (Careers Adviser available for meetings each week)
• Tutor responsible for overseeing support and guidance throughout the students' time in the Sixth Form
• 1:1 guidance and support relating to future and opportunities from members of the Sixth Form Team

Meaningful Encounters with Universities

• Assembly speaks from Lincoln/NUA/UEA/Essex/Gonville & Cauis with topics including:
   
• Student life
• Student finance
• Choosing a University
• Applying to a University
   
• Visits to UEA Higher Education Fair
   
• Visit to the UEA Sixth Form Conference
   
• Visit to Gonville and Cauis College Cambridge-Russell Group, Top 25, Oxbridge experience
   
• UEA Student Ambassador workshop (UEA visiting speakers)
   
• Oxford New College's Step-Up Programme

Meaningful Interactions with Employers

All students:

• Assembly speakers from local businesses and Apprenticeship providers
• Visits to local employers including R G Carter
• One week Work Experience placement for all Level 3 students
• Volunteering Programme (one hour per week in the community/education settings)
• Extended Work Experience for two days per week for students on the Level 2 programme
   

Individual support with applications for:

• UCAS/University/Conservatoires
• Apprenticeships
• Employment
• Personal statement and CV writing

This coincides with National Careers Week (first week of March).

External employers, industry professionals and further education establishments offer first hand advice and interactive workshops.

• https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship – Search and apply for live Apprenticeship vacancies
• https://amazingapprenticeships.com/ – Advice and information about Apprenticeships
•  https://targetcareers.co.uk/careers-advice/applications-and-interviews – Information about how to complete a CV, application form and interview

• https://www.attleboroughacademy.org/sixthform/ – Attleborough Academy Sixth Form
• https://helpyouchoose.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=easysearch.provider&category=2 – All other Sixth Forms can be found via Help You Choose
• https://www.ccn.ac.uk/ – City College Norwich
• https://www.easton.ac.uk/ – Easton College
• https://www.accesscreative.ac.uk/ – Access Creative College
• https://utcn.org.uk/ – University Technical College Norfolk

• https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate – Information about all Higher Education Institutions, courses available, the application process plus much more
• https://www.theuniguide.co.uk/ – Covers a wide range of topics related to Higher Education
• https://www.ucas.com/finance/undergraduate-tuition-fees-and-student-loans – Financial Support for Higher Education explained
• https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-student-finance – How to apply for Student Finance

Labour Market Information (LMI) is information that provides insight into the labour markets at different levels (district, region or nation).

LMI will focus on:

• the industries that are growing and declining
• the types and levels of jobs are increasing and decreasing
• what supply of labour is available – numbers, skill and qualification levels

Examples of information provided are as follows:

• Population composition
• Skills, career and progression pathways
• Education institutes, courses, qualifications, and supporting statistics
• Employment sectors, employers, trends and jobs
• Jobs, training and apprenticeships

Please click here to visit the Careers Writers Association where both students and parents and carers can find careers information and advice from experienced careers writers.

The widget below can be used to explore and compare key information about occupations to support the process of  identifying potential careers. The Careerometer widget provides access to a selection of headline data relating to pay, weekly hours of work and future employment prospects. The data is organised by occupation so simply type in the title of the job you are interested in and the widget provides a series of options from which you can select the most relevant to you.

Norfolk County Council and City College lead this initiative with local, national and international industries, employers and educational establishments, offering realistic and often, hands-on experience, advice and demonstrations.

• https://www.startprofile.com/ – Start is the careers programme used in Steps for Success and contains lots of useful information about careers, training, apprenticeships, CVs and much more.
• https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/ – Provides job profiles on a wide range of careers.
• https://helpyouchoose.org/content/ – Contains information about all education and training options in Norfolk.
• https://www.icanbea.org.uk/ –  Provides a quiz to help you explore your future plans and links to employers and careers available in the region.
• https://icould.com/ – Careers videos and information from a wide range of organisations.
• https://www.gocompare.com/life-insurance/uk-riskiest-jobs-report/ - Go Compare have analysed average salaries across the UK to find out how much you can earn if you choose to work in one of the top five riskiest professions.
• https://www.o2.co.uk/help/digital-services/jargon-buster - A 'tech' jargon-buster.
• Success at School is a national careers website for students aged 11-19. Recommended by the National Careers Service and Careers and Enterprise Company, the website aims to help young people make informed decisions about their future.  It hosts a section specifically dedicated to parents and carers.
• Careermag for Parents connects students and their parents to the latest career and qualification routes available.  It offers help to understand teenagers’ options as well as dispelling industry myths and misconceptions along the way. 
•  A free, 12-page guide from the WinThatJob website gives straight-forward advice on helping teenagers with choosing a career, accessing careers services, employability skills, employment prospecting, compelling applications, and winning at interviews.
• The Parents Guide To website offers 12  informative guides to Post-16 and -18 Options, as well as going to University and applying for Apprenticeships in order to help parents understand all their children’s options so that they can give them the right advice at the right time.

At Attleborough Academy, we believe that every student should leave school confident, capable and ready to take their next steps in education, training or employment. Meaningful work experience is central to this aim and forms a key part of our careers and employability programme.

We are committed to meeting national expectations for work experience, including those outlined in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper (2025), which sets out the requirement for students to complete a minimum of two weeks of work experience during secondary education.

Our Approach

• Structured Opportunities: All students in Year 10 and Year 12 take part in a planned work experience placement, usually lasting one week, to help them develop employability skills, explore career interests and understand workplace expectations.
• Regular interactions: Alongside structured weeks for placements, students will have meaningful encounters with employers throughout their time in the Academy. Our ambition is for students to have at least one meaningful encounter, in each subject, in each year.
• Inclusive Provision: We work closely with employers, local colleges and training providers to ensure that placements are accessible and appropriate for all learners, including those with SEND or specific support needs.
• Curriculum Integration: Preparation for work experience is embedded into the careers curriculum through PSHE lessons, employer encounters and CV and interview workshops. Students reflect on their experience afterwards as part of their personal development and progression planning.
• Local Partnerships: Our Careers Team collaborates with local employers, Skills England partners and the Local Enterprise Partnership to ensure placements reflect regional skills priorities and provide insight into sectors with high growth potential.
• Monitoring and Safeguarding: Every placement is checked for suitability, insurance and safeguarding compliance via our careers platform, Unifrog. Staff, students, and employers conduct reviews and reflections during and after placements to ensure a safe, high-quality learning experience.

Our Commitment

Through our work experience programme, every student will have the opportunity to:

• Gain first-hand experience of the workplace.
• Develop the skills and behaviours employers value most.
• Make informed choices about their post-16 pathway — whether that be A Levels, T Levels, V Levels, an apprenticeship or employment with training.

At Attleborough Academy, we see work experience not as a single event but as a series of essential steps in each young person’s journey towards a successful and fulfilling future.

We measure the impact of our careers programme via a range of methods:

Destination tracking: Each year we identify intended destinations for all students in Years 11 to 13. These intentions inform our approach to supporting our students; whether by inviting different presenters to Y12 Futures Week, or by prioritising different students for support from Mr Peat. We use Help You Choose to collect applications for our Sixth Form, and using this platform and UCAS we are able to track applications to HE and FE destinations.

Unifrog tracking: Unifrog offers students the opportunity to engage with a range of tools for assessing their skills, options, and readiness for employment. Staff are able to gain insights into whole groups and individuals via the staff portal. 

Feedback from students, parents and carers, staff, and employers: The Careers Team is always keen to hear from students, parents and carers, members of staff and employers. We welcome your comments as part of our commitment to continuous improvement. Your feedback may be used to improve the service that we provide.   

Please click on the relevant link below to complete a brief feedback questionnaire. 

Students - Student Evaluation
Parents and Carers  - Parent Evaluation 
Staff Members - Staff Evaluation 
Employers - Employer Evaluation

Careers Impact Group: In 2025-26 we are forming a new Careers Impact Group. Made up of Staff, Students, Parent Councillors, and Local Employers - this group will review our careers programme against the Gatsby Benchmarks. If you are interested in joining this group, please contact us via the Careers contact form.