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    • Careers

    Ponteland High School is committed to providing high quality career education to ensure that our students are happy, secure and achieve exceptionally well in their future lives.

    Our Career Leader in school is Mr J Greenshields, Deputy Headteacher.

    If you are interested in supporting our career programme you can contact him via his details: j.greenshields@ponthigh.org.uk 01661 824711

    At Ponteland High School we aim to provide all students with a rich careers education. We want all of our students to have the knowledge, skills and experience to access the career of their choice. In doing so we utilise the eight Gatsby benchmarks of the high-quality careers provision to regularly evaluate and improve our offer.

    1. A stable careers programme
    2. Learning from career and labour market information
    3. Addressing the needs of each pupil
    4. Linking curriculum learning to careers
    5. Encounters with employers and employees
    6. Experiences of workplaces
    7. Encounters with further and higher education
    8. Personal guidance
    Careers Newsletter 29th JuneCareers Newsletter 22nd JuneCareers Newsletter 15th June

    Provider Access Policy

    Since January 2018 all local authority maintained schools and academies must give education and training providers the opportunity to talk to pupils in years 8 to 13 about approved technical qualifications and apprenticeships. Schools must have clear arrangements in place to ensure that all pupils have opportunities to hear from providers of post-16 and post-18 options.

    Our Provider Access Policy can be accessed here If you are a provider/employer and would like to offer apprenticeships, information and guidance, work experience placements or alternative provision for our students at Post 16, please contact Mr Jonny Greenshields, Deputy Headteacher.

    Provider Access Policy 2026-27

    Reviewing our work

    The school uses a range of measures in order to review the impact of our careers programme on our students.

    This includes:

    • Regular student voice reviews
    • Discussions with external partners such as our Enterprise Co-ordinator from the North East Local Enterprise Partnership and Enterprise Advisors.
    • Termly reviews using the Gatsby Benchmarks as a framework for evaluation and planning.
    • Reviewing students’ destination information at the end of Key Stage Four and Five study.

    Destination Data September  – 2025 (Next data published September 2026)

    Gatsby Benchmarks Review – July 2025 (Next data published December 2025)

     

    For a detailed overview of how we evaluate our careers programme and our current priorities, you can read our full review and impact statement here.

    Careers Support for Parents and Carers

    At Ponteland High School, we are committed to helping every student make informed choices about their future. Our careers programme is designed to raise aspirations, build skills, and ensure that students are well prepared for further education, training, and employment.

    As a parent or carer, you play a vital role in supporting your child’s journey. You can:

    • Encourage your child to make the most of the opportunities in our careers programme – from employer talks and visits to mock interviews and careers fairs.
    • Explore Unifrog with them – our online platform that brings together careers information, university and apprenticeship opportunities, and tools for building a CV
    • Look out for our weekly KS4 and KS5 Careers Opportunities Newsletters, which share a wealth of information about events, programmes, and ways students can extend their career interests.
    • Talk with your child about their interests, strengths, and possible career paths.

    To find out more, you can view our  yearly Careers Map  and half-termly Careers Newsletters on this website. If you would like further information or have any questions, please contact our Careers Leader, Mr J Greenshields

    Information for Employers

    We'd love to work with you!

    At Ponteland High School, we are passionate about preparing our students for their future careers. A key part of this is working closely with local and national employers to provide meaningful experiences that connect learning with the world of work.

    Each year we publish a Careers Map which sets out the opportunities our students will take part in – from career talks and workplace visits to mock interviews and enterprise projects. This plan helps us ensure that every young person has access to high-quality encounters with employers and employees.

    We warmly invite employers to:

    Review our Careers Map and see where you might like to get involved.

    Get in touch with our Careers Leader, Mr J Greenshields, if there are particular activities that interest you.

    Share new ideas – we are always keen to discuss fresh opportunities for employer engagement that could inspire and support our students.

    If you would like to explore how your organisation can work with us, please get in touch!

    Careers: Get Involved

    Information for Students

    At Ponteland High School, your future matters. Our careers programme gives you the chance to explore different pathways, build your skills, and connect with employers.

    You can get involved by:

    • Taking part in careers talks, workshops, and trips
    • Joining in with mock interviews and employer projects
    • Exploring your options for further study, apprenticeships, and work

    Don’t forget – Unifrog is your one-stop platform for everything careers-related. Use it to research careers, compare courses, build your CV, and keep track of your goals.

    Make the most of these opportunities to shape your future with confidence.

    To support our work we will invite a range of education and training providers to visit our school and further information can be found in our Provider Access Policy here.

    Our Careers provision is overseen by DeputyHeadteacher, Mr Jonny Greenshields, he can be contacted at j.greenshields@ponthigh.org.uk

    Post-16 Options

    We know that for the majority of our students choosing to remain in school and progress to our highly successful 6th form will be the preferred option.

    Further information our 6th form offer can be viewed by following the link below.

    Some students will prefer to explore other options that may better suit their needs. Information about local colleges and apprenticeships are listed below.

    Careers in the Curriculum: Support for Teachers

    Embedding careers into everyday teaching is one of the most effective ways to help young people connect their learning with life beyond school. When students see the links between subjects and future opportunities, they are more motivated, engaged, and aspirational.

    We encourage teachers across all subject areas to make use of the following resources:

    • Unifrog – a comprehensive platform that brings together labour market information, university and apprenticeship opportunities, and subject-specific resources to show how your subject connects to real careers.
    • Ponteland High School Careers Map – a published outline of our yearly programme of careers activities, showing where employer encounters and curriculum links are built in.
    • Careers Programme Overview – an accessible guide to how our whole-school approach meets the Gatsby Benchmarks and highlights practical ways teachers can support.

    We welcome contact from teachers who are interested in exploring how careers can be embedded in their subject area or in sharing ideas for new initiatives.