Careers at Usworth Colliery
At Usworth Colliery Primary School, raising aspirations is at the heart of what we do. We want our children to understand that their early education is the first step toward an exciting future, full of possibilities. By introducing pupils to a wide range of careers from an early age, we help them explore the world of work, challenge stereotypes, and broaden their horizons.
We offer meaningful, first-hand career experiences through visits from professionals, workplace encounters, and themed events that reflect the needs of our pupils and local labour market information. These opportunities allow children to imagine a future they may not have considered and begin to connect their learning in school with real-world careers.
All staff play a role in highlighting career links across the curriculum, helping pupils to recognise the skills they are developing and how these may be applied in future roles.
Our Careers Programme and the Gatsby Benchmarks
Our approach is guided by the Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance, which ensure a high-quality, structured programme:
- A stable careers programme
- Learning from career and labour market information
- Addressing the needs of each pupil
- Linking curriculum learning to careers
- Encounters with employers and employees
- Experiences of workplaces
- Encounters with further and higher education
- Personal guidance
Through this whole-school approach, we aim to inspire, inform, and prepare every pupil for the opportunities ahead.
We are proud to have participated in The Careers and Enterprise Company’s Start Small: Dream Big Primary Careers Pilot Programme.
Careers Fair in Key Stage 1
Aspiration is one of our core values, and we strive to help children see their early education as a stepping stone to future careers. To broaden their horizons, we’ve integrated first-hand experiences into our curriculum. On Friday 4th April we held our first EYFS and KS1 Careers Fair, themed People Who Help Us. The children had their own careers passport and had the opportunity to talk to the RNLI and the police as well as firefighters, nurses, mechanics, dentists and paramedics. Back in class, they reflected on the experience and discussed if there were any careers they would be interested in doing in the future.
Careers Fair in Year 3 & Year 4
We were pleased to host our second careers fair for Year 3 and Year 4 based on apprenticeships on the 22nd May. We welcomed various construction companies, HMRC, Siemens, New College Durham and Springboard. The children were able to discuss various apprenticeship options and discover how they are a fantastic way to start a career of your choice, learn invaluable, hands-on skills and also get paid while you learn.
Careers Fair in Year 5 & Year 6
On Tuesday 24th June, we held our third careers fair for Year 5 and Year 6. The theme of the careers fair was STEM. We had the NHS Melissa bus at school all day and the children were able to find out about different jobs in the NHS. On the afternoon, we welcomed various companies and Sunderland University who talked to the children about digital careers and jobs in engineering.
HSBC UK Smart Money Award
As part of our Careers Education programme, all pupils took part in engaging financial literacy workshops during the autumn term, supported by HSBC UK.
These sessions helped children build key money management skills and introduced them to important financial concepts in a fun and meaningful way.
We are proud to share that we have received the 2025 HSBC UK Smart Money Award, which we were thrilled to be presented with in a special school assembly.
This award celebrates our commitment to equipping pupils with the knowledge and confidence they need to make informed financial decisions and broaden their awareness of future pathways.
This initiative directly supports the Gatsby Benchmarks for Good Career Guidance, particularly:
- Benchmark 2: Learning from career and labour market information – Children learn about the role money plays in different jobs and how earnings relate to lifestyle.
- Benchmark 4: Linking curriculum learning to careers – Financial education connects subjects like maths and PSHE to real-world applications.
- Benchmark 5: Encounters with employers and employees – Pupils interact with professionals who help them understand how financial skills are used in the workplace.
By embedding these principles into our curriculum, we help raise aspirations and broaden pupils’ understanding of the world of work from an early age.
