Write to School to Ask About its Careers Service

If a school has a good careers service this provision can offer a wide variety of benefits to pupils. Careers services in schools today usually provide not only advice about future careers, but also help with getting into that career, including information on university courses and applications.

A good careers advisor can have a significant impact on students' lives, so it is a good idea if you can to contact your child's school to enquire about their careers service provisions. The quality of schools' career service provisions varies greatly. Be aware that as well as the provision of a careers education within school, most young people will also be able to access a local Connexions centre, which is the government's career support service for those aged between 13 and 19.

What Do Schools Have To Provide?

All state schools are required to build a careers education package into their education plans. Schools are obliged to provide career information and programmes to students in school years 7 to 11 (aged 11-16/7). Most will work alongside the local Connexions Service to try to provide seamless information, help and advice.

You may also want to enquire about the role of the teacher in helping students to make decisions about future careers. Teachers, who will usually have established a strong and personal relationship with their pupils while careers advisors might not have met them on very many occasions, might also offer the results of their experience as advice to students.

This letter format laid out below shows how parents can write to a school to ask for information about the school's career service and how advice will be made available to your child.

The School House
School Lane
Schoolville
England

Parental Address
Family Home
Anytown
England

5 February 2008

Dear Headteacher

My daughter, Mary Ledlow, who is in year 11 at The School House, is currently starting to think about her options for the future. While she is keen to stay on at school to study A Levels, she is aware that increasingly certain careers require certain A Level studies and is very keen to discuss her options with a careers advisor in order to help her to make her study choices over the next few years. I am not sure what kinds of careers advice is offered at The School House and wondered if you could fill me in. Are all students provided with time with a careers advisor to discuss the important decisions that they will be making in the coming months, or does this have to be requested?

I look forward to hearing from you. I wonder whether you have a specific sixth form careers advisor centre that I could get in touch with, in advance of Mary's starting in year 12 at the school? Or whether there is a less formal route to careers advice that you can let me know about. You can contact me, Father, on 0131 2343 9049 or 0723422342, or email me at father@parents.com, and hopefully you can send through information to help Mary feel happier about her future plans.

With thanks for your time and best wishes

[signature]

Mr Ledlow, father of Danny Ledlow

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