At Sydenham School, we are dedicated to helping students make informed choices about their futures. We offer personalised meetings with our independent career’s adviser, host Careers Carousels, and organise Employability Day events. Our goal is to develop ambitious students with the skills and confidence needed for success in further education and the modern workplace.

Please contact the following members of our team for any careers enquiries.

Melissa Mangal – Careers and Enterprise Coordinator

m.mangal@sydenham.lewisham.sch.uk

Sian Morrison – Assistant Headteacher and head of personal development

s.morrison@sydenham.lewisham.sch.uk

We encourage students to start thinking about their future careers and the world of work from year 7 through to Year 13. 

Our Careers Programme is packed with activities designed to inspire, boost confidence, and enable students to explore the exciting opportunities from all employment sectors.   

As part of Sydenham Careers Entitlement, all students will participate in: 

• Yearly Careers Fair (All Year Groups) 

• Yearly Careers Week (All Year Groups) 

• A university visit (Year 8) 

• Employability Day (Year 10) 

• Work Experience (Year 10 and 12) 

• Futures Week (Year 12) 

As well as this, we have guest speakers, careers interviews, workplace visits, university fairs and a programme of careers classroom-based learning.  Key topics for each year group are: 

• Year 7: Personal motivation strengths and weaknesses  

• Year 8: Introduction to Unifrog: requirements of different industries 

• Year 9: Identifying different career paths  

• Year 10: The World of Work & WEX – personal presentation   

• Year 11: Exploring Further Education 

• Year 12 & 13: Futures and Higher Education 

At Sydenham School, we are committed to helping students explore their future pathways and gain real-world experience.
Every year, we host a Careers Fair in school, giving students the chance to meet employers and professionals from a wide range of industries and training providers. It’s a fantastic opportunity to learn about apprenticeships, further and higher education, and discover different career options.
In Year 10, students complete a week of work experience with an employer. To prepare, they take part in mock interviews and cv writing workshops on our Employability Day. Over the years, students have worked in a wide variety of exciting settings, from schools and hospitals to film sets and music studios.

In Year 12, students are supported to arrange another work experience placement during the summer between Year 12 and Year 13, giving them further opportunities to explore their career interests and gain practical experience.

We work closely with the local authority and local businesses and organisations to provide work experience opportunities for students in Year 10 and Year 12.

At Sydenham School, we measure destinations by tracking where our students progress after Year 11 and beyond. For post-16 destinations, this process is supported through a combination of 1-to-1 careers meetings, application support, and strong parental involvement to ensure every student has clear guidance and opportunities. Collecting destination data is vital because it helps us identify trends and ensure that all students transition successfully into further education, training, or employment.

For year 13 destinations, this is achieved through UCAS application support. Our latest data shows that 87% of our students progressed to university, with nearly half securing places at prestigious Russell Group institutions.

We are always looking to enrich our students’ understanding of the world of work and future opportunities. If you are a parent, local business, or external partner and would like to support our careers programme, we would love to hear from you!

There are many ways you can get involved, including:

• Delivering a careers talk or workshop
• Participating in mock interviews
• Offering work experience placements
• Attending our careers fairs or themed events

Your involvement can make a real difference in helping our students make informed decisions about their future.

If you are interested, please complete the form linked below, and a member of our Careers Team will be in touch.

 Click here to fill out the Careers Involvement Form

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