Pathways To Success - Wakefield Girls High School

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Discover the way WAKEFIELD GIRLS have Pathways to Success

At the heart of everything we do is happily empower and support all Wakefield Girls as they contemplate life shaping decisions for the years ahead. We believe there is no substitute for readily available current advice and sound structured guidance. We offer bespoke one to one assistance throughout our Pathways to Success Program to help each student make the right decision for the next stage of their life.

We empower & support

Naturally, a happy and empowering education empowers women who happily empower others. Our Pathways To Success program features many women who were once our students, just like you / your daughter, and who are now our successful, highest achieving alumnae in their fields ready to share their diverse professional experiences and support. They make up our powHER Panel – another dimension of school life to help our students become who and what they want to be.

Pathways For Everyone

All students – and parents – can join us for:

– Careers INsight Week ( in conjunction with QEGS) supported by and showcasing inspirational female role models, who highlight a rich variety of roles and careers and the crucial prerequisites for success.

– Webinars with university students and apprentices providing opportunities to see university and apprenticeship life in action. Wakefield Girls learn how others ‘did it’, take inspiration and understand how to best prepare.

– Fortnightly live interviews with professional women working in a wide range of industries, professions and roles to uncover advice, tips, inspiration and guidance. Aired live on Instagram TV these interviews are also available as recordings. All contributors are Wakefield Girls’ alumnae – people who were once students like you / your daughter !

Watch all our interviews

Pathways For Years 3 - 6

Big futures start early, though most of our junior students are far too young to think about their future careers. Our youngest students arrive at Wakefield Girls’ and alongside academic learning, we help them to become independent self starters who discover what they enjoy. We put our students first, celebrating, championing and empowering each so they learn to develop their strengths and passions, ready to go forward with the kind of resilience, strength and ingenuity needed for life’s adventure.

Students are taught to speak up, to share ideas, take the lead, present and debate with confidence. There are guest speakers throughout the year in assemblies so our students see strong female role models. A ‘Big Dreams, Dream Big’ gala, entrepreneurship project, LAMDA, debating skills, musical theatre and a reading programme encourages everyone to share ideas, listen and respond articulately.

A large number of our junior girls learn one or more musical instruments, take up sport and / or take on one of fourteen school leadership roles, developing skills which then feed back into their academic work.

Ahead of senior education, students begin to develop the cognitive skills, values, attitudes and attributes needed for lifetime success. Education in our senior section enhances these early gains.

Pathways For Years 7 - 9

Students learn how they can develop important employability skills in school.

Year 7 gain an insight into the “World of Work”, with emphasis on both existing jobs and jobs of the future. In Year 8 and 9 Career Panels featuring diverse role models are offered so students have the opportunity to explore different career options, ask questions and crucially appreciate the dynamics of the careers marketplace.

Ahead of GCSE options, students take part in our career profiling programme, discovering inspiring career matches to their interests and skills and receiving guidance from our Head of Careers to help inform their decision-making.

Discover Seniors

Pathways For Years 10 - 11

Career Workshops and Lectures led by industry professionals enable students to learn how a wide range of different careers work and provide opportunities to talk directly with people currently working in those roles, often at different stages of their careers.

We offer Futures Thinking lessons on careers research, personal financial management, CV writing and the use of LinkedIn. GEM Lectures provide an insight into specific roles and professions and are often led by our powHER Panel.

Informal discussion is encouraged and we host Information Evenings and Subject Cafes to foster conversation.

Towards the end of Year 10 we guide students as they prepare for a week- long work experience placement. We encourage each to undertake several different placements to experience variety. During Year 11 we support each student witha more detailed career profiling service, including a personal interview with a specialist career advisor, resulting in a personal action plan.

Students are given extra help at the key transition stage of choosing A-level subjects and each Year 11 student also has a series of bespoke interviews with senior members of staff.

Pathways During Sixth Form

Post-18 choices are discussed as students begin Sixth Form and personal tutors are assigned to support students. For very specific advice and support, our Sixth Formers’ can access our powHER Panel – our successful, highest achieving alumnae in their fields who are ready to help and support for a life beyond school, a raft of A grades and university.

Throughout Sixth Form there are regular Careers Seminars featuring apprentices and professionals working in a diverse range of industries to provide inspiration and opportunities to see careers in action, learn how others ‘did it’, show alternative routes to degree / professional qualifications and develop understanding of how to best prepare to develop a career path. Termly Hepworth Lectures complement these seminars, featuring female professionals from a rich and diverse range of industries locally, nationally and internationally provides careers advice and inspiration.

Our university support program ensures students receive individual and relevant specialist guidance through the UCAS process (including application and preparation for interview and admissions tests, such as UCAT and LNAT). Specialist support is provided to students applying to competitive courses, such as medicine and dentistry. Our Oxbridge applicants receive specialist advice to support their application, including visits to both prestigious universities.

Our students are actively encouraged to attend UCAS conferences, university open days and to engage with the annual university webinar, which takes place in the autumn term.

Discover Sixth Form