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Future Ready

At Teddington School, we strive to ensure our students are Future Ready; equipped with the knowledge, skills, and experiences needed to take their next steps with confidence.

Awareness – Understanding the full range of opportunities in employment, apprenticeships, college, and university.
Skills – Developed through visits, enrichment days, and personal development sessions.
Experience – Gained through employer talks, workplace visits, and career events.

By engaging with meaningful encounters with employers, universities, and training providers, our students build confidence in their future choices and develop key employability skills that prepare them for life beyond school.

Aims of Our Careers Programme

Our careers provision is designed to support all students through:

A structured careers education programme based on the Gatsby Benchmarks, as outlined in the DfE’s Careers Strategy.
A whole-school approach to careers and future skills development, integrating the CDI framework into the curriculum.
Access to independent and impartial careers guidance, including Local Market Information (LMI), in-school support, and one-to-one guidance with Innervate Careers Service.
Personalised careers advice tailored to individual needs.
Workplace experiences to develop employability skills and a real understanding of the world of work.
Targeted interventions to support students at risk of becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training).
Opportunities to engage with colleges, universities, training providers, and employers, ensuring students make informed decisions about their futures.

Our goal is to empower every student to take ownership of their future and successfully transition into their chosen pathway.

Careers Policies

Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance Policy (CEIAG)Provider Access Statement

Teddington Careers Team

Careers Lead: Jessica Mead, meadj@teddingtonschool.org
Careers SLT Link: Melissa Metcalfe, metcalfem@teddingtonschool.org
South London Partnership Co-Ordinator: Volker Nissen
Innervate Careers Advisor: Jason Herman and Bethan Clarke
Careers Link Governor: Elnara Kerimovaite
BET Careers Lead: Tom Corry

Careers in the Curriculum

At Teddington school, we are committed to equipping our students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for a successful and fulfilling future. As part of our Personal Development framework, we integrate careers education across all three key stages, ensuring all students receive high-quality careers guidance throughout their school journey.

This initiative aligns with our Teddington Pillars, reinforcing our mission to develop future-ready students. By embedding careers education within our curriculum, we encourage students to recognise the value of skills gained throughout their education, beyond just the qualifications they achieve.

Our Careers Education Framework

We have adopted the Career Development Institute (CDI) Framework for Secondary Schools, incorporating its six key areas of learning into our curriculum. This approach ensures that students actively engage with career development throughout their school years, helping them to understand that career progression requires skills, knowledge, and the right mindset.

Key Areas of Career Development

To build a positive and successful career, students are encouraged to develop the following skills:

Icons Grow Grow Throughout Life
Continuously learn and reflect on personal strengths, backgrounds, and experiences to build self-awareness and resilience.

Icons career Manage Career
Actively take charge of career planning, making the most of opportunities and learning from challenges and setbacks.

Icons opportunities Create Opportunities
Be proactive in exploring and pursuing career paths, while building positive relationships to expand professional networks.

Icons balance Balance Life and Work
Understand how to maintain a healthy balance between work, personal wellbeing, and commitments to family and community.

Icons explore Explore Possibilities
Discover a broad range of career pathways, understand recruitment processes, and learn about workplace cultures across different industries.

Screenshot 2025 02 05 132617 See the Big Picture
Recognise the wider economic, social, and technological influences on career opportunities and the world of work.

By embedding these principles into our curriculum, we aim to prepare our students for the challenges and opportunities they will encounter throughout their careers. We encourage them to view learning as a lifelong journey and to actively develop the skills needed for future success and readiness.

Please click on the subject images below to enlarge.

Post-16 Advice and Guidance

There are many different routes now available after completion of GCSEs and students leave Secondary school. Below is a summary of each of the available qualifications and options available to students.

A Levels - A Levels are a traditionally academic route, they can require a lot of independent study, reading, essay writing and revision. Levels keep options open and are the usual route into university or higher (degree level) apprenticeships. It is important to make sure that the choice of A-levels is ‘fit for purpose’. Doing research for which A Levels are needed for university courses is important as there are some degrees and university courses which require you to have very specific qualifications.
Apprenticeships - Apprenticeships combine practical training in a job whilst also studying part time. They are often paid, so offer the opportunity to learn while earning a wage. Apprentices have the opportunity to work alongside experienced staff and gain skills unique to the workplace, as well as an increasingly well-respected qualification. They are often completed over a period of one to four years at a range of levels ranging from Level 1 and 2, for school leavers, up to degree and higher level.
BTec - A BTec is a vocational qualification, which means that it has a career focus and is centred around the world of work. Students would study to gain skills and knowledge in their subject area, putting those skills into practice in real-life situations. They can transition into the world of work, an apprenticeship or university.
T Levels - T Levels are equivalent to 3 A Levels, they run over 2 years with the intention to deliver content that meets the needs of the industry and prepares students for work, further training, or study. They offer students a mixture of classroom learning and ‘on-the-job’ experience by providing an industry placement while on the course.
Higher National Diplomas (HNDs) - Higher National Diplomas (HNDs) aim to provide more options for practical learning, this means they are less classroom-based than more traditional Al Levels, they have been designed to encourage more young people to continue studying. They are ideal for those who are aiming to work in a specific and specialist industry.
National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) - A National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) is a work-centred way of learning, it is carried out at a college, school, or sometimes workplace. Each NVQ level involves a range of on-the-job tasks and activities that are designed to test you on your ability to do a job effectively and ultimately qualify you for that role.
Traineeships - Traineeships are skills development programmes that include work placements. They can last from 6 weeks up to a 1 year, most traineeships last for less than 6 months, followed by employment at the end.

ApplicaaOne holds a database of Sixth Forms and Colleges, it is entirely free for students to sign up to and enables you to search for local post-16 options that are available. You can view our Teddington Sixth Form here.

Labour Market Information (LMI)

The Careers and Enterprise Company and Careerometer

We work in partnership with the Careers and Enterprise company to provide the most up to date labour market information and resources to ensure our learners are able to make the best decisions about their future.

The careerometer below provides access to a selection of UK headline data relating to pay, weekly hours of work and future employment prospects for different occupations, as well as description of the occupation. 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. You can then look up another two occupations and compare. You can also select ‘display the UK average’ and compare the information with the occupation you have selected.

National Careers Service

"We provide careers information, advice and guidance. We can help you make decisions at all stages in your career." Visit nationalcareers.service.gov.uk for more information.

South London Careers Hub

Jobs opportunities, courses, 'what industry is right for me', advice and much more for local young people and adults.

If you would like to know more about the jobs and industries across south London, visit our Labour Market Information platform.

LMI London Construction LMI London Creative LMI London Digital LMI London Green LMI London Health & Social Care LMI London Hospitality LMI London Manufacturing LMI London Transport & Storage

Useful Websites

Click on the logos below to navigate to these useful websites.

UniFrog bring all the available information into one single, impartial, user-friendly platform that helps students to make the best choices, and submit the strongest applications. They help students compare every opportunity, then apply successfully. The platform has now grown to encompass apprenticeships and Further Education colleges in the UK, as well as US and Canadian universities, and degrees taught in English in Europe, Asia, and Oceania.

A Level Explorer

The Uni Guide helps students make more informed decisions about their higher education choices. See where your A-level subjects will lead you. Which? and The Student Room have worked together to ensure that valuable content from the award-winning Which? University website could continue to be easily available to students, parents and teachers.

UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) support young people making post-16 choices, as well as those applying for undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

Apprenticeships: An apprenticeship is a real job where you learn, gain experience and get paid. Find out how to become an apprentice, what apprenticeships are available and which employers offer them.

National Careers Service provide information, advice and guidance to help students make decisions on learning, training and work.

Check out resources that meet specific client needs, such as What do graduates do? and Graduate Market Trends for students exploring on from A Levels, and destinations after 1st Degree.

SACU offers a great independent and impartial source of careers information to students, parents and teachers. A helping hand into high education, apprenticeships or your chosen career.

Skills Route is a set of tools to help students, explore the different routes that they could take, plan and learn about all the options that are available for study after GCSE and find all the information they need to research college or sixth forms.

The Free Your Life Future Finder website helps students learn which STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) A Levels are used in various health and STEM related careers.

iCould provides career inspiration and information for young people. It shows what is possible in work and offer different ways to think about careers through free access to over 1000 personal video stories, detailed job information, plus practical tips, insight and advice.

Prospects have job profiles, a career planner, work experience information, a search for graduate jobs, tips on applying for uni, what can I do with my degree, other careers advice and more.

No idea what you want to do? Help generate ideas, find out what jobs might suit you here: www.prospects.ac.uk/links/pplanner

Careerpilot provide careers information and tools for 11-19 year olds, all in one place.

The Medic Portal is partnered with the Royal Society of Medicine, helping students get into Medicine with free guides and expert prep for UKCAT, BMAT & Interview.

The Careers & Enterprise Company work with schools, colleges and employers to help every young person find their best next step.

Which? University Finances: Not sure what financial support there is for your child at university or how their repayments work? Read The Which? beginner's guide to student finance for parents.

Parent / Carer's Information

Helping your child make informed choices post-16 can be challenging, especially with the variety of options available. Here are some useful websites to help navigate post-GCSE and Sixth Form pathways, helping you support your teen in choosing the right direction for their future.

If your child learns best through practical experience, they may thrive in an apprenticeship or vocational training rather than a traditional classroom setting. Conversely, if they prefer structured, lecture-based learning, an academic route such as A-levels or university may be more suitable.

We explore how you can assist your child in making choices that align with their personality, learning preferences, and career aspirations, giving them the best chance of success in their next stage of education or employment.

How to choose KS4 options

How to help your teenager choose their GCSE options

How to choose post-16 options

What are your child's options after GCSEs?

Parents guide to whats next

Parents guide to what's next

A guide to career options

School leavers guide

Paths to careers – a parents guide

Paths to careers parent guide

Careers planners

A parents guide to apprenticeships

A parents guide to T Levels

An introduction to T Levels - what are they and are they right for my child?

A parents guide to virtual work experience

Virtual work experience - why it can help your teen stand out

A parents guide to University

Experiencing The World of Work at Teddington School

We are always looking for the local community to be involved with our Careers Programme at Teddington School.

Below are some example areas:

Help with mock one-to-one interviews
Talk to students about your career journey through our TEDdington Talks
Discuss Apprenticeships and graduate opportunities

If you are interested in offering a few hours of your time, please contact

Emily Steer, Assistant Headteacher: steere@teddingtonschool.org

Jessica Mead, Careers Lead: meadj@teddingtonschool.org

Personal Careers Guidance in School

At Teddington School, we are committed to providing high-quality careers education and guidance to support our students in making informed decisions about their future. We work closely with Innervate Careers Service, an independent careers organisation with a strong reputation for delivering expert careers and personal guidance.

Innervate helps us meet the Gatsby Benchmarks, ensuring our students receive tailored support through:

One-to-one career guidance interviews
Group career sessions and assemblies
Support at careers events, parents’ evenings, and options evenings
Workshops and activities to raise aspirations and awareness of education, training, and employment pathways

If you are a current KS4 or KS5 student and would like to arrange a careers appointment with our Careers Team, please email Ms Mead via meadj@teddingtonschool.org with your information.

Impact and Destination Data

The following information shows where our past cohorts went after leaving Teddington School. This data is important to understand the needs of our students and ensure that our careers programme caters for everyone and their interests.

KS4

Destinations	2023		2024
	No.	%	No.	%
Teddington Sixth Form	88	43	100	42
Other Sixth Form	13	6	24	10
Esher College	97	48	32	14
Kingston College	22	11	17	7
Other College	29	14	58	25
Apprenticeship	4	2	4	2
Employment	0	0	1	1
NEET	5	2	0	0

Russel Group Universities

Year	Number	Percentage
2023	5	11%
2022	24	38%
2021	9	28%
2020	15	44%
2019	13	30%

KS5 Destinations

	2019		2020		2021		2022		2023		2024
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
University	43	88%	34	77%	33	85%	64	85%	47	39%	102	84%
Gap year	2	4%	5	11%	2	5%	7	9%	4	3%	4	3%
Apprenticeship	3	6%	2	5%	1	3%	2	3%	2	2%	7	6%
Employment	1	2%	1	2%	3	8%	2	3%	2	2%	7	6%
Further education	0	0	0	0%	0	0%	0		0	0%	1	1%
NEET	0	0	2	5%	0	0%	0		0	0%	0	0%

Careers Newsletters

Each week, the Careers Newsletter is a collation of information from employers and universities across the UK. As well as including opportunities from these organisations, it also has a weekly “job of the week”, Labour Market Information Fact, Employer Spotlight and Uni Spotlight.