Future Ready: Equipping Girls to Thrive Beyond School
Miss Callaghan, Director of Futures, explains how St Mary’s is equipping every girl with the skills, confidence and experiences needed to thrive in an ever-changing world of work.
Careers Education is at the forefront of the school strategic plan at St Mary’s and with the UK unemployment rate at 4.9% (for the February–April 2026 period), and youth unemployment for those aged 16 to 24 jumping to 16.2% this year, you can understand why we are doing everything we can to ensure your daughter is prepared to face the many challenges in the increasingly competitive and rapidly changing world of work.
The Bucks Data Exchange Report highlighted ‘The Challenges Young People face to be Work Ready, highlighting the fact that ‘Many young people feel unprepared for the workplace, whilst they may have literacy and numeracy, essential workplace skills such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving are lacking and young employees talk about entering the workplace as a ‘culture shock’ compared to education It is widely accepted across education, business and government that young people’s employability skills are as important as academic attainment for work readiness, entrepreneurship and career progression. Research by the Sutton Trust found that 94% of employers, 97% of teachers and 88% of young people regarded ‘life skills’ as being at least as important as academic grades to future success. At St Mary’s we put a number of schemes and initiative in place to ensure the girls have the skills needed to succeed. Our extra-curricular programme is vast and offers many opportunities for teamwork and leadership skills to be developed. Girls are also encouraged to work collaboratively in class on problem solving tasks, as well as enrichment opportunities such as industry visits to places like Pinewood Studios, Bletchley Park and Cadbury’s world as well as the chance to take part in MUN and Young Enterprise.
As Director of Futures, I am part of the Bucks Grammar and Independent Schools group of career leaders. This not only allows me to keep abreast of the latest initiatives within the careers education sector but also allows for collaboration with these schools. We share career related events and skills training, and many pupils from these schools attended our successful careers fair in November 2025.
Work experience is also key to getting ahead and ensuring girls make the right choices for a successful future. All girls in Y10 and 12 are encouraged to seek out opportunities for work experience during the school holidays. As part of the Y10 Futures programme, pupils take part in a session on future career planning and work experience. They discuss the importance of gaining workplace experience to help them understand different career pathways and develop valuable skills. I also encourage them to think about the value of exploring a broader career sector; for example, considering a range of healthcare settings if they are interested in medicine, or customer‑facing roles if they wish to develop strong communication skills. From September 2026 Y11-13 pupils will have weekly ‘work ready’ sessions during tutor time, where they are given problem solving, teambuilding and communication tasks to work on, to ensure they have the skills employers are demanding as well as their strong academic qualifications. Girls needing an extra boost can also access our SMILE programme which prepares young people for adulthood through practicing decision making, communication and self advocacy.
Right from Year 7, pupils are encouraged to start thinking about their future careers. For instance, staff will make links with job paths while teaching a subject and explain its real-life relevance. As the pupils progress through the school, we add progressively more layers of career information and guidance, all of which is coordinated by me as Director of Futures. By Year 9, pupils get access to career path information regularly. This could look like going to one of our biennial careers fairs (attended by more than 45 employers), listening to an alumni or parent speak about their career path in assembly or attending a careers lunch each term to hear from panels of speakers about their career paths. We also work with the Bucks Skills Hub to provide work opportunities for our pupils. Years 7,8 and 9 pupils all have a tailored roadmap developed in their PSHCEE lessons and their access to Unifrog. Professional careers advisors are invited into school to hold one-on-ones with all Year 11s and 13s. Our career offering is sustained throughout the years and is built on individual progression planning with deep employer partnerships and long term destination tracking. The door is always open for pupils after they have left too – many in Year 14 return for more support and UCAS help.
Our 2025-26 programme has been shaped directly around the evolving needs and aspirations of our students. The year’s work has centred on targeted support, employer‑embedded learning, and skills initiatives that make progression feel achievable for everyone. Pupils gave fantastic feedback to our most recent career fair in November which offered talks from everyone from the former editor of the News of the World to designer Nicky Haslam’s personal assistant! To quote a sixth former who attended: “I found it so insightful job wise. It gave me a better understanding of different fields and it was so great to step out of my comfort zone to chat to all these people with their different skills. And I know a lot of the other girls felt the same.”
Evidence from student voice activities indicates that careers and UCAS support is a significant strength of St Mary’s Sixth Form. When asked why they chose to join the sixth form, 9 out of 25 students (36%) identified careers and UCAS support as a motivating factor. However, once enrolled, 22 out of 25 students (88%) reported that careers and UCAS support is one of the aspects the sixth form delivers particularly well.
This substantial increase demonstrates that the quality of careers provision exceeds students’ initial expectations. Students value the personalised guidance, structured UCAS preparation, and the support they receive in planning their next steps. As a result, the sixth form makes a strong contribution to students’ readiness for higher education, apprenticeships, and employment.
Careers education sits at the heart of St Mary’s vision for every pupil, shaping not only how we prepare them for the future but how we empower them in the present. In a labour market that is increasingly competitive and rapidly evolving, our comprehensive Futures programme ensures that each girl develops the confidence, skills and insight needed to thrive. From early exposure to career pathways in Year 7 to personalised guidance in the sixth form, employer‑embedded learning, work‑ready training, and sustained one‑to‑one support, our provision consistently exceeds expectations. The evidence is clear: careers education is not an add‑on at St Mary’s it is a defining strength of our school, equipping every student with the resilience, ambition and real‑world readiness to take their next steps with purpose.