Careers Education, Information and Guidance at Lingey House

Lingey House prides itself on being a place which fosters a life-long love of learning by providing a range of opportunities which help our pupils to make progress towards their learning and employment goals.  Careers Education, Information and Guidance (CEIAG) is a major contributing factor towards preparing young people for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences they will encounter in school, in further education and in working life. It not only supports children to achieve their full potential, but also empowers them to plan and manage their own futures, raises their aspirations and promotes equality, diversity and social mobility.

2 years ago, Lingey House was  selected as one of 70 schools to be involved in a pilot programme looking at implementing the eight Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance within Primary Schools. Developed by Professor  John Holman, these benchmarks have been used as a core framework for both the Careers Strategy “Making the Most of Everyone’s Skills and Talents - 2017” and the Statutory Guidance, “Careers Guidance and Access for Education and Training Providers” which was published in January 2018.  Both of these documents are available to download at the bottom of this page. 

8 Benchmarks for Good Career Guidance

1. A stable careers programme
   Every school and college should have an embedded programme of career education and guidance that is known and understood by pupils, parents, teachers and employers.
    
2.  Learning from career and labour market information
   Every pupil, and their parents, should have access to good quality information about future study options and labour market opportunities. They will need the support of an informed adviser to make the best use of available information
3. Addressing the needs of each pupil
   Pupils have different career guidance needs at different stages. Opportunities for advice and support need to be tailored to the needs of each pupil. A school’s careers programme should embed equality and diversity considerations throughout.
4. Linking curriculum learning to careers
   All teachers should link curriculum learning with careers. For example, STEM subject teachers should highlight the relevance of STEM subjects for a wide range of career pathways.
5. Encounters with employers and employees
   Every pupil should have multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace. This can be through a range of enrichment opportunities including visiting speakers, mentoring and enterprise schemes.
6. Experience of workplaces
   Every pupil should have first-hand experiences of the workplace through work visits, work shadowing and/or work experience to help their exploration of career opportunities, and expand their networks.
7. Encounters with Further or Higher Education
   All pupils should understand the full range of learning opportunities that are available to them. This includes both academic and vocational routes and learning in schools, colleges, universities and in the workplace.
8. Personal Guidance
   Every pupil should have opportunities for guidance interviews with a Careers Adviser, who could be internal (a member of school staff) or external, provided they are trained to an appropriate level. These should be available whenever significant study or career choices are being made. They should be expected for all pupils but should be timed to meet their individual needs.

Lingey House is strongly committed to achieving these career benchmarks as part of our careers programme which is underpinned by other key school policies including the PHSE policy, the Curriculum Policy and the SEND policy.

We are very excited to announce that Lingey House has become a member of the Skills Builder Partnership!

The Skills Builder Partnership includes over 450 schools and colleges, 130 impact organisations and 100 top employers - working collectively towards the mission that one day, everyone will build the essential skills to succeed.

Their work is underpinned by the Skills Builder Universal Framework, which shows how to build essential skills at every stage of life. These eight skills are: Listening, Speaking, Problem Solving, Creativity, Staying Positive, Aiming High, Leadership and Teamwork.

Over the next year, we will be introducing this programme and adapting our current provision to provide an even more innovative and robust Careers Education for the children at Lingey House. Keep your eyes peeled!

Year 5 Mini Police visit Milbank Police Station

Today, year 5 went to Milbank police station. We went into the control room and learned all about how the radios work. We talked to different people who have a range of jobs and then were lucky enough to get a tour of the cells and the Custody Suite! We went into the holding cell, interview room, cell and a secret corridor which leads to the court next door. 

We had a fantastic morning and learnt lots!

SPLAAT (Safe Play at all Times) Assembly

Today, the children from Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 had a visit from Nick at Walter Thompson Contractors who came to talk about safe play. He taught us all about the different jobs that people can have on a construction site and how to stay safe whilst you are there. They even met their mascot!

Mini Police

Year 5 have been working closely with our local Police Force and some of them have become Mini Police Officers. All of year 5 wrote application forms for the posts and the best ones were selected. They got their own uniform and can't wait to get going with their duties!

Friday 28th June 2019 - Circus Skills

As part of Lingey House's 60th birthday celebrations, pupils from Years 4, 5 and 6 received a workshop on circus skills. It was really interesting to hear all of the different types of performers that work in the circus.

Thursday 11th July 2019 - Dr. Gaynor Paton

Years 4 and 5 worked with Dr. Gaynor Paton today to identify faults in rocks using images generated from seismic waves. Dr. Paton began her career by taking a PhD in Neuroscience before deciding she wanted a change of career and began training to be an air traffic controller. Unfortunately, she did not pass the exams and went to work as a receptionist for a software company. Over time, she asked lots of questions about the products they designed and was asked if she would like to work in sales and marketing. She then went to become a software demonstrator, an expert user, a technical team manager and finally chief technical engineer. She explained that just because you begin one career, it doesn't mean you have to stick with it forever; it's okay to change your mind!

Questions

Nathaniel asked, "do you believe in the hollow Earth theory?"

Gaynor explained that because of the work she has done on looking at rock under the surface of the Earth, she believes that there is a core to the Earth which is made of molten rock.

Mason asked, "how far down can sound waves go?"

Gaynor explained they can travel up to 10km down!

Rosie asked, "is there any concrete proof that the Earth is round?"

Gaynor explained that satellite images from space have proven that the Earth is definitely round, along with those people who have successfully sailed around the planet.

Tuesday 26th June 2019 - Alex Nelson (Owner of Nationalrail.com)

Years 5 and 6 received a visit today from Alex Nelson, an entrepreneur who created Nationalrail.com. He explained to the children that he felt passionately about people being able to book journeys from any rail station in the UK and Northern Ireland with ease and for a good price. He also explained that, although he was the owner of the business, he didn't do every job himself and he had a fantastic team of people who turned his ideas into reality. The children booked some mock journeys on his website then helped some up with some FAQ's for a new document he is publishing to help children using his services.

Here are some of our FAQ's which Alex is going to answer for us on his next visit next week

• What happens if a child gets lost in the train station?
• Can trains travel in any weather condition?
• Would there be an adult nearby to help children travelling alone on your service?
• Can trains make you travel sick?
• Is there any help for disabled children?
• What kind of discounts are available for children?

Thursday 6th June - Tina Scrafton (Veterinary Nurse for the PDSA)

Years 4, 5 and 6 received a talk on how to become a veterinary nurse or surgeon today from Tina Scrafton. Working for the PDSA as a veterinary nurse, Tina has a wealth of experience looking after animals and showed us all the ways in which we can be responsible pet owners. She then showed us clips of what life is like behind the scenes of a real PDSA veterinary centre and the stages that animals go through when they go in for surgery.

Questions

Thomas asked, "Is it true that if a dog's nose it wet, it means it's not well?"

Tina explained that this is not always the case and sometimes dogs' noses can just be dry anyway! However, if there are other symptoms too, it may be time for a trip to the vets.

What our pupils thought

The children evaluated their visit from Tina, discussing what they had learned and whether they would like to have a job as a veterinary nurse or surgeon. Here is some of the feedback:

"I would like to be a veterinary surgeon because I would get to see pets every day and I would be helping a charity!" - William

"I learned that you need to keep your pet healthy in lots of ways by giving it a home, food, water, friends and attention. The PDSA was opened by Marie Dickin in 1917 as she was upset by all of the animals who were hurt in the First World War. I really enjoyed today's visit and I learned that there are lots of different jobs in a veterinary practice such as a surgeon, nurse, receptionist and cleaner!" Nathaniel

"I liked the assembly because I'd never have known that the treatment was free in 1917 or that it was founded whilst World War 1 was happening." - Tyler

Wednesday 5th June 2019 - Elspeth Hulse (Surgeon Commander in the Royal Navy)

Year 5 received a talk today from Elspeth Hulse who is a Surgeon Commander in the Royal Navy, an anaesthetic consultant at the RVI hospital and a senior lecturer in the department of Military Anesthesia and Critical Care. Having spent a large potion of her time in various war zones (including Iraq, Afghanistan and Sudan), Elspeth's job involves remaining calm in very serious situations and a meticulous attention to detail. She explained exactly what her day to day work entailed, what qualifications she had to get to gain her position and answered some excellent questions about gender stereotypes in the armed forces and different life-saving techniques used. After she had explained all about different aircrafts and ships she has worked on, she showed the classes how to intubate a patient and perform CPR and let us practise on a  dummy. We looked at different sized endotracheal tubes and Elspeth explained how they are used. Our children were keen to discuss what life was like a woman in the armed forces; Elspeth explained that she hadn't really encountered any problems being a female because she always made sure she was very confident and showed her comrades how skilled she was at her job.

Questions

Abbie asked, "Are there times when a patient can feel pain during an operation, but they have been given a drug so they can't move?"

Elspeth explained that this was called anaesthetic awareness and it was incredibly rare. She said there has been research done into this area and it is because of the different drugs that are given

Max asked, "why did you want to join the Royal Navy?"

Elspeth explained that she watched some TV adverts when she was younger which showed the jobs that women could do in the Royal Navy. Her family then moved near to the sea and she decided then that it was the job for her (despite the fact her teacher told her mum she would never achieve it!)

What our pupils thought

Year 5 evaluated their visit with Elspeth, discussing what they had learned and whether they would like to have her job. Here is some of the feedback:

"Elspeth's job involves looking after people in war-zones, she also performs surgery at the RVI in Newcastle. I would like to have Elspeth's job as I love the thought of helping people." - Jasmine

"Elspeth travels to foreign countries such as Iraq, Sudan and the Caribbean with the Royal Navy. She performs surgery on people in the RAF, Royal Navy, the army and even enemies during wars! She needed at least an A level in Science and Maths along with work experience in a care setting. She then went on to study for her MBCHB before doing 2 years as a junior doctor then choosing anaesthesia as a specialism. I would like to have Elspeth's job because you get to travel all over the world to save lives. She also gets to stand behind the Queen when people are knighted and look after her if ever she needed help!"- William

"Elspeth puts people to sleep when they have operations. She also performs surgery all over the world and helps people. I would not like to have Elspeth's job because I hate diving into water and I don't like seeing people hurt. Although, it does sound like a fun and interesting experience." - Ellie

Thursday 2nd May 2019 - Science Career Talk Year 5

Year 5 received a talk today from Jane Carr-Wilkinson who is a Senior Lecturer in Physiological Sciences at Sunderland University. Specialising in Neuroblastoma, Jane's job is very important and requires a lot of skill on concentration. She explained exactly what her day to day work entailed, what qualifications she had to get to gain her position and answered some excellent questions about gender stereotypes in Science and cancer research in general.

Questions

Rosie from Y5I asked, "Do you find it difficult being a female scientist?"

Jane explained that, thankfully, she didn't because there aren't as many gender stereotypes in the science industry as there once was.

Shay asked, "what happens to cancer after you die? Does it continue to grow?"

Jane explained that cancer is caused by cells dividing too quickly and being unable to stop, a bit like when the breaks on your bike stop working. She also told us that when we die, our cells stop dividing and therefore the cancer dies too.

What our pupils thought

Year 5 evaluated their visit with Professor Carr-Wilkinson discussing what they had learned and whether they would like to have her job. Here is some of the feedback:

"Jane's job is studying genes which make up our body. She writes papers to get published and shares information with other doctors and scientists. I would like to have Jane's job because it's a job where you can help people whilst having fun and being creative." - Faye

"Jane teaches science at Sunderland Univsersity and studies very small cells. She specialises in Neuroblastoma which is a very rare childhood cancer. I wouldn't like Jane's job because what if germs got out of their container and infected someone?" - Shay

"Jane teaches students at university and also does research in labs. She needed to get GCSE's, A Levels or a BTEC in a science subject and then take a degree in a Science subject. I would like to have this job because I can study cancer so those who have cancer can live a wonderful life." - Rhianan