Careers Education, Information, Advice & Guidance (CEIAG)

At Keswick School we encourage every student from Year 7 - Year 13 to develop high aspirations, promoting a broad and ambitious range of careers to suit every student’s individual needs. This closely links to the school’s vision of promoting excellence to enable students to be happy and achieve their potential.

CEIAG at Keswick is provided through designated careers lessons within the Personal Development programme; careers days and fairs; Year 7 – 9 Futures Fridays careers sessions during registration, Year 10, 12 and 13 work experience placements; university and college visits; off-site careers events; one-to-one interviews with an external Level 6-trained careers advisor from Inspira; mock interview opportunities, including Oxbridge and apprenticeship; talks from outside speakers, including training and apprenticeship providers, local employers and alumni; to name just a few.

All Year 11 – 13’s have access to Unifrog, the online careers guidance platform, designed to connect students with their future career potential. It combines the most comprehensive source of information with a personalised experience and career planning tools, helping our students to make more informed decisions about their future study and career options, as well as developing their employability.

Keswick School has close links with Inspira, a local careers and personal development company that “empowers young people and adults to reach their potential in work, life and society.”  Valerie Cumberbatch and Andrew Wallam, our Level 6 qualified careers advisors, regularly come in to school to provide 1:1 and small group careers interviews. If you would like an interview, please contact Mel Avery, Careers Leader in school, to arrange.

Keswick School works collaboratively with the Cumbria Careers Hub and is part of the Western Consortium careers group, which regularly brings careers leaders from all secondary schools and colleges in West Cumbria together to share good practice. We also work closely with the Centre for Leadership Performance, a non-profit leadership development company, nurturing aspirations and leadership skills in young people across Cumbria.

Keswick School is part of the Enterprise Advisor Network, working with a local volunteer Enterprise Advisor, a local senior business representative trained to co-ordinate and liaise with school to build employer engagement plans.  Our EA is Bill Harper, from Sellafield/the NDA.

Keswick School is currently working towards the Inspiring IAG award, the nationally recognised careers education, information, advice and guidance quality award, validated by The Quality in Careers Standard (QiCS).  It provides a good practice framework for organisations that work with young people, which includes schools, colleges, and other learning providers.

Students, staff, parents, carers, employers, and training providers all play a role in a young person’s careers journey. Please see the dedicated pages for more specific information, useful information and links.

The Careers Office is situated on the S-floor opposite S10 and all students are encouraged to drop by at any time for a chat. The door is always open.


Mrs Melanie Avery
(Head of CEIAG and Year 10 Work Experience Coordinator)
careers@keswick.cumbria.sch.uk or 017687 72605 extension 233