- Home
- Curriculum
- Careers & Post 16 Education
Careers & Post 16 Education
Careers Statement
At Harwich and Dovercourt High School, we believe that high-quality careers education is vital in raising the aspirations of our students and strengthening our community. Our careers programme is designed to support every student in developing the skills, knowledge and independence they need to thrive in the workplace, further education, or training.
Careers Lead Contact
For any queries relating to our careers provision, please contact:
Mr Chris Herron, Assistant Headteacher, Infrastructures and Futures
E-mail: chris.herron@hdhs.school
Our Careers Programme
Our comprehensive Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) programme begins in Key Stage 3 and continues through to the Sixth Form. The aim is to help students understand their strengths, explore opportunities, and make informed decisions about their future.
Highlights of our programme include:
- Dedicated careers lessons as part of PSHE.
- Year group-specific activities, including:
- Year 7 – Careers Day during "Develop Week" focused on learning and skills development.
- Years 8 & 9 – Enterprise activities like ‘What’s My Line?’, employer-led workshops, and preparation for GCSE option choices.
- Year 10 – Use of Morrisby for career exploration, CV writing, and interview skills.
- Year 11 – Careers Convention, application support, workshops from Post-16 providers, and 1:1 guidance interviews.
- Sixth Form (Year 13) – University visits, apprenticeship roadshows, finance guidance, UCAS support, and employer guest speakers.
- Morrisby Careers Platform – Online tool for self-assessment, career matching, application guidance, and personalised action planning.
- Additional targeted interviews for students with SEND and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
- Faculty collaboration – Careers content embedded in subject schemes of work.
- External partnerships – Including visits to colleges/universities, careers fairs, and involvement with STEM Ambassadors and local employers.
- Careers Library and access to independent research tools for students, mentors, and parents/carers.
This provision is open and accessible to all students, staff, parents, and local employers. For more information or to access our policies, please visit our
Morrisby – Raising Aspirations
Morrisby Careers provides all the research tools needed to help students discover the world of work and plan their future pathways.
How it works:
- Self-discovery – Understand your strengths and the types of careers that suit you.
- Recommended study paths – Subject suggestions based on your personality and interests.
- Career suggestions – Personalised options matched to your profile, with over 900 careers to explore.
- Applications guidance – Help with college, sixth form, apprenticeship, university and job applications, including UCAS.
- Action planning – Tools for setting goals and tracking progress.
- Careers advice and support – Support at every stage of your career journey.
Students can log into Morrisby via the link below:
We continuously evaluate and review our careers provision to ensure its relevance and effectiveness. This includes:
- Lesson observations and work scrutiny by the PSHEE team and senior leaders.
- Student and staff feedback following activities and events.
- Regular review and monitoring through faculty and whole-school improvement meetings.
- Annual use of the Careers and Enterprise Company’s Compass Tool, tracking our progress against the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks.
- Monitoring of student destinations post-16 and post-18 to assess the quality of guidance and impact on decision making.
In 2025, we are working towards the Careers Impact Maturity Award (CIMA), the national quality standard for CEIAG. This reflects our commitment to ensuring all students are equipped to make confident, informed decisions about their future.
In accordance with Section 42B of the Education Act 1997 (the ‘Provider Access Legislation’), we welcome visits from education and training providers to speak with our students about approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships.
Providers wishing to request access should contact:
Mr Chris Herron
Our Safeguarding Policy outlines the procedures for managing external visits to ensure the safery and welfare of all students.
Post 16 Education
Choosing where and what to study post 16 is both important and exciting. It is a choice that will not only shape the next two years or more but can also influence the decisions you make later in life. At Harwich and Dovercourt High School, we always encourage our students to push themselves beyond the limits of their qualifications and to develop their skill set in a wide variety of ways and provide advice and guidance about their next steps Post 16.
Please be advised the below Bursary Fund Policy is relevant to current Year 13 students only (24/25)
Next Review
Our careers provision and policy will be next be reviewed in January 2026.