Hi. Our names are Kathy Barnes and Joylindsey Vaughan. We are both Connexions Personal Advisers working in Harrow Way School and the purpose of this bulletin is to let you know the sort of help we can offer you as you go through your last year at school. Although we are both Personal Advisers we tend to specialise in different areas:

Kathy: My main role is to give advice and guidance about careers. This may involve talking about college courses, Apprenticeships, jobs and anything related to your plans for when you leave Harrow Way. If you don’t know what to do when you leave school or you know what you want to do but don’t know how to get started please contact me. I won’t tell you what to do but I will help you to decide for yourself what the best options are for you.

Joylindsey: Unlike Kathy I can’t offer you careers guidance, but I can offer you information, advice and guidance on more personal issues that may be affecting you. If you want to talk to someone in confidence about drugs, alcohol, smoking, relationships, sexual health, bullying, self harm, self esteem, anger management or anything else, please contact me. Together we can discuss the problems and find a way to respond to these and make your situation better. By dealing with these problems now you will find it a lot easier to get through year 11 and achieve success.

How to contact us: We are both in school at least one day a week for individual discussions. Kathy is usually in school Mondays and Tuesdays. Joylindsey is usually in school Wednesdays and Thursdays. We also offer regular lunch time drop-in sessions in the Connexions room when you can meet us informally for a chat and to get information about a range of topics.

If you would like to arrange a careers interview you can ask your tutor or Mr Parsons. Kathy is also happy to answer careers questions by e-mail. Her e-mail address is:
kathy.barnes@hants.gov.uk

If you would like to speak to Joylindsey you can arrange an appointment by asking Mr Parsons or, if you would prefer, by texting her on 07545415222 or by e-mail at:
joylindsey.vaughan@hants.gov.uk

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IN YEAR 11

Autumn Term:

  • If you don’t know what you want to do when you leave Harrow Way, book a careers interview as early as possible.
  • October 6th– School Careers Fair. Use this as an opportunity to find out more about your career ideas and to talk to local colleges, training companies and employers
  • From October onwards – Visit college open evenings/days. Click here for a list of dates. Even if you think you don’t want to go to college it’s worth visiting to find out what’s on offer so that you have a back-up plan in case your other ideas don’t work out.
  • If you plan to apply to Peter Symonds the deadline for applications is 10th December. Applications received after this date will not be considered.

Spring Term:

  • If you want to find an Apprenticeship register on www.apprenticeships.org.uk This will allow you to search for and apply for apprenticeships on-line.
  • If you want a job or an Apprenticeship write to companies you would like to work for about possible vacancies. It is useful to send a CV. If you haven’t got one yet you can use CV Creator on the Hampshire County Council website: www.youthtube.hants.gov.uk. You will be able to get help with all aspects of looking for work from a Connexions Employment & Training Adviser who will be in school in February. You will be told by your tutor when this is happening.
  • By February half-term – Apply to college. If you haven’t decided where you want to go yet it is fine to apply for more than one. Apart from Peter Symonds (see above),QMC has a deadline of 11th March. Other colleges don’t have strict deadlines but the earlier you apply the better your chances of getting the course you want.
  • If you need help with your college application form see Kathy. Either book an appointment or just pop in at break or lunchtime when she’s in school.
  • If you suffer from exam nerves or get stressed by coursework deadlines, attend the workshop Kathy and Joylindsey will be running to help you with these issues. Details will be notified through tutors.

Summer Term:

  • Attend college interviews. Talk to either Kathy or Joylindsey if you’re worried about these.
  • Apply for Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). Mr Parsons will be telling everyone about this in careers lessons.

And finally…..

Year 11 will be a very busy time for you and we hope to be able to support you in any way we can. If you’re worried about anything at all feel free to contact us. For most people contacting us in school is most convenient but during school holidays we can be contacted by phone or e-mail.

If you are unable to contact us but would like to talk to a Personal Adviser you can talk to someone at Connexions Direct by phone, text or e-mail. Connexions Direct advisers are available from 8am to 2am seven days a week.

Phone: 080 800 13 2 19
Text: 07766 4 13 2 19
Website and e-mail: www.connexions-direct.com