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School life

Careers and UCAS support

At Saint Cecilia’s, we provide an inclusive and aspirational careers programme designed to give pupils the best opportunities for the future. Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) is embedded across the school, with all staff playing a role—whether as mentors, subject teachers, Year Leaders or a member of our dedicated careers team.

Our careers programme is delivered through five key strands: the curriculum, pastoral support, trips, employer encounters, and pathways (to GCSEs, post-16 and post-18 education or training). We follow the eight Gatsby Benchmarks and the Career Development Framework to ensure high-quality guidance.

Our goal is to help pupils reflect on their strengths, explore career possibilities and make informed choices with confidence, ensuring every young person finds the path that’s right for them.

  • Our dedicated and qualified careers team, Mrs Catherine Young, Careers Lead and Ms Barbara Orr, Careers Advisor support pupils and students in their careers education.  

    Mrs Young is available to support pupils and students from any year group during drop-in sessions in the careers office.
    Available: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 8.30am-4pm 
    email: cyoung@saintcecilias.london
    phone: 020 8780 1244 extension 6715 

    The LT link is Ms Anessa Lee, Assistant Headteacher.

  • Click on the links below to see our Careers Strategic Overview and Careers Programme in full.

    Careers Strategic Overview
    Careers Programme of study
    Curriculum opportunities

  • Curriculum
    Our broad and diverse curriculum offers career opportunities both in and beyond the classroom. From Year 7, pupils start exploring their skills, interests, and hobbies, laying the foundation for careers learning throughout their time at Saint Cecilia’s.

    Click here for our curriculum page. 

    Pastoral
    Alongside a wealth of opportunities in the curriculum and embedded PSHE careers programme, our strong pastoral team offers ongoing one-to-one support. They guide pupils through progression and attainment, Unifrog, applications, references, and a study programme that helps them develop key life and work skills. Our Sixth Form Academic Mentor works with small groups to teach mastery skills in organisation, learning, and memory retention—helping students succeed in Sixth Form and beyond.

    Trips
    Trips offer fantastic opportunities for all pupils to gain experience. Alongside curriculum trips, we run extra-curricular visits in the evenings, at weekends, and during holidays. Recent and upcoming trips include university visits (Cambridge, Liverpool, Oxford, Roehampton, Royal Holloway), college tours, apprenticeship fairs, and employer visits (Expedia, music studios, Royal Parks, and the All England Lawn Tennis Club).

    Employers
    Saint Cecilia’s hosts an annual Careers Fair for pupils and students in Years 10 to 13, attracting employers including BBC, X, Accenture and HSBC. Additional opportunities have included workshops with women in STEM, a cybersecurity employer, and a ‘Make Me a Medic’ day for Sixth Formers interested in healthcare. 

    Careers Fair Booklet 2025

    Pathways
    There are three key decision points for pupils and students at Saint Cecilia’s: choosing GCSE subjects in Year 9, applying for Sixth Form or college in Year 11, and planning for higher education, training, or work in Year 12. Our mentors, Year Leaders, and teachers ensure pupils feel informed and confident about their next steps, offering guidance tailored to their aspirations, abilities and skills. Parents are encouraged to attend engagement evenings, options events and Sixth Form interviews to ask questions and explore all available pathways.

  • Each year group have a bespoke careers overview and receive a weekly Careers Newsletter on Satchel:One, highlighting a career, sector or industry of the week, including labour market information and many free local and virtual opportunities. See the Key parent documents page to read the latest issues.

    We also give our whole school access to Unifrog, a user-friendly careers platform. Parents and carers also have access to this tool.

  • We provide dedicated support for students exploring university and apprenticeship pathways. The UCAS journey starts in Year 11 with sessions for pupils and parents, highlighting the importance of strong GCSEs. Students visit the University of Sussex and, after GCSEs, take part in a residential trip to the University of Liverpool. In Year 12, PSHE lessons focus on university choices and careers and all students attend the London UCAS and Careers Fair. Personal statement guidance begins in the summer term, and students are encouraged to submit UCAS applications by October half term in Year 13, leading to early offers for many.

    Students applying to Oxbridge, Medicine, Veterinary Science or Dentistry receive tailored support, including workshops on applications, admissions tests and mock Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). We work with experienced professionals, including doctors from St George’s, University of London, and our network of Oxbridge graduates, vets, and dentists to provide mock interviews and specialist advice.

    For those considering apprenticeships, we offer guidance on Higher and Degree Apprenticeships, helping students explore opportunities alongside university applications. Many successfully secure placements in both fields.

  • We assess the impact of our Careers programme through student feedback, tracking aspirations, and monitoring where our leavers go next. Parents play a key role in their child’s career journey and are welcome to meet with our Careers Lead or share feedback. We also gather input from staff, governors, employers and education providers, with termly evaluations using Compass+. The programme and policy are reviewed annually.

  • We welcome support for our Careers Programme from alumni, parents, carers, local community members, employers and education providers. Our community brings a wealth of skills and experience from different industries and career pathways. There are many ways to volunteer and help broaden pupils' and students’ horizons. To get involved, contact cyoung@saintcecilias.london and view our Provider Access Policy.

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