What is the careers programme?

Ipsley C of E Middle School is an active member of the Worcestershire Careers Hub and supports the development of Worcestershire’s Future Workforce through the Worcestershire Enterprise Adviser Network.

To view our latest Careers Strategy and Provider Access document, please click here.

Who are the careers team?

S. Jilks | Year Team Leader for Year 8 & School Careers Lead

L. Field | Assistant Principal responsible for Personal Development & Careers

S. Howells | Careers & Enterprise Co-ordinator

M. Nash | Enterprise Advisor (Local business owner)

How do we review the careers programme?

We review our programme on a termly basis using the Careers and Enterprise Company’s COMPASS evaluation tool.

If you would like to give any feedback on our careers programme or be involved with any events, please contact Mrs Jilks, our Careers Lead, on 01527 525725.

What is Labour Market Information?

Labour Market Information (LMI), in short, refers to any relevant information about the current state of the jobs market. Ipsley ensures that its pupils are aware of the key information related to Redditch. We use Careers Pilot to give pupils time to research careers of particular interest to them.

How can you support your child with careers?

Ipsley appreciates the value of parental and carer help for their children along their education journey. Below are two links that will provide key guidance on careers:

• Skills 4 Worcestershire: https://www.skills4worcestershire.co.uk/
• Talking Futures: https://www.talkingfutures.org.uk/

How can you support us with our careers provision?

We would be extremely interested in hearing about any help that you could give to enhance our career provision at Ipsley. Please contact Mrs Jilks on 01527 525725 if you would be willing to contribute to our current provision in any way.

Alternatively, please complete the parent pledge card (which can be found here) and send it into Reception for the attention of Mrs Jilks. Printed copies are also available in Reception.

Useful websites and other resources

Below is a list of useful websites and guides to support with careers education, information, guidance and advice.

• Skills 4 Worcestershire: https://www.skills4worcestershire.co.uk/
• Career Pilot: https://www.careerpilot.org.uk/
• National Careers Service: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/
• I Could: https://icould.com/buzz-quiz/

Below are links to the ‘Choices’ magazines which contain a wealth of information on everything related to careers:

• Issue 1
• Issue 2

KS3 Careers Day 2025

Year 8 pupils had their annual Careers Drop Down Day on Friday 1^st May 2025. Pupils stayed in their tutor group and attended five 55-minute sessions with a variety of employers who had given up their time to be with our pupils for the day.

Pupils learnt all about the tourism industry and travel agents with Mr Newby. He was a travel agent before he became a teacher. In this session, pupils learnt about the career pathways that can lead to jobs in tourism and the opportunities that would be available within this career sector. Pupils were given the opportunity to use their communication skills alongside their persuasive skills to try to sell holidays to other pupils in role-play situations. This was regarded highly positively by all pupils.

The banking sector was another career that our pupils learnt about. A member of Barclays bank, Jo Buckley, attended the day and provided key information about the banking industry and the jobs available in this sector. Pupils were tasked with planning budgets and making a certain amount of money go as far as possible. This was real learning for life.

Mr Dan Roblin provided a session on stage design where pupils put their artistic and creative skills to the test. This was a very hands-on experience in which pupils were able to tap into their creative side and create scenery that might be used on set. This was highly interactive and highly rewarding for all those that took part.

Stantec provided a session on water filtration where pupils had to design their own water filtration system using specified substances. This required pupils to work collaboratively by discussing their ideas in groups and putting their theories to the test. Pupils were able to use their scientific and maths knowledge in this session. Thank you to Joe and Ben for attending.

For the first time at Ipsley, pupils were able to learn about the probation service and the criminal justice system with Jodie Heath. Pupils were given a clear insight into what happens to people when they commit crimes and how they are provided with the support they need for when they return to everyday life again. Pupils were fascinated by all that goes on in the Probation Service.

Finally, pupils were given valuable time to research their current ideas for careers. They were able to access BBC Bitesize Careers and the Careers Pilot websites to find the information that they needed. This session allowed them to work independently, which is another life skill. Pupils were fully focussed on this session and found out as much as they could in the time available.

Pupil feedback was highly positive from the day. Students said that this had given them a vital opportunity to hear about careers that they had not previously considered before. They were also able to hear about different career pathways and the current world of work. Pupils said that they really valued the chance to ask questions throughout the day and were looking forward to other opportunities like this in their future.

Year 8 pupils would like to thank the staff who attended our Careers Day 2025; they really appreciated the fact that our visiting employees gave up their time to make our Careers a huge success.

Mrs Jilks | Year Team Leader for Year 8 & School Careers Lead