Careers
There is a perception that people who are good at mathematics go on to become either accountants, teachers, or academics. The reality is that in the modern world, mathematically well-trained minds go into a hugely diverse range of different fields and industries. Mathematical thinking is about much more than being good with numbers: it's a creative and analytical way of thinking that enables you to get to the heart of what really matters in a situation. It's playful but also powerful, a precious skill set that is prized by employers in many different fields.
The opportunities for well paid, interesting careers in STEM are excellent but it's not just a simple case of succeeding in maths and science exams: you need to develop the skills and knowledge that are going to allow you to thrive in a demanding and varied set of roles, whichever industry you choose to work in. You need to be a confident communicator and a capable team worker, and much else as well. We help our students to develop these skills through a carefully planned careers programme, and our PPEP and AMP programmes.
You can learn more about the doors that mathematics can open at www.mathscareers.org.uk.
Careers Contact
David Hemsley, Deputy Headteacher
Our Careers Programme
Our mission is to enable children with a strong interest and high potential in the mathematical sciences to achieve global impact through careers in the mathematical sciences.
You can see how we cover the Gatsby Benchmarks in our Careers Programme. The Gatsby Benchmarks were developed on behalf of the Gatsby Foundation by Sir John Holman. They define what world class careers provision in education looks like and provide a clear framework for organising the careers provision at schools or colleges.
Pictured: Dr Fred Fortune is our independent careers advisor (from Careers Connect), she sees each student twice or more in their time with us.
Progression to University
Almost all of our students progress to STEM degrees at research intensive universities. We guide you through the process of working out what you want to study, what career you are aiming for, and where you should apply to. Here is an outline of the process:|
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Additional support
Don’t yet know what you would like to do? If you don’t do anything else, do The Spartan Test which is a very clever psychometric quiz which builds a profile of you based on your responses to a series of pictures and then creates your very own Subjects Cloud and Career Cloud based on your profile. From those clouds you can find out all about every career or course with one click. It takes only 6 minutes from start to finish and it’s brilliant! Although you can just dip in and do the Spartan Test, do REGISTER. It will save your results and organise it in your own Research Zone.
Careers helpline for teenagers
This is a Careers Helpline for Young People over 13 which is part of the National Careers Service. You can email, text or phone them or even ask them to phone you back and it is completely free.
Helping your child begin their career journey
Success at School is a national careers website for students aged 11-19, as well as their teachers, careers advisors, parents and other influencers. They’ve put together this no-nonsense careers advice, covering topics such as career paths, industries, apprenticeships, university and employability skills, alongside gap year info and how to futureproof your child’s career. Click here to download the Parents & Carers eBook.
National Careers Service
Telephone: 0800 100 900
Text messages: 07766 413 219
Textphone: 0800 096 8336
Monday to Sunday, 8am to 10pm
Job profiles – find out what a job involves and if it’s right for you.
Skills health check – use our assessment to find out what kind of jobs could suit you and save your results.
Find a course – look for courses and learning providers and save information about them.
Contact an adviser – find out about the different ways to get in touch.
https://targetcareers.co.uk/ Another great careers website. This is particularly good for alerting you to apprenticeship opportunities at higher levels if you register with them.
Have a look also at the Target Careers ‘Advice for school leavers‘.
Local Labour Market Information
https://www.liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/LCRCA_SKILLS_STRAT.pdf
https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/comb/1853882372/report.aspx
Useful websites about universities
Which? University A level explorer
If you’re still considering your A level options and want to understand which subjects will get you on which degree course, try the Which? University A level Explorer. It’s a handy overview of A level options for specific degree courses.
https://www.ucas.com/
UCAS is the go-to website for anything to do with going to university. It is brilliant for guidance on writing the perfect CV, Personal Statements and letters of application and lots, lots more.
Local university websites
University of Liverpool
Liverpool John Moores University
Liverpool Hope College
Edge Hill College
The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
The University of Manchester
The Manchester Metropolitan University
University of Central Lancashire
https://www.opendays.com/
This gives the Open Days for every UK University
https://university.which.co.uk/
What to study, where to go and how to get there.
https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings
The Complete University Guide gives you the league tables for every university, every subject and every course in the UK.
https://www.whatuni.com/
An excellent website which gives you league tables (with some different criteria from the Complete University Guide) so it’s well-worth checking out.
https://www.unifrog.org/
A really useful website. All students have access to this and we use it for a variety of progression activities, including comparing university courses.
http://sacu-student.com/
An absolutely brilliant website which covers ALL types of careers, courses and subjects with lots of superb online tools to help you find your future career.
Useful websites about Degree Apprenticeships
The apprenticeship route provides a valid alternative to university, with the qualifications to match. The Complete Guide to Higher and Degree Apprenticeships talks you through the differences and reassures that degree apprenticeships will let you graduate with your cap and gown, plus several years of work experience under your belt.
Work through this Personal Development Workbook to help you secure an apprenticeship
Make this Government website your first stop.
DO create an account if you are interested in apprenticeships as they will send you an alert when something comes up which you might be interested in. The next four links will take you to different sections of that website.
A guide to apprenticeships
Applying for apprenticeships
How to write a winning apprenticeship application
Higher and degree apprenticeships
Provider Access Legislation
We are very keen for education and training providers to meet with our students to help them to discover career, education and training opportunities particularly where these are related to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Please contact school reception using the details in our contact us page. The Provider Access Legislation information can be accessed here.
Impact of Careers Programme
We assess the success of the progression work in the PPEP programme based on a vaierty of means, including student voice, the number of students achieving their first choice destination, and how many of these are aspirational. We also look for 100% Gatsby benchmark coverage for each cohort over the two years in sixth form. We review our careers programme every two years to make sure we are still achieving all the Gatsby benchmarks, as well as it being appropriate for our students to help them be aware of a variety of pathways to their chosen STEM career paths.
