Trafalgar Castle School strives to not just prepare students for certain careers, but to prepare them for an uncertain future.MILESH PATEL/TRAFALGAR CASTLE SCHOOL
They prepare students via campus partnerships, university counselling and the development of competencies that directly support their goals
For many families considering private education, what matters most is how well a school equips students for life beyond graduation. Private schools set young learners up for future success through campus partnerships, university counselling and future-ready competencies that directly support their postsecondary and career goals.
Havergal College
Havergal College, an all-girls school in Toronto, believes the transition to postsecondary life requires more than academic rigour; it requires life readiness, says Krista Koekkoek, head of the Upper School. In Havergal’s First Year Advantage program, Grade 11 and Grade 12 students take part in a month-long boarding experience that includes coaching and life-skills workshops.
“This is complemented by our highly personalized Guidance and University Counselling department, which helps students align their passions and strengths with ambitious goals in highly selective university programs worldwide,” Koekkoek adds. “Through this intentional programming, we bridge the gap between the classroom and the independence of the world beyond our ivy-covered walls.”
Beyond preparing for university, students develop future-ready skills through the Global Experiences program. They can complete the Global Learning & Leading Diploma, serve as a delegate at a Round Square Conference, take part in an international excursion or participate in the Global Exchange Program. In addition, Havergal’s Digital Microcredentials allow students to expand their learning beyond traditional courses. “By blending academic rigour with experiential and globally connected learning, we prepare girls not only for postsecondary success but to lead with curiosity, empathy and impact as true difference makers,” says Lindsay Norberg, deputy principal.
At St. Clement’s School, future-ready skills are part of the six C’s framework: character, citizenship, collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity.Karri North/ST. CLEMENT'S SCHOOL
Lakefield College School
“At Lakefield College School, preparation for life after graduation is not something that suddenly appears in a student’s final year,” says Dean Van Doleweerd, associate head of programs. “It’s woven intentionally through the academic program and the broader student experience from the moment students arrive.”
Through partnerships with universities, environmental groups and external experts, students have real-world experiences to make academic interests feel less abstract. At Northcote Farm, students engage in land-based learning focused on sustainability, food systems and environmental stewardship, often discovering interests that shape postsecondary choices.
“University counselling helps students reflect on these experiences and translate them into coherent academic narratives and next steps,” Van Doleweerd says.
Lakefield’s university counselling is relationship-based, ensuring students and families feel partnered in the process, he adds. “Counsellors begin working with students well before their graduating year, collaborating closely with advisers and classroom teachers to ensure that each student is understood.”
St. Clement’s School
At St. Clement’s School, future-ready skills are part of the six C’s framework: character, citizenship, collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity. These competencies are integrated across Grade 1 to Grade 12 at the all-girls school, with students reflecting on and documenting their learning journeys in digital portfolios.
A key focus is design thinking, which involves ideation, prototyping and testing ideas. All students receive a foundation in these skills – for example, Junior School students contributed ideas for redesigning the school playground. In Grade 8, design thinking is formalized in a required course, while senior students can pursue advanced projects, such as designing classroom supports for students with special needs, in partnership with community groups.
St. Clement’s also emphasizes equity, diversity and inclusion. Heather Henricks, vice-principal of learning, research and innovation, says this helps students navigate diverse environments and value diverse perspectives. “We’re working with students on developing intercultural fluency, which is an important future-ready skill.”
Trafalgar Castle School
Trafalgar Castle School, an all-girls school in Whitby, Ont., has seven future-ready competencies that anchor its subject areas, starting in Grade 4 and continuing through graduation. They include collaborative leaders, system thinkers and designers, creators and innovators, critical thinkers and informed decision makers, clear and confident communicators, global citizens, and self-aware and self-directed learners and un-learners.
“We’re not just teaching the skills, but we’re also teaching the knowledge and habits of mind that go alongside these competencies,” says Laurie Kuchirka, dean of academics. “It’s important that students have a broad and deep understanding of each of those areas, and it’s infused across all our curriculum.”
In Kuchirka’s view, education no longer just prepares students for certain careers; it prepares them for an uncertain future. This means equipping students with “the future-ready competencies they’ll need to pivot, adapt and be flexible.”
Partnerships also play a central role in future readiness. Trafalgar works with Ontario Tech University to advance students’ skills in science, technology, math, engineering and art (STEAM) and prepare them for postsecondary success. The partnership includes workshops, experiential learning, robotics competitions, guest speakers and more. As part of the Beyond the Castle experience, students spend a day in the field at corporate partners such as Deloitte and Sun Life Financial, exploring different career pathways.
“We want Trafalgar students to be prepared for their future knowing that the world is going to be very different when they get out into the industry, whether it’s technology or social studies,” says Penny Senior, math, science and tech teacher and experiential learning co-ordinator.
University counselling begins as early as Grade 8, encouraging students to start thinking about career possibilities. In Grade 9, they start connecting their interest areas to volunteerism. By Grade 10, they begin to consider prerequisites for future areas of study through courses and guidance meetings.
At the same time, students are encouraged to keep studying areas that bring them joy, says Kate Hebdon, deputy head of school. “Sometimes, students at this stage have black-and-white thinking, but we help keep an openness to possibility,” Hebdon says. “It’s always about student agency – their voice, their choice, their thinking – but also helping them to stretch.”
Neuchâtel Junior College
Neuchâtel Junior College (NJC) offers a unique one-year Grade 12 program in Switzerland. Because most students enter the program with a clear idea of their postsecondary plans, university counselling focuses on guiding students through the application process. Before students arrive in Switzerland, they meet with advisers to discuss what universities they’re interested in. Once there, students complete their applications well before deadlines. “If university applications are not occupying a large portion of their headspace, they can focus on what matters most: their studies,” says Vanessa Persaud, deputy head of school and director of university guidance.
This year, NJC introduced a tool to help students with supplementary applications, which often involve interviews and additional written components. In partnership with Youthfully, students can practise responses via the online platform, which provides feedback and a score on their responses, letting them build confidence and improve.
The experience of the school itself also prepares students for postsecondary life. Persaud says students balance rigorous studies with being far away from home, so the challenge isn’t new to them when they go away to university.
The York School
At The York School in Toronto, postsecondary planning starts in Grade 9, when students are encouraged to begin thinking about university. Grade 10 students gain a sense of what universities are looking for and how to carefully choose their Grade 11 and 12 International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. “If you’re thinking of a career in engineering, you want to make sure you’re on the right path for that,” says Sarah Bauld, director of university counselling.
For Grade 11 and Grade 12 students, York hosts a wide range of universities for presentations, promotes dates for open houses and campus tours, and invites alumni to share their experiences. As part of York’s personalized planning approach, counsellors also spend one-on-one time with parents at different points of the year. “By the end of Grade 12, we know our students and their families very well,” Bauld says.
“We’ve been very intentional in making sure that our university counsellors are embedded into our academic program and into school life,” adds Kathryn Barnes, Middle and Senior School principal. “They have a group of students that they follow throughout their educational journey.”
In tandem with ensuring students are on the right academic path for their future careers, York continually assesses its academic program to ensure course offerings match the future-ready skills students need to succeed in university and beyond, Barnes says. “All schools are tackling the age of AI and information technology, but beyond the tool, we look at ethics and how to ensure you’re making ethical decisions,” she says, noting that York’s Theory of Knowledge course explores this area.
Kingsway College School
Place-based learning and authentic experiences help students at Toronto’s Kingsway College School explore postsecondary options. They have taken part in business workshops at the University of Western Ontario, visited a gaming lab at Toronto Metropolitan University and participated in a science lab at McMaster University. “It’s moving away from traditional campus tours to what would it feel like to be here and what impact are you going to have on your community while you’re here,” says Jen Lillie, director of guidance, senior school.
Students also receive personalized support through the Advisory program, where advisers work closely with them on course selection, goal setting, and planning for postsecondary and career pathways.
From Grade 9 through Grade 12, the KCS Path Program allows students to learn about a topic of their choice. They have dedicated time each week, guidance from their adviser and input from an external mentor. They learn from multiple perspectives: academic, arts, athletics, citizenship and offsite. These experiences help students develop compelling, personal narratives for postsecondary applications, Lillie says. “We provide students with highly differentiated personal experiences so they can leverage what makes them unique.”
St. Mildred’s-Lightbourn School
At St. Mildred’s-Lightbourn School (SMLS), an all-girls school in Oakville, Ont., future-readiness centres on its Grade 11 Professional Internship.
Every Grade 11 student completes four weeks of full-time professional work at organizations such as SickKids Hospital, Shopify and Ernst & Young. More than job shadowing, students contribute to research teams, attend meetings and manage deadlines.
“The conversations I have with our students following their placements are incredible,” says Nicole Bryant, director of university guidance. “Some find their calling, while others rule out paths – both discoveries that are invaluable before they begin applying to university.”
Many alumni trace career trajectories back to this placement, from university program selection and first job offers to long-term mentorships. “My SickKids placement was the start of everything,” says former student Kristen Ashworth, who is now pursuing her goal of becoming a clinician scientist.
The Professional Internship builds “civic efficacy,” essentially the confidence that one belongs in spaces where important decisions happen.
“Every parent wants their child to have influence in shaping her world,” says Catherine Hant, head of school. “But first, she needs to believe she can walk into those rooms at all. That’s what happens when a 16-year-old sees herself contributing – even in small ways – in spaces she thought were years away.”
Advertising feature produced by Globe Content Studio. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.