Careers & Employability Offer

Preparing our young people for life beyond Foxwood has always been central to the work we do. Foxwood has a long and successful history of helping students develop their understanding about the world of work.

We regularly post upcoming events such as transition fairs, college open days and employers’ events on our school Facebook page. Please follow and check the page for regular updates.

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Leadership and management of our careers provision

  • Deputy Headteacher – Lindsey Norton

    • Leads the whole‑school curriculum and therefore has strategic oversight of the Employment strand, ensuring it is fully embedded in classroom practice and enrichment activities.

  • Careers Leader – Laura Wright

    • Coordinates all careers and employability activities across the Academy and is the main point of contact for external providers.

Email: laura.wright@foxwood.notts.sch.uk   Telephone: 0115 917 7202

For any further questions about careers, please contact the Deputy Headteacher via office@foxwood.notts.sch.uk.

Our curriculum offer

  • Every year group and every class receives bespoke lessons in careers and employment that are tailored to the needs and aspirations of our learners.

  • An outline of the topics taught and the key‑stage end points can be found in the Curriculum section of our website.

  • In addition to classroom learning, we run specialist sessions where adults from the world of work visit Foxwood to share their experiences, demonstrate workplace skills and run practical workshops.

Gatsby Benchmark & Compass+

The Government’s Careers Strategy (December 2017) has given us the opportunity to review our offer using the Compass Toolkit and to develop it further to ensure we are covering all eight Gatsby Benchmarks:

  1. A stable careers programme

  2. Learning from career and labour‑market information

  3. Addressing the needs of each pupil

  4. Linking curriculum learning to careers

  5. Encounters with employers and employees

  6. Experiences of workplaces

  7. Encounters with further and higher education

  8. Personal guidance

Our designated careers leader reviews the programme termly as part of our Compass report. The next formal review is December 2024.

Please find our most recent Compass evaluation completed in July 2024: Gatsby Benchmarks July 2024.

Independent careers guidance

All students in Year 9 and above have access to independent, impartial careers advice and guidance from our fully qualified Careers Adviser, Lynn Addison (Ideas4Careers Ltd).

Provider Access Policy Statement

(Section 42B of the Education Act 1997 – Provider Access Legislation, January 2023)

Purpose
This statement sets out Foxwood Academy’s arrangements for managing the access of providers of technical education, vocational courses and apprenticeships to pupils in Years 8 – 13 for the purpose of informing them about approved qualifications and training.

Pupil entitlement

All pupils in Years 8 – 13 are entitled to:

  • Six meaningful encounters with providers of approved technical education or apprenticeships:

    • Years 8 & 9: at least two encounters

    • Years 10 & 11: at least two encounters

    • Years 12 & 13 (14–19 Phase): at least two encounters

  • Impartial information on the full range of pathways available, including apprenticeships, T‑Levels, Supported Internships and vocational qualifications.

Management of provider requests

Contact Details
Initial enquiries Laura Wright – Careers LeaderEmail: laura.wright@foxwood.notts.sch.ukTel: 0115 917 7202
Alternative contact Lindsey Norton – Deputy HeadteacherEmail: office@foxwood.notts.sch.uk

Providers should submit requests at least six weeks in advance and include: preferred date/time, brief outline of the session, year group(s) targeted, and any facility requirements.

Opportunities for access

The school offers the following scheduled events (subject to change) where access can be granted, in addition to bespoke visits arranged on request:

Term Year Groups Activity & format
Autumn 1 KS3 Careers Carousel morning (classroom rotations)
Autumn 2 14-19 Apprenticeship & T‑Level Assembly
Spring 1 14-19 Post‑18 Pathways Fair
Spring 2 11-19 National Careers Week employer talks
Summer 1 14-19 Workplace visit / virtual tour
Summer 2 14-19 Mock interview days

Additional slots are available during PSHE/Employment lessons and tutor time (09:00 – 09:30).

Facilities and resources

Foxwood Academy will make the hall, classrooms, meeting rooms and AV equipment (projector, screen, speakers) available as required. We will also promote provider literature on our website and in parent newsletters.

Safeguarding & Health and Safety

All visitors must adhere to the Academy’s Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy and will be supervised by a member of staff at all times. Identification will be checked on arrival.

Granting and refusing access

Requests will be considered by the Careers Leader and Deputy Headteacher against:

  • suitability of proposed content for pupil needs

  • timing within the school calendar

  • staffing and room availability

  • compliance with safeguarding requirements.

Where access is refused, providers will receive a written explanation within ten working days and may appeal to the Headteacher.

Monitoring & review

The implementation of this statement is monitored by the Senior Leadership Team and reported to Governors via the Curriculum, Standards & Outcomes Committee. The statement is reviewed annually.

Monitoring, review and evaluation

  • Impact measurement – We measure the impact of our employment and careers curriculum by tracking pupil progress against our bespoke employment key‑stage end points.

  • Frequency – Progress data is reviewed every four weeks by class staff, curriculum leaders and senior leaders.

  • Event evaluations – Students, teachers, parents/carers and providers complete evaluations after every career‑related event so we can assess effectiveness and plan improvements.

  • Assessment in Employment lessons takes place through verbal feedback, observation and written assessment.

  • Each pupil has a record of careers activities and an individual careers plan created during their 1:1 meeting with our independent adviser and updated annually. Tutors use this plan during form time and employment‑specific lessons.

Supported Internships & Work‑Related Learning

Information about our Supported Internships and wider work‑related learning offer can be found here.

Employer engagement

Every academic year, all secondary‑aged pupils have the opportunity for at least one meaningful encounter with an external employer. Previous partners include Amazon, Tesco, DoughNotts and Nottingham Forest Football Club. Last year, every secondary pupil attended an employment day led by a senior construction manager from St Modwen, focusing on the skills required in the construction industry.

This information will be reviewed in January 2025.

Links to further information

  • Preparing for Adulthood

  • 3.82 MB