Welcome to Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance
for parents and carers.

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This page is designed to provide you with up to date information, guidance and impartial advice to support your child through their career journey.
We aim to give you as much help and support as possible. Should you have any queries you can contact our qualified Careers Lead, Mrs Laura Cain who is also a member of the Careers Development Institute.
e-mail l.cain@radcliffeschool.org.uk
We also regularly post careers information on our school facebook page.
Alternatively, you can contact the National Careers Service who have a dedicated helpline and webchat service Tel: 0800 100 900
https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/

FAQ’s

What support does my child receive in school in preparing for a career?
The school has a dedicated careers programme, the link to this is on the careers welcome page. Students receive support throughout their time in school through workshops, employer encounters, assemblies, personal guidance and through the ‘Modern Britain’ tutor programme. Mrs Cain works comprehensively with all year 11 and sixth formers to ensure they have a destination and feel work ready by the time they leave school.

What are the options for my child at the end of year 11?
Raising of the participation age means that young people must remain in some form of education or employment with training, until their eighteenth birthday. At the end of year 11, your child could consider a range of options, including sixth forms, colleges, UTCs, apprenticeships and traineeships.
https://www.gov.uk/know-when-you-can-leave-school

What happens if my child doesn’t participate?
If a child stops participating in education before their 18th birthday there is a risk that they will become NEET. (Not in Education, Employment and Training). The local council monitor the destinations of all school leavers to ensure that they are participating. As a parent if you feel there is the possibility that your child may become NEET, please contact Mrs Cain as soon as possible, who will support you and your child to find a suitable placement.
If your child becomes NEET after leaving school please either contact Mrs Cain or contact the Milton Keynes youth faculty who will be able to provide support to help your child participate.
https://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/schools-and-lifelong-learning/community-learning-mk-hub/youth-advice-and-guidance

Is there work experience opportunities for students at The Radcliffe School?
The school strongly believes in the value of work experience. All students in year 10 are offered a two week work experience placement and are supported throughout this process. Many students find this experience invaluable in helping them begin to make career decisions and discovering what it is like to be in a workplace. Sixth form students 12 are also encouraged to find placements for up to one week.

My child doesn’t have a career plan. Should I be concerned?
Quite simply, No! It is very hard at such a young age for a student to truly know what it is they actually want to do. Therefore, it is not unusual for a child to be very vague about their career aspirations. There are certain things you can do to help. Firstly, discuss your own career journey and how your expectations have changed from when you were their age. Secondly, ask them what they enjoy academically and vocationally and discuss how those skills would be useful in the workplace. Encourage them to use the school careers drop in, every Wednesday or contact Mrs Cain for a careers appointment. You are welcome to attend the appointment with your child.

My child wants to go to university. What does that mean financially to my family?
All the debt for a university course belongs to the student. They do not start repaying the loan until they have left university and are earning over the threshold, which for student starting university in September 2023, will be £25,000 per year.

For example

If you earn £27,000 a year you will pay back approx. £15 per month
If you earn £35,000 a year you will pay back approx. £75 per month

The tuition loan covers all tuition fees and is not means tested. The maintenance loan is on a sliding scale depending on parental income. The more you earn as a family the less maintenance loan your child will receive.
There are many useful websites that explain student finance and dispel some of the myths.
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/students/student-loans-tuition-fees-changes/
https://www.gov.uk/student-finance

What are apprenticeships?
An apprenticeship is a blend of working and earning a wage whilst receiving training. There are many levels of apprenticeships from Intermediate level (equivalent to 5 GCSE passes grade 4 and above) to Degree and even Master’s Degree level. Pay also can vary significantly. Please see the link below for a full explanation.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/711088/Parent-Guide-Apprenticeships.pdf
https://www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk/apprenticeshipsearch?searchMode=Category

Useful links

Unifrog
In keeping with our commitment to provide students with outstanding careers guidance and tailored support when choosing their next steps after school, we are using Unifrog; an award-winning, online careers platform.
Unifrog brings into one place, undergraduate university courses, apprenticeships, college courses in the UK, as well as other opportunities such as school leaver programmes, MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses aimed at unlimited participation) and information about every college at Oxford and Cambridge. This make it easy for students to compare and choose the best university courses, apprenticeships or further and higher education courses for them. They can also explore exciting opportunities further afield by looking at English taught undergraduate programmes available in Europe and the USA.
Additionally, the platform helps students successfully apply for these opportunities by writing their personal statement, applications and CVs and allows teachers to give live feedback.
We have set up a parent login so that you can use Unifrog as if you were a student yourself, allowing you to fully support your child and see the website in action.
The form code you need is; parentradcliffe and you can sign up at www.unifrog.org/code

Other useful sites

National Careers Service
You can contact the National Careers Service who have a dedicated helpline and webchat service
https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/
Tel: 0800 100 900

University courses
https://www.ucas.com/

We value your feedback and welcome any suggestions you may have to improve this page.