>> Year 11

Year 11 can be a pressured year for students. Coursework has to be completed, exams loom and there are some fairly major decisions to be made. Your son or daughter will need to start thinking about their options after Year 11.

Do they want to:

• stay in full-time learning either in a school 6th form, 6th form college or FE college?
• combine work and learning through an Apprenticeship or training programme?
• find a job with no training?
• something else?

There is a lot to consider so encourage your son or daughter to start early and to take up the help on offer from Connexions Personal Advisers in school.

Help on offer:

• individual and group interviews with a Personal Adviser in school
• help with applications to further education, employment and training opportunities
• help with job hunting
• we deliver Get Organised, Post 16 options in Calderdale or the Get Ahead (foundation level) booklet to schools for every Year 11 student - all are available in Publications. They explains post-16 options locally
  
  

• we produce the Life after Year 11: a guide for parents and carers booklet, published in two versions, one for Calderdale and one for Kirklees and available in Publications. It outlines local options at 16+ to parents and carers of Year 11 students
• you and your son or daughter can access careers information – and more – in school and at our Centres
• our Personal Advisers and careers staff follow-up students until they are settled
• you can call into our local Centres in Dewsbury, Halifax or Huddersfield for help and advice too

How can you help your child?

You might not believe it but parents and carers are the most important influence on young people’s career decisions!

You can help by:

• listening to their ideas – even if they don’t seem very practical at first, be interested and willing to listen. People develop at different rates and some young people are less sorted than others!
• talking little and often rather than in long sessions. You can always ask for more help from your son or daughter’s PA but be encouraging from the start
• discussing how studies are going in school; keep in touch with school staff to stay up to date with their progress
• encouraging them to study hard and attend school regularly; with better exam results it is easier to get into jobs. Employers look for reliable workers who can be trusted to turn up for work – attending school regularly shows they will attend work regularly too
• considering the pros and cons of each option at 16+ as this will help you and your son or daughter identify which route seems best for them

You can help your child to think about their options, which are outlined in:

• Fast guide to options at 16+ (112kb Adobe Acrobat PDF)

If your son or daughter is job seeking, encouraging them to send off their CV to employers from January onwards.

Check what they are doing about further education, jobs or Apprenticeships; if they are not sure, refer them to their Personal Adviser!

PAs follow up Year 11 students till the end of September, to try to ensure they are settled. Help is available after this from PAs in college/6th form and at our Centres.

To get help from a Personal Adviser email us or ring the learningline