Ready. Set. Future.
At Ryburn, we believe every student should leave school with the confidence, ambition and skills to succeed in an ever-changing world. The careers our students will pursue in the future may not even exist yet - which is why our focus is not only on preparing them for today’s opportunities, but for tomorrow’s possibilities.
Our Careers Programme fully meets all eight Gatsby Benchmarks - the national standard for outstanding careers education. From Year 7 through to Year 13, every student benefits from a carefully planned and high-quality programme that combines meaningful employer encounters, impartial guidance and real-world experiences designed to inspire ambition and broaden horizons.
careers learning at ryburn
Careers education at Ryburn is embedded within our wider Personal Development curriculum. Alongside academic success, we help students develop the personal qualities that employers and future pathways value most: resilience, self-belief, motivation, empathy and the ability to reflect and grow.
We actively raise aspirations by connecting students with employers, industry professionals and role models from a wide range of sectors. Through workshops, talks and workplace experiences, students gain valuable insight into careers they may never previously have considered. These experiences help students see what is possible and give them the confidence to aim high.
We are equally committed to ensuring students receive clear, comprehensive and impartial guidance about their next steps after Ryburn. Whether they choose sixth form, further education, apprenticeships or employment, students are supported to make informed decisions that are right for their individual strengths, interests and ambitions.
At Ryburn, careers education is about more than preparing students for work, it is about helping them discover their potential and giving them the tools to shape successful, fulfilling futures.
Key information
Careers By year group
In the curriculum
Our departments create countless chances to explore careers relating to their subjects. From enterprise competitions to trips to universities, from artists-in-residence to live-streaming with Google, from playing professional roles in court in the Mock Trial to being extras on a real life TV drama, there’s all sorts going on.
In the personal development curriculum students look at certain aspects linked with the careers guidelines. We also make plenty of use of Assemblies and Tutor Time to deliver careers learning.
Introducing Futures: our Youtube channel for real life role models
Visit Together Learning Trust’s Futures Youtube channel, where real people visiting our schools share real stories about their career journeys, the twists, turns and surprising moments that led them to where they are now. From ex-rugby pros to BBC software engineers, we talk to people doing incredible things in industries you might not have even heard of yet. Whether you're curious about creative careers, tech jobs, public services or something completely different, we've got you covered.
Careers WeekS
We hold several Careers Weeks and Days each year, which offer and opportunity to showcase a range of real careers. It’s an opportunity to hear guest speakers from a variety of professions, visiting school to speak with all pupils. Lessons also feature a special focus on careers in their subject area.
Information, ADVICE and guidance
Students at Ryburn benefit from impartial, specialist advice, provided by our partners C&K Careers. Rachel and James are based at our school and work with students from all years. They provide resources within the Library, and offer individual appointments to any student who wishes to discuss education, training and employment options. Working very closely with Ryburn staff including SEND, Pastoral and Heads of Year and specialist external agencies, C&K help us to offer the appropriate level of support to every individual.
They offer special support for:
Year 9 Options Choices
Year 11 Post 16 Options
Year 13 Post 18 Options
They also organise or attend a number of key events each year to provide guidance to students and their families, including assemblies and parents evenings, careers and education fairs and interview practice.
The service continues beyond your time at Ryburn, as C&K Careers offer lifelong careers advice for young people and adults through their centres in Halifax, Huddersfield and Dewsbury and other provision in the community.
Our Careers Service is based in the Library, where you can browse a wealth of information.
Make an appointment via the Library, school reception or email. Parents/Carers are welcome to attend with their child.
Contact: James Davidson and Rachel Mackenzie
Fridays: Ryburn Sixth Drop in Service
Careers Leader
Gemma Barber - g.barber@ryburn.tlt.school
We are always interested to hear from employers, organisations, or individuals with interesting careers stories who might be able to contribute to our careers programme for our students.
Parents and Carers
The other key part of the team is parents and carers. You obviously play an important role in helping your child find their way in the future. As adults, we tend to know our own career areas well, but it’s normal to feel ill-equipped to offer advice on all the weird and wonderful options out there, and things like university entry requirements have moved on since our own sixth form days. A little research can enable you to support and encourage your child to find the path that suits them.
So where do you begin? The information on this page, including the useful websites linked below is a good start.
Our Careers Service appointments are open to parents to attend along with their children. And don’t forget friends and family - maybe someone you know has experience of the industry you are researching?
Related Stories
Useful Websites
CAREEROMETER
Try out this clever tool to compare different jobs, their average pay, working hours and whether the number of jobs in the industry is likely to grow or shrink.
Click in the dotted square and start typing in a job, then choose one of the career options that pops up.
Check out the figures it gives and click ‘more info’ for a description of what the job typically involves.
Try typing another job into the next box and compare them
Click ‘clear card’ to clear the information about one job so you can try another.
Bear in mind that the information is based on national averages and future projections, and it doesn’t contain every job title out there. Obviously individual jobs and circumstances vary a lot. This offers a useful guide but is only a small part of the information you can use to guide your career.
The Careerometer was made by LMI for All, an online data portal, developed by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, which brings together existing national sources of high quality labour market information (LMI) that can inform people’s choices about their careers. Read about the data sources it uses.