
CAREERS EDUCATION AND GUIDANCE
Introduction
Careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) is an essential part of the support we offer to students at Archbishop Ilsley School and Sixth Form Centre. Effective careers support can help to prepare young people for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life; it can help them to make decisions and manage transitions as learners and workers. As options for young people become more varied and complex, it is vital that we support them to develop the knowledge and skills they need to make informed choices for their future. As a result, the careers programme has a whole-school remit designed to complement the rest of the school curriculum.
This policy sets out how career activities are delivered at school and explains what we can expect from the careers programme.
Aims and objectives
The Archbishop Ilsley careers programme aims to:
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encourage students to be ambitious, broaden their horizons and explore their own career aspirations throughout their life at school
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ensure students’ readiness to take their next step in their learning or career
Archbishop Ilsley School and Sixth Form Centre follows the principles of the Gatsby Benchmarks. The objectives for the careers programme are as follows:
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helping students to understand the changing world of work
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facilitating meaningful encounters with employers for all students
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supporting positive transitions into KS4, post-16 and post-18
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enabling students to develop the research skills to find out about opportunities
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helping students to develop the skills, attitudes and qualities to make a successful transition into the world of work
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encouraging participation in continued learning, including further and higher education and apprenticeships
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supporting inclusion, challenging stereotyping and promoting equality of opportunity
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contributing to strategies for raising achievement, particularly by increasing motivation
Student entitlement
All students are entitled to be fully involved in an effective CEIAG programme. Students are encouraged to take an active role in their own career development, so the careers programme emphasises student participation with a focus on self-development; learning about careers and the world of work; and developing career management and employability skills.
During their time at Archbishop Ilsley, all students can expect:
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the support they need to make the right choices in Year 9, Year 11 and in sixth form
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access up-to-date and unbiased information on future learning and training, careers and labour market information
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support to develop the self-awareness and career management skills needed for their future
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career lessons during tutor time from Y7 to Y13 covering options after school, the world of work, the job market and the skills needed for the future
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at least four meaningful encounters with representatives from the world of work; this could be through work experience, workplace visits, assemblies, careers talks (in or outside lessons), projects, specific lessons, workshops and the annual careers fair
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to hear from a range of education and training providers, including colleges, universities and apprenticeship organisations; this could include visits and taster days, as well as assemblies, talks and annual careers fair
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the opportunity to relate what they learn in lessons to their life and career beyond school
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the opportunity to talk through their career and educational choices with staff including form tutors, subject teachers and the careers team
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access to one-to-one guidance with an impartial careers adviser, by appointment in year 10 or 11 and 12/13; this is available to students of any year group
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the school to keep parents/carers informed of their progress and provide parents/carers with information to support students’ career planning and decision-making
Parental involvement
Young people do not make career decisions in isolation and parents/carers can have a substantial impact, as well as a clear interest in the right outcomes for their young person. The school is keen to foster parental involvement in the careers programme, wherever possible.
Events for parents and carers
Parents/carers are invited into school to discuss their son/daughter’s progress in Parents Consultation meetings (part of review day and progress evenings). In readiness for these events, students’ career aspirations are collected by form tutors to allow discussions around progress relating to next steps, career ideas and (in KS4 and 5) career planning, as well as academic progress. In addition, specialist events for parents include Year 9 Options Evening and Sixth Form Open Evening (Year 11 parents).
Parents/carers are kept up to date with career-related events and activities affecting their son/daughter via letters and texts home, the school website and social media. With the student’s agreement, a copy of the action plan from one-to-one careers meetings will be sent home. They are also welcome to make contact with the Careers Team at school, should they have any questions or concerns.
In addition, all year groups will take part in curriculum-based careers activities within subject lessons. This will allow subject teacher to share their experiences and the love for their subject. Teachers can discuss their interest and enthusiasm to the pupils and encourage them to investigate the careers available after education.
Career guidance meetings
A programme of small group and individual meetings will be arranged for all students towards the end of year 10. All students at school can request an appointment with the career's adviser and careers lead, this will mainly be aimed at Year 10s, Year 11s, Year 12s and Year 13s as these a most likely to benefit from the programme. Students are identified for careers meetings based on need and through self-referral and tutors.
Self-referral
Students may refer themselves for a careers meeting at any point, directly via the career's adviser, via a Form Tutor or Google Classroom. An appointment with an adviser will then be arranged. Students are made aware of the career's adviser through assemblies and via form tutors.
Students will record action plans in the Careers Organiser and the adviser will record on Google Drive. Parents and staff have the option to see this information so they can support the process. If a student is away or fails to attend, an alternative time will be arranged.
Career information
Careers information is available through the careers library based on Google Classroom and subject areas will have displays showing off specific information in line with the available Careers their subject could lead onto. Online resources include the National Careers Service website and a range of reliable websites collated by the Careers lead.
External providers
A range of external providers are invited into school to support the careers programme. These might include local colleges, universities, training providers, apprenticeship organisations, employers, school alumni, or staff from various projects. In all cases, such staff and organisations will be vetted for suitability by the relevant staff at school.
Management and staffing – The Careers Team
The Careers Lead will oversee the delivery of the careers programme, supports and administers all career-related activities and events and liaises with local and national businesses, organisations, colleges and universities to ensure students and departments have opportunities to interact and provide worthwhile experiences of work, including the organisation of the annual careers fair.
Due to the whole-school remit of careers work, the range of staff involved in supporting careers activities is large and includes all form tutors and subject teachers.
Staff Development
Form Tutors are introduced to the concepts, aims and programme for CEIAG at Archbishop Ilsley during INSET days and Twilight training. This staff development is further enhanced at careers meetings.
Monitoring and evaluation
When monitoring the success of the careers programme, the school considers formal and informal measures, qualitative and quantitative data and hard and soft outcomes for students. The careers programme is evaluated in a number of ways, including:
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student feedback on their experience of the careers programme and what they gained from it
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staff feedback on careers lessons, careers activities, careers fair etc
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gathering informal feedback from external partners and from parents
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quality assurance of careers lessons as part of the tutor time programme
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the use of Google Drive to track date and work completed
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student destination figures post-16 and post-18
References
The Gatsby Benchmarks: https://www.gatsby.org.uk/education/focus-areas/good-career-guidance
Government CEIAG: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/careers-guidance-provision-for-young-people-in-schools
UCAS Guidance: https://www.ucas.com/further-education/post-16-finance-and-support/careers-information-and-guidance-schools