Careers Guidance
Careers provision at Swakeleys School for Girls and Sixth Form
Careers Staff
- Mrs P Laguillo – Assistant Headteacher, School Careers Leader
- Miss Anoosh Salar – Independent Careers Adviser
- Mrs K Darlington – Work Experience Administrative Assistant
To contact the above please use the school email address: office@swakeleys.org.uk and mark in the subject who it is for the attention of.
The Careers team at Swakeleys School for Girls provides information, advice and guidance to students so they can develop the skills needed for a working life. This supports the more general careers education students receive in subject lessons, Form Group tutorials, assemblies and general careers events.
Careers guidance and education is delivered in all Key Stages as an integral part of the PSHCE programme. In sixth form, the careers guidance is expertly supported by external advisors who provide bespoke guidance on the UCAS process to students and parents.
From Year 8 onwards, they are given progressive support to reflect on career choices, to prepare for work experience and to research career opportunities. For our Year 11 students we provide particularly intensive support as they make important decisions about which Post-16 pathway to follow: academic A Levels; vocational BTECs; or workplace Apprenticeships.
Swakeleys School for Girls and Sixth Form works in partnership with Learning to Work and the Education Development Trust (EDT) to employ independent careers advisors who deliver impartial careers advice and guidance to learners and parents / carers of pupils in the school. Every student from Years 7 to 13 will have access to a careers interview which is individually tailored to their particular needs. Personalised action plans are developed with the student during the meeting and their execution is monitored by the student’s Form Tutor and via a follow up careers meeting should this be required.
Miss Anoosh Salar is available for 1-1 appointments each Monday & Tuesday from 9.00am – 3.20pm, Room A171
A careers advisor is present at our Year 11 Parents Evening and on GCSE / A-level Results Day to help and guide students in making informed choices about their future.
Swakeleys School for Girls and Sixth Form is keen to promote the STEM agenda and we are committed to promoting careers in science, technology, engineering and maths. Numerous events, integrated into the careers programme offers providers from different industries to share their knowledge and experience of their field of work.
At Swakeleys School, we aim to give students a broad and varied experience of the world of work from Key Stage 3 onwards. Through multiple opportunities across the curriculum and our wider careers programme, students are introduced to a diverse range of workplaces, industries, occupations and career pathways.
This includes visits to different workplace environments, such as the Year 7 Virus Factory Trip, where students explore STEM, science and research careers. In Year 8 we take students to the Hilton Hotel, where they gain an insight into the wide range of careers within the hospitality industry. Departments areas also provide curriculum-linked opportunities that connect students' subjects to the world of work. In recent years, our students have benefited from a wide range of workplace and career-related visits, including Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter, where students explore careers in set design, film and movie make-up; Sky Studios, providing an insight into careers in Media; Bosch UK Headquarters, linking Geography to the world of work; the Houses of Parliament, helping students explore careers connected to History, politics and public life; and Behind the Stage theatre experiences, introducing students to the diverse range of careers within the Performing Arts.
Through these multiple encounters with workplaces, employees and different industries throughout Key Stage 3, we aim to broaden students’ horizons and raise their awareness of the diverse range of careers available to them. These experiences enable students to see how their learning in the classroom connects to the world beyond school, while helping them to develop a better understanding of different workplaces, roles and career pathways. This early and varied exposure provides a strong foundation for the more established week long Year 10 Work Shadowing Programme. We work in partnership with our families, local schools, libraries and local businesses to source suitable placements as part of the programme. Completing the workshadowing programme is hugely valuable and students often refer to the experience and skills they have developed through their work placements in future job application or in their UCAS personal statements.
Throughout the year, we engage in events offered by companies and external agencies to maximise our students exposure to the world of work. Please click below to find the following useful careers documents.
Measuring the impact of our careers programme
We use a wide range of evaluation tools to measure the success of our careers programme. These include:
Compass+ evaluation tool which assesses ongoing progress against Gatsby benchmarks. We do a full evaluation of our Careers Fair and Work Shadowing programme using Google Forms to obtain pupil feedback. The options process is also fully reviewed each year and adaptions made including pupil and parental feedback. Our Careers Advisor continually reviews the effectiveness of the 1-2-1 guidance interviews on a termly basis including pupil engagement. All career related trips are also reviewed in terms of pupil enjoyment and value. Our evaluations also look at a range of evidence including attainment, progress, option numbers, destination data and feedback.
The above information is correct as of May 2026 and will be reviewed annually.