Useful Links

GOVERNMENT APPRENTICESHIPS - Information on apprenticeships at different levels with a search and application portal for apprenticeships.

AMAZING APPRENTICESHIPS - The official site to discover exciting apprenticeships, meet real apprentices, explore classroom resources, sessions for students, parents, carers, webinars for teachers and careers advisers. Don't worry if you have missed any as you can watch them on catch-up at any time.

GET MY FIRST JOB - Students can find their first Apprenticeships & Traineeships job, with information on a range of post-16 options including careers and Higher Education.

GETTING IN - Offers school leavers everything to make the right choice when leaving school. From applying for an apprenticeship or finding university courses.

VIRTUAL SESSIONS FOR YOUR STUDENTS - The programme has been adapted to provide high-quality apprenticeship information in a safe, engaging way that's appropriate to the times we're all living through. Watch the short 2 minute explainer film by clicking here.

AMAZING APPRENTICESHIPS VIRTUAL SUPPORT - The ASK programme has been re-modelled so apprenticeship support can be accessed digitally by students, teachers, parents and carers - providing a safe alternative to our face-to-face support.  Follow this link to request support online.

INTERACTIVE STUDENT APPRENTICESHIP GUIDE - The Interactive Student Apprenticeship Guide includes 10 hours of self-directed learning activities, perfect for distance learning or classroom-based development.

THE COMPLETE UNIVERSITY GUIDE - Research degree courses and universities, including independent UK university league tables and rankings, overall and by subject.

THE UNI GUIDE - Independent university and course search, with advice on personal statements, finance and applications. It includes information about how BTECs and other qualifications can provide progression to university

UNI TASTER DAYS - Search for university events including outreach and taster days, includes a FREE downloadable UniTasterDays Teachers' Guide to University brochure.

DISCOVER UNI - The official, authoritative source of information and guidance on higher education in the UK. Including up to date information on developments due to Covid-19.

HOTCOURSES ABROAD - Study abroad opportunities including university reviews by International students, scholarships, university rankings and student blogs.

THE BRILLIANT CLUB -  A charity which aims to increase the number of pupils from underrepresented backgrounds progressing to highly-selective universities. We do this by mobilising the PhD community to share its academic expertise with state schools

THE STUDENT ROOM - The UK's biggest student community. Including free study tools, study tips, information on university and careers and a chance for students to get their questions answered on the forums.

RUSSELL GROUP INFORMED CHOICES  - Choose at least three subjects to study at sixth form/college, to find out which university courses could be open to you. Informed Choices is a general guide; you should check individual universities’ websites or prospectuses for specific requirements.

SACU - Match your A-levels to degree subjects. There are lots of additional links to university-related queries.

THE UNIVERSITY OF LAW  - Private university providing law degrees and specialist legal training. Find information on scholarships,  disabled students and inclusion service, free virtual events for students including live chats and a special section for teachers and careers advisers to book events.

TRANSITION TO HIGHER EDUCATION STAFF CPD - This is a copy of a staff face to face CPD training session we offer, however due to the situation with Covid-19 we cannot deliver this currently. It can however be used to develop staff confidence and awareness of the higher education landscape, to enable class teachers and form tutors to have more in-depth conversations with KS2, 3 and 4 children. We are currently developing student workshops which will support the presentation, they will be available from September 2020. Explanatory notes to support the presentation are available on request from samantha.mckay@northampton.ac.uk.

MOULTON COLLEGE - Moulton is one of the UK's leading specialist Colleges providing education and training in land based, construction and sports studies, from pre-entry to Postgraduate degree level. Click here to find out more.

INTRODUCTION OF T-LEVELS - T-Levels are due to be introduced from the academic year 2020 to 2021. Find out what they are and what they mean for you.

UCAS CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE PAGES - UCAS are closely monitoring the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) situation to ensure that they do all that they can to help. These updates will continue to provide customers with the latest information and advice related to the 2020 and 2021 application cycles.

UCAS  - The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service operates the application process for UK universities. Information on Clearing, student hub, teacher and adviser toolkits, and all aspects of applying. It has everything you need to know.

THE SCHOLARSHIP HUB - Search and apply for UK scholarships, grants or bursaries for university on our comprehensive database of funding for UK/EU undergraduates and postgraduates and reduce your student debts.

LENDING EXPERT - Online signposting tool to help with student loans, grants and funding opportunities in the UK. Includes an advanced search facility to open up even more FREE student funding opportunities throughout the UK.

STUDENT LOANS COMPANY -  Official website for the Student Loans Company with comprehensive information on funding for study at Higher Education level. Includes guidance for perspective students and updates relating to Covid-19.

GOV.UK - Student finance guide on support available, including online student finance calculator tool.

UCAS - Undergraduate tuition fees and student loans information.

MARTIN LEWIS - Student Loans Decoded - Free video and lesson plan demystifying the cost of university for young people, parents and teachers.

STUDENT FINANCE CAMPAIGN GOV - Whether you go through Clearing after getting your exam results or you’ve not yet applied for uni or college, it’s important to make sure your student finance is sorted.

THE UNIVERSITY OF LAW - SCHOLARSHIPS - To ensure that financial difficulties do not deter students from disadvantaged backgrounds from studying, they have a vast array of scholarships and bursaries, which they have increased to a record amount of £2 million.

HOP INTO -  Gateway for Hertfordshire residents to get help with career path options, local job opportunities, apprenticeships and much more.

PROSPECTS -  Take a career quiz, get careers advice on jobs and work experience. This site includes information on careers and applying to university.

WORLD SKILLS UK - WorldSkills UK is a partnership between businesses, education and Governments that accelerates young people’s careers giving them the best start in work and life.

CAREERMAP - Have a look at Careermap for inspiration and explore the site to find out more about all sorts of jobs and careers of the future

THE WAY UP - Funded by The Department for Education, TheWayUp! is a fun and engaging app that provides up-to-date information on the long-term consequences of education and career choices.

SUCCESS AT SCHOOL - Success at School is a national careers website for students aged 13-19. Success at School is the place for young people to explore careers, get the lowdown on top employers, and search for the latest jobs, courses and advice

SPARK CAREERS - 30 minute live streamed career information from industry workers.

CAREERS CALENDAR - Helps schools plan careers events at the right time. For Careers Leaders and school staff

CAREER PILOT - Careers information and tools for 11-19 year olds, including activities to do at home and free online courses.

PUSH - Social enterprise helps young people make informed decisions.

STUDENTIAL - Information for students studying GCSEs, A-levels, and other FE courses with information about university and applications.

CAREERS HUB LUTON - The Careers Hub Luton helps schools and colleges to meet the Gatsby Benchmarks and improve career aspiration outcomes for young people. They work with twenty five school and colleges across Luton, Dunstable and Houghton Regis.

FIND YOUR FUTURE - Central Bedfordshire’s careers guide and portal, where you can find out about the great career opportunities in the local area.

NATIONAL CAREERS SERVICE - The National Careers Service is an advice service providing information, advice and guidance to help with decisions on careers, learning, training and work. Advisers can be contacted over the phone, webchat and email and are available 7 days a week 8am-10pm. The site has a range of useful resources including a skills assessment tool to help you discover jobs that may suit you best, hundreds of job profiles, a course search link and a specific section on help getting a job. The service also produces a range of useful careers related resources for use in schools that can provide supporting evidence for the Gatsby benchmarks.

NCS - Here’s the NCS website link, where all young people between the ages of 13-18 years old can access the ‘staying connected’ hub. It includes things such as; blogs, podcasts, quizzes etc. They will contact all young people who signed up for summer to explain the virtual experience, as well as the ‘doing good’ (volunteering) that they can get involved with over the summer, over the next few weeks.

CAREERS LAB - Careers Lab seeks to provide 'Business Ambassadors', volunteers from business or in employment, who bring their knowledge and experience of work to the classroom to help inspire and motivate students to start thinking about their careers.

FOUNDERS4SCHOOLS - Founders4Schools is an award-winning charity that connects educators with a network of inspirational business leaders, to improve the employment chances of young people.

HOW2BECOME - From this website, you can learn how to write a CV, how to complete an application form, how to pass psychometric tests and also how to pass any job interview.

FUTURELEARN SCHOOLS - As lock down continues and schools are still closed, it’s never been more important to support educators, students and their families throughout this current period of uncertainty. To help, FutureLearn Schools was launched, a new initiative in partnership with the Tes Institute and Pearson UK. Students aged 13-18 will be given access to over one hundred short online courses from world-renowned universities including The Open University, Coventry University, King’s College London and the University of Sheffield. To get involved, click on the link provided.

THE GOVERNMENT’S NEW ONLINE LEARNING PLATFORM - THE SKILLS TOOLKIT - If you want to up-skill yourself then do it for free, with the Government’s new online learning platform 'The Skills Toolkit'. The digital skills provided are highly valued by employers and sought after in a wide range of jobs, and with many of us working and studying remotely, or placed on furlough, the platform offers an opportunity to keep up with essential skill development whilst at home.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYERS PROGRAMMES – Education and Employers have been busy working closely with teachers to design a virtual offer that has interactivity at the heart of it. It allows young people to interact live with volunteers, asking them questions about their job and career. They’re excited to share that the virtual sessions will now become part of their standard offer meaning volunteers can connect to schools anywhere in the country. All the activities are run via cloud-based software you can utilise on your browser such as GoToWebinar or Zoom, and they’ll work with you to ensure its all set up and running smoothly before the session starting. Click on this link to access their website.

THE CAREERS AND ENTERPRISE COMPANY - They link schools to employers and help deliver world-class careers support for all young people. This website includes a collection of off-the shelf resources to help deliver employer encounters in the classroom and Covid-19 resources.

SEMLEP - The information contained within this page is provided to help senior leadership teams, careers leaders and advisers to provide quality, aspirational and inspirational careers provision in schools and colleges. The guidance and information can help users to achieve the Gatsby Benchmarks, a framework of 8 guidelines that define the best careers provision in secondary schools and colleges.

12 JOBS YOU CAN DO WITH ANY DEGREE - Did you know that some jobs don't need a subject specific degree?

I COULD - Real stories to inspire your career from accountants to zookeepers, get a first-hand view of jobs and ideas for your future. Over 1000 videos of real people talking about their careers.

YOUTH EMPLOYMENT UK  - The Skills and Careers Hub provides 14-24 year olds with free resources, advice and guidance. Practical tools to support young people through education, transition into employment and beyond.

CAREERS POSTERS - Subject career posters - Amazing FREE downloads.

MY WAY IN - Get inspiration, tips and advice for landing the right job. Includes stories and advice from people in work and employers all across the UK and information about the industries which are likely to have vacancies in the future.

BBC BITESIZE - Whether you’re deciding what to study, taking your exams, planning a career, or just curious, BBC Bitesize is here to explain the world of work, with advice from people who've found the right path for them.

STEM CAREERS - The largest provider of education and careers support in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

FUTURE MORPH -  Information for students, parents and school staff on career opportunities relating to Science and Maths.

INVESTMENT 2020 - Is the careers site where you can learn about the investment management industry and all its opportunities. We provide access to school leaver and graduate trainee programmes across our 42 partner companies.

RS COMPONENTS - RS STEM Hub - Provides a selection of resources, products and initiatives that help to bring STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) to life in the classroom or at home and ultimately, inspire the next generation of engineer or scientist.

ENGINEERING - TOMORROW'S ENGINEERS - What is engineering? Find out with Tomorrow's Engineers. We're all about engineering careers, with advice on study, apprenticeships and careers resources.

DISCOVER CREATIVE CAREERS -Website for Students, Parents, Teachers and Employers. Useful job profiles and posters in the creative arts.

CREATIVE CAREERS - CREATIVE & CULTURAL SKILLS - As an independent charity, Creative & Cultural Skills helps young people make the leap from aspiration to employment, supporting them with information, advice and guidance.

DANCE AND DRAMA - CONSERVATOIRE FOR DANCE & DRAMA - A conservatoire of eight schools delivering world-leading education and vocational training in dance, drama, circus arts and technical theatre.

DANCE AND DRAMA - COUNCIL FOR DANCE DRAMA AND MUSICAL THEATRE - The Council for Dance, Drama and Musical Theatre is the first point of contact for those seeking information on education, training and assessment in the UK.

PERFORMING ARTS - THE STAGE - The Stage outlines careers, training institutions and contains arts news.

NHS - Step Into the NHS offers careers information and advice on a range of career opportunities, including finding work experience and jobs.

OBSERVE GP -  An alternative to work experience for aspiring medics aged 16+. It is a free interactive video platform providing insights into the role of a GP and the wider primary care team.

POLITICS - Award-winning free education services for schools, colleges, communities and home educators with Government and Politics tasks based on historical and present events.

CHILLED EDUCATION -  Imaginative teaching resources and inspirational career ideas from the chilled food industry. Including lesson plans, resources, career paths, case studies, job descriptions and entry schemes.

LUTON CULTURAL EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP - The University of Bedfordshire Arts and Culture Projects team work with colleagues across the University, with LCEP partners, and in dialogue with other LCEPs across the county/region to develop and consolidate a range of LCEP resources to help Luton-based teachers, creative practitioners and children and young people.

BEDFORD ARTS AND CULTURAL EDUCATION (BACE) -  Is a Local Cultural Education Partnership that includes the University of Bedfordshire, Bedford Borough Council, local schools and colleges, and local creative cultural providers to provide resources and support progression in education and strengthening of pathways to employment within the creative industries.

INSTITUTE OF MATHEMATICS - Information about careers in mathematics.

INSTITUTE OF CIVIL ENGINEERS - What is a Civil Engineer? What do Civil Engineers do? Who are Civil engineers? & How can I become an Civil engineer??

INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS, ENGINEERING AND MEDICINE - Physics and Engineering Careers in Medicine and Biology.

OPEN LEARN - Free online learning from The Open University. Open Learn gives you free access to course materials and expert opinions on topical issues.

SKILLS YOU NEED - Study Skills enable you to study and learn efficiently. They provide generic study skills advice - appropriate to learners - across all disciplines and in different life circumstances.

BBC BITESIZE - Bitesize is the BBC's free online study support resource for school-age pupils in the United Kingdom.

TWINKL - Twinkl contains lesson plans, schemes of work, assessments, interactive activities, resource packs, PowerPoints, and teaching ideas. Twinkl is suitable for Primary and Secondary students.

SENECA - Suitable for KS2 children right up to A-Level. Once students have selected their age, level and exam board, they can independently work through the content.

MATHS AND ENGLISH KS1 THROUGH TO KS5 - IXL - Each year group have topics and sub-topics displayed. You can focus on one skill at a time and click for an explanation to help.

WHITE ROSE MATHS - Excellent Maths resources aimed at Primary & Secondary students.

TOP MARKS - Interactive Maths games for Key Stage 1 and 2.

TIMES TABLES - Quick, fun interactive times table games for Key Stage 1 and 2.

MATHS PLAYGROUND - Interactive maths games for Key Stage 1 and 2. Great for a lesson starter or plenary.

EDUCATION UNBOXED - Short videos clips for teachers, demonstrating the use of Cuisenaire Rods when teaching a variety of mathematical concepts from Key Stage 1 and 2.

THE SCHOOL RUN - Some excellent guidance and tips for parents supporting primary aged children.

SPELLING FRAME - Interactive spelling games for Years 1-6.

MATHS FREE RESOURCE LIBRARY - A bank of excellent maths lessons plans, coupled with lesson resources. Suitable for Key Stage 3, 4 and 5.

OPTIMUS EDUCATION - The free resources 'Optimus Education' are currently offering will cover primary curriculum homework projects, in-house CPD training courses, career workbooks and parental engagement frameworks.

MATHS RESOURCE KS2 AND GCSE - CORBETT MATHS - Math videos with tasks attached and a '5 a day' task for KS2 and GCSE students.

MATHS RESOURCES FOR KS2 - MATHS PAD - Maths Pad contains several free interactive maths tasks for upper KS2.

MATHS RESOURCES FOR KS2 - MATHEMATICS SHED - Vibrant themed maths worksheets for KS2.

MATHS RESOURCES FOR KS3 AND KS4 - MATHS BOT - Interactive tools and activities to aid the teaching of mathematics. There are hundreds of randomly generated questions and answers.

MATHS PRIMARY RESOURCES - NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC - These maths resources are designed in line with the numeracy objectives from the National Curriculum, including geometry, measuring and counting.

MATHS RESOURCES UPPER KS2, KS3 AND KS4 - KHAN ACADEMY - Videos demonstrating a variety of different mathematical methods.

GEOGRAPHY PRIMARY RESOURCES - NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC - Explore the globe with these geography resources which include stories, features and interviews from around the world, which are ideal for Key Stage 1 and 2.

ENGLISH PRIMARY RESOURCES - NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC - Develop children's spoken language, reading, writing and vocabulary with the English primary resources. Suitable for the National Curriculum and Scottish Curriculum for Excellence.

HISTORY OF PRIMARY RESOURCES - NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC - These curriculum-aligned resources help pupils take a trip through time. Discover dinosaur fossils, analyse ancient civilisations or explore Ancient Egyptian artefacts.

SCIENCE PRIMARY RESOURCES - NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC - The resources cover fun facts and in-depth features on animals, the solar system, and being an astronaut. They bring science to life at home.

EASY SCIENCE FOR KIDS - Several exciting experiment ideas and video clips for Key Stage 1 and 2.

ART PRIMARY RESOURCES - NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC - These resources will encourage children to make and design a range of patterns and crafts.

PSHE PRIMARY RESOURCES - NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC - The PSHE section encompasses RE and Citizenship. The resources cover topics such as health, economics, careers, food and sport.

HISTORY FOR KIDS - A wonderful collection of short, funny rhyming poems based on our history for Key Stage 1 and 2.

SUCCESS AT SCHOOL GATSBY SUBJECT GUIDES - To help parents and students studying from home, Success At School have made electronic versions of all of their Gatsby Subject Guides available free of charge.

THE LITERACY SHED - This website provides teachers with high-quality pictures, films and animations that can be used in primary and secondary classrooms to enhance the teaching of writing.

POBBLE - This website provides teachers with high-quality pictures, films and animations that can be used in primary and secondary classrooms to enhance the teaching of writing.

The UK STEM Careers Podcasts - Each episode of STEM Sessions puts a spotlight on STEM careers in the UK. Lead by STEM Learnings London based STEM Ambassadors (real people that work in STEM and also volunteer in schools to inspire and inform young people). The Podcast is a great way to find out more about STEM jobs, how people they got there and how young people today can get there too.

LEARNING THROUGH LOGISTICS - Four leading organisations from the UK supply chain sector – Business on the Move, Career Ready Think Logistics, NOVUS and Talent in Logistics – have collaborated to launch #LearningThroughLogistics, a collection of home-schooling resources. The collection, hosted by Talent in Logistics, is designed to highlight the vital role logistics plays in society and the wider economy while at the same time providing education in key subjects such as numeracy, English and science. The resources available appeal to primary and secondary school pupils and can be downloaded free.

SCIENCE4SOCIETY - The Science activities focus on the contribution that science, design and technology can make to peace, social justice and environmental sustainability.

STEM CREW -  Free teaching resources linked to the national curriculum.  Including the INEOS 1.59 Challenge including Biology and Nutrition, Maths and Physics inspirational lessons. Students can investigate what it takes to run a sub-two-hour marathon by carrying out hands-on practical work.

FREE MINDFULNESS - Free mini meditations for the public to download

SAM - Aims to help you understand and manage anxiety

WELLMIND NHS - Advice and Tips on how to improve mental health and wellbeing

STAY ALIVE - Grassroots can deliver a suicide prevention, mental health or self-harm training course to your team in a UK venue of your choice. Or they can arrange a package of training places on their public courses. This is an effective and economical way to quickly upskill your workforce. Click here to begin your enquiry.

FREE SMILING MIND APP - Mindfulness for all

YOUNG MINDS - Feeling different from usual or noticed a change in your behaviour? Find out about some common feelings and mental health symptoms, how to cope, and where to go to get help.

HUB OF HOPE - Postcode lets you know of free mental health services in their area

CHILDLINE TOOLBOX - A calm zone where you can access activities, breathing exercises, yoga, games and videos on ways to cope and express emotions.

ACTION FOR HAPPINESS - Action for Happiness offer monthly calendars to support mindfulness.

IMOVES -  Imoves offer fun activities for teachers and parents to keep children happy, healthy and focused. Whether at school or home, imoves can help today and every day.

NHS - Tips from the NHS for identifying sources of stress and for helping you deal with it.

THE SCIENCE OF WELLBEING FROM YALE UNIVERSITY VIA COURSERA - A free course (sign-up required) that sets challenges designed to increase your happiness and build more productive habits.

HEADSPACE - Learn about how mindfulness and meditation can be applied in your day-to-day life, and how they can reduce stress and improve sleep.

MIND - If you're going through a difficult time or are struggling with how you're feeling, it can be really scary and upsetting. Mind are here to help you understand you're not alone and to help you find the support you deserve.

FREE WELL-BEING MASTERCLASS SERIES - The teams at Amazing Apprenticeships, Gen Healthy Minds and AELP are delighted to offer you a complementary online masterclass series, exclusive for those responsible for supporting apprentices including HR professionals, early careers leads and training providers, to outline a range of practical solutions. All webinars in the series are available to access as recordings, completely free of charge with unlimited access.

EMPLOYMENT AND DISABILITY SERVICE NORTHAMPTONSHIRE - Specialist supported employment team within Northamptonshire County Council. Providing bespoke support to help individuals overcome barriers to employment and work toward their employment goals.

NATIONAL AUTISTIC SOCIETY - Are the UK’s leading charity for autistic people and their families. They provide life-changing information and advice to millions of autistic people including events and support for employers.

MENCAP - Is a UK charity for people with a learning disability. They support families and carers, too. Find out more about their services.

BRITISH DYSLEXIA ASSOCIATION - Provide support to people and families with dyslexia. This site helps you to find out more about dyslexia support available nationally. It includes advice, news and events.

ADHD FOUNDATION - Is an integrated health and education service offering a unique lifespan - strength based service, for the 1 in 5 people who live with ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia and Tourette’s syndrome.  They work in partnership with agencies across all public services and business sectors, to offer information, support, training and events.

ARMED FORCES COVENANT NORTHAMPTONSHIRE - Provides information and advice on support services available within Northamptonshire for the Armed Forces community and their families.

SEMLEP LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION - Up to date Labour Market Information from across the SEMLEP Region.

HOW TO LINK STEM CURRICULUM TO CAREERS - Free Online CPD developed by the National STEM Learning centre, to provide teaching staff with the tools to be able to adapt curriculum, linking it to effectively to careers.

LINKING CURRICULUM AND CAREERS - Case studies and resources to help Teaching staff bring the curriculum to life through careers.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYERS TASK-FORCE - TOP TIPS FOR EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT - Interesting Article providing top tips for Effective Employer Engagement.