Information for parents & carers
Supporting your child's future
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Careers decisions are an important part of your child’s education. This page brings together key resources and support to help you guide and support your child with their choices at GCSE and beyond, including apprenticeships, further education, personal guidance and preparation for work. You do not need to be a careers expert — but your support matters.
How to use this page
Explore the options together — talk about what your child enjoys and where they want to get to
Use the links below to learn more about post-16 pathways
Attend school events such as Options Evenings and careers fairs
Discuss LMI (labour market information) so your child can link choices to real opportunities
Use the National Careers Service and other links to build confidence and research skills
Careers Advice is not just for Young People, Parents/Carers also need support to help young people make tough and challenging decisions.
The support of parents and carers is crucial at key decisions times, particularly in Year 9 and Year 11. The information below highlights how you can help your child make successful career choices during these transition years.
During Year 9, your child will choose the subjects or courses they intend to study in Years 10 and 11 (Key Stage 4) and during year 11 your child will need to make appropriate applications to post 16 providers to complete their Key stage 5 intended destinations.
Help is available
School staff are available to help your child decide the best choices for them and understand how their subject choices impact on future career opportunities.
How Can I Support My Child?
You can help by:
talking regularly about interests, strengths and aspirations
encouraging your child to explore more than one pathway
helping them research courses, careers and entry requirements
discussing local and national Labour Market Information
attending options, careers and provider events
encouraging them to make the most of employer encounters and work experience
discussing what they learned from careers activities
supporting applications and interview preparation
encouraging them to ask for guidance when they are unsure.
Most importantly, encourage your child to make choices based on their interests, abilities, aspirations and needs, rather than assumptions about which route is “best”.
Key Decision Points
Year 9 – Key Stage 4 Options
During Year 9, students make choices about some of the subjects and courses they will study during Years 10 and 11.
Parents and carers can support by discussing:
subjects your child enjoys
their strengths and preferred ways of learning
how subjects connect to future pathways
how courses are assessed
whether particular future courses or careers have specific entry requirements
the importance of keeping suitable future options open.
Students do not need to have their future career decided in Year 9.
For more information, visit:
Year 10 – Work Experience and Future Exploration
Year 10 is an important opportunity to develop workplace understanding and begin exploring post-16 options in greater depth.
All Year 10 students at Ferryhill School take part in the school's one-week work-experience placement.
Parents and carers can support by:
helping students think about suitable placement sectors
discussing travel and practical arrangements
encouraging professional behaviour
asking what they learned afterwards
helping them identify skills they developed.
Link:
Year 11 – Post-16 Decisions
During Year 11, students need to make decisions and applications for what they will do after leaving Ferryhill School.
Possible pathways include:
sixth form • college • apprenticeships • technical and vocational routes • training
Parents and carers should encourage students to:
research more than one option
attend open events
check entry requirements
apply in good time
keep an appropriate back-up option
explore apprenticeship vacancies alongside college or sixth-form applications where appropriate.
Link:
16+ Choices
Personal Careers Guidance
Every Year 11 student receives a one-to-one personal guidance meeting with an appropriately qualified careers adviser.
The meeting is impartial and personalised and helps students consider their:
interests • strengths • aspirations • career ideas • post-16 pathways
Additional or earlier guidance is available where appropriate.
Parents and carers are also welcome to support progression planning and may attend guidance meetings where arrangements allow. Your CEIAG policy explicitly provides for parents/carers to attend guidance meetings. CEIAG policy 1st Sept 2026 (2)
Understanding Labour Market Information
Labour Market Information (LMI) can help families understand:
which jobs and sectors employ people locally
where opportunities are developing
the skills employers need
typical pay
qualifications and progression routes
how the world of work is changing.
When discussing careers, encourage your child to explore County Durham, North East and national information, rather than relying on assumptions about jobs.
Link:
Post-16 Providers and Open Events
Meeting providers and attending open events can help students compare options properly.
When visiting a sixth form, college or training provider, consider asking:
What courses are available?
What are the entry requirements?
How is the course assessed?
What support is available?
Are there work placements or industry opportunities?
What facilities are available?
What are the progression routes?
How will my child travel there?
When is the application deadline?
Link:
Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships combine paid employment with structured training.
Apprenticeship vacancies are competitive and are advertised throughout the year, so students interested in this route should normally also keep an appropriate college or sixth-form option open while applying.
Parents and carers can help students check:
the employer • role • pay • hours • travel • apprenticeship level • training provider • progression
Link:
SEND and Additional Support
Some young people may need additional or different careers and transition support.
This may include students with:
SEND • an EHCP • disadvantage • caring responsibilities • persistent absence • risk of becoming NEET • other barriers to progression
Support is tailored to individual need and may involve the Careers Leader, careers adviser, SENCO, pastoral staff and external agencies.
For students with an EHCP, careers and transition planning contributes to Preparation for Adulthood, including education, employment, independent living and wider participation. Your CEIAG policy already makes this explicit.
Look to the future to help make decisions now
To help your child decide in Year 9, what to study in Years 10 and 11 (Key Stage 4), get them to think about:
Where the jobs are now and where they are likely to be in the future
What subjects are required to compete for these jobs
What subjects they enjoy
What subjects they are good at or find challenging
How subjects can link into careers areas
How they like to learn, is it through coursework, exams or a combination of both
What hobbies/interests they enjoy
What type of jobs they are interested in
How to research jobs
Discussing their options with school staff
Next steps for parents and carers
Mark key dates (Options Evenings, provider visits, career events) in your calendar
Encourage your child to use LMI websites and talk about what they find
Support your child to attend personal guidance interviews and follow up what they learn
If you have questions or concerns, contact the school Careers Lead for guidance
Get Involved
This is a section I think is worth adding.
Parents and carers are encouraged to engage with Ferryhill School's careers programme by:
attending careers and progression events
attending provider open events with their child
contributing feedback about careers provision
discussing careers activities at home
supporting work-experience preparation
sharing professional or employer contacts where appropriate.
The updated Gatsby framework specifically expects careers programmes to explain how parents/carers will be engaged throughout and to use their feedback in programme evaluation. GOV.UK
Need Further Support?
If you have questions about your child's career or progression choices, please contact:
Miss Hanson – Careers Leader
Telephone: 01740 651554
Email: cha@ferryhill.school
Careers email: careers@ferryhill.school
We are happy to support families with questions about Key Stage 4 choices, post-16 routes, apprenticeships, personal guidance and progression.
If you require any further support please do not hesitate to contact the schools Careers Leader, who will be happy to discuss your questions/concerns over the phone, in person or even through an online meeting platform.
If you require any further support please do not hesitate to contact the schools Careers Leader, who will be happy to discuss your questions/concerns over the phone, in person or even through an online meeting platform.
Careers lead:
Careers lead:
Miss Hanson
Miss Hanson
01740 651554
01740 651554
cha@ferryhill.school
cha@ferryhill.school
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