At Colfox, students deserve to have an outstanding Careers Education. We believe that the package we offer is outstanding and caters to our diverse student population. Each year group has dedicated Careers lessons:

• Years 7 and 9 have careers lessons in PSHE classes.
• Years 10 and 11 have specific timetabled career lessons.
• Years 12 and 13 have PSHE lessons.

In addition to these lessons, there are opportunities for learning outside lessons. Years 10 and 12 have a week’s Work Experience. There is National Careers Week in March for all, along with local visits to colleges, 6th form colleges and further education. Keep an eye out for these events and get involved where you can.

Contact Mr. Thompson if you have any ideas that can make the career provision even better. After all…it’s your future we’re talking about!

Click the link below for information about the latest insights on the changing labour market and skills landscape, assisting educators, employers, jobseekers, young people and their parents in making informed decisions.

We know that you want to give your children the best possible start in life. This relates not just to their grades and qualifications, but also to wider areas of school and society.

At Colfox we give each child the best possible chance to try lots of interesting things and inspire them to think carefully about the next stages of their lives. If all students end up in a job that they love, then we consider our job a success. School events, such as National Careers Week and Work Experience, allow students to get stuck in and see what life in the real world is all about. We know that sometimes your child needs a push in the right direction, so please continue to support them in making good decisions and feel free to encourage your child to get involved with as many things as possible.

Please check the calendar regularly for Careers events. If you think you could help the school to make our Careers provision even better, please contact Michael Thompson by emailing him at thompsonm@colfox.dorset.sch.uk

If you’d like to be able to support your child with future applications in STEM, Apprenticeships or University, please click Success at School.

Click the link below to find out more information about the different types of qualifications available to your child.

Being part of our business support network will provide you with moments of great satisfaction, but striving to make a difference can also be an exciting challenge! Having employers like you helping to inspire young minds and transform attitudes through a range of activities and opportunities is the foundation of an excellent careers programme as set out by the Gatsby Foundation’s eight Benchmarks of good practice and the Careers and Enterprise Company.

Colfox has the benefit of a key business volunteer who works with us on a strategic level, encouraging the development of our careers programme and connecting us to the business community across the county. This role is recognised nationally as an Enterprise Adviser (EA) and they are part of the Dorset Careers Hub community of support driving the connection between careers education and the business sector. For more information about the EA role and more, please visit the Dorset Careers Hub.

Our current EA is Kirsty Heap and would love to hear from you. Please contact her by emailing the address below:

• hello@kirstyheap.com

Ways to support

• Be part of our mock interviews with Year 10 or 11 students and help them structure their CVs
• Get involved in extracurricular clubs and activities
• Give an inspiring talk based on your industry or job role
• Provide a coaching/mentoring service through a structured programme
• Run a hands-on workshop with activities relating to your area of expertise
• Be part of our discussions about pathways after school, e.g. apprenticeships
• Help champion specific issues and challenge barriers in the workplace around gender stereotyping, disability etc.
• Help bring a subject lesson to life by linking it to your industry.
• Offer a work experience placement for students at your business premises
• Become an ambassador supporting employment routes for young people with special educational needs and disabilities and offer a work experience placement that is co-supported by the school
• Provide a Supported Internship opportunity

What to expect

By getting involved, you will not only be supporting future workforce development and helping to broaden the minds of the young people, but you will also be developing new skills for your staff, forging community links and building a positive profile for your company. 

We will support you throughout your visit to us to ensure we maximise the use of your valuable time.  Our Careers Leader is Mr Michael Thompson who can be contacted by emailing thompsonm@colfox.dorset.sch.uk. Mr. Thompson will:

• Be your main point of contact for all enquiries
• Organise pre-meets/discussions/information for activities you sign up for.
• Provide you with details of the local arrangements including parking, facilities and our safeguarding policy. 
• Conduct a short evaluation with you to ensure we are getting things right.
• With your permission, add you to our network and keep you up to date with future activities.

Why embed careers into your curriculum?

NEW INSPIRATION

You could be providing the single inspirational moment that changes the direction of a student’s life.

MOTIVATION

Students see that subjects are relevant to the real world and, therefore, why it’s important to study them.

“Young adults who recall four or more encounters with employers while at school are five times less likely to be NEET and earn, on average, 18% more than peers who recall no such activities.”

Dr Anthony Mann, Director of Research and Policy, Education and Employers Taskforce.

Here are a few simple things you can do:

• Create a careers display in your classroom/department
• Include pathways students could take at age 16 and age 18
• Highlight essential skills that link to activities
• Could you frame your lesson with a job role or job sector?
• Display websites and events
• Be personal and share your own story
• Engage with parents, businesses and organisations
• Invite alumni – the cherry on the cake!

Contact the Head of Careers, Mr Michael Thompson, if you would like to work with a local employer to discuss how you might like to bring your curriculum subject to life with real-world examples. The Careers and Enterprise Company has developed 27 subject inspiration guides, lesson slides and homework sheets to help you