Careers & Work Experience

St Philip Howard Catholic School is committed to providing a high-quality, impartial careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) programme that enables all students to make well-informed, ambitious and realistic decisions about their future learning and career pathways.

Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG)

Our careers programme is led by our Whole School Careers Leader, qualified Careers Adviser and Apprenticeship Mentor, Mrs Abbey Wadey, who provides independent and impartial guidance to students in Years 7–13. The Careers Office is open Monday to Friday and supports students at all key transition points.

In the Sixth Form, students are supported by Mrs Hylianski, Sixth Form Careers Coordinator and University Mentor, who provides guidance on post-18 pathways, including higher education, apprenticeships and employment. Students applying to Oxford and Cambridge receive additional specialist support from our Oxbridge Mentor, Mr Fyfe.

Students have access to a wide range of high-quality careers resources, including Unifrog, sixth form and college prospectuses, Young Money Matters, Next Steps booklets, careers games and quizzes, and up-to-date labour market information (LMI). These resources support students to explore career pathways, understand employer expectations and identify progression routes.

All Year 11 students are offered at least one personal careers guidance interview with our qualified Careers Adviser, with additional appointments available for those who need further support. Targeted guidance is also provided to Sixth Form students and those who are vulnerable or at risk of becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training).

Our careers programme is aligned to the Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance and is regularly reviewed to ensure it meets DfE statutory guidance and reflects the changing local and national labour market.

Careers Programme 2025 - 2026

Weekly Careers Newsletter

Careers Progression and Provider Access Policy

Work Experience Policy

Unifrog, the one-stop-shop to helping students discover their future. All students have access to Unifrog and will use this throughout year 7-11 and again through sixth form at SPH.

Students and staff access Unifrog, students will record their skills, achievements, activities and competencies. Unifrog encourages and helps students to build a CV, browse future pathways from the fantastic careers library and resources available to plan their future careers.

At the end of our student’s time here at SPH they would have created a “suitcase” of their time and achievements to prepare them for their future pathways.

Throughout the school year there is a number of career focused lessons and events for all students across all year groups, for further details please see our school careers year planner. These events and focused career sessions incorporate visits from employers, apprenticeship providers, colleges, universities and many other organizations. Students are actively involved in a wide variety of activities, lessons and workshops focusing on their possible future pathways.

Work Experience

St Philip Howard Catholic School provides a high-quality and progressive programme of work experience and employer engagement that enables all students to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to make informed decisions about their future.

Students in Years 10 and 12 complete a one-week work experience placement, giving them first-hand experience of the workplace and helping them to develop essential employability skills, career awareness and professional behaviours. These placements are sourced in line with school policy and safeguarding requirements and enable students to apply their learning in real-world settings.

Under the new Gatsby Framework, students in Years 7–9 are introduced to the world of work through a structured programme of activities, including Enterprise Days, Take Your Child to Work Day and a Skills Day. These experiences ensure students gain early exposure to different industries, roles and career pathways and begin to develop an understanding of employer expectations.