Careers Strategy and Plan 2023-2024
| Date approved: | Approved June 2023 |
| Review Frequency: | Every year |
| Date next review due: | June 2024 |
| Scope of Policy: | This policy applies to all staff, students and volunteers at Riverside School |
Contents
- Career Responsibilities
- Purpose and Aims of Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance at Riverside School
- Monitor, Review and Evaluation
- Provider Access Policy
- Curriculum model
- Resources
Career Responsibilities
Senior Leadership – Mr S Ramsing
Careers Coordinator – Carole Spike Robertson
Independent Personal Guidance – Prospects
We have a dedicated Careers Co-ordinator in school who facilitates and promotes our Careers Programme, as well as an independent Careers Advisor (who visits the school at set times) and a member of SLT who is responsible for overseeing the Careers Provision within the school. Every member of staff is aware of the responsibility they play towards building a comprehensive and coherent careers programme and understand the value of making the careers education explicit, relevant and dynamic.
Purpose and Aims of Careers Education at Riverside School
At Riverside School we aim to provide an inclusive, effective and stable careers programme for all of our students from year 7, right through to year 13. The programme aims to raise student aspirations, broaden horizons and promote equal opportunities. We are working to develop a programme that is an integral part of the academic and wider curriculum to ensure students receive appropriate information and guidance, especially at decision and transition points. Students will develop the skills they need to take responsibility for their personal and career development. Our programme will be tailored to support key student groups to ensure all students enter further or higher education, training or employment.
Delivery and guidance
Using the Gatsby Benchmarks of good career guidance, we have designed a detailed (and ever evolving) strategy that ensures all students take part in activities that help inspire and educate them, opening their eyes to the boundless career opportunities that exist in today’s ever changing landscape, and allow them to make informed career choices and decisions.
At all stages students can expect to:
- Access a planned programme relevant to their year group
- Have access to a qualified, impartial and independent Careers Advisor for personalised advice and guidance
- Recognise their likes, dislikes, influences, strength and preferences in relation to career decisions
- Have information about the world of work and the changing labour market
- Be given information about further and higher education, training and apprenticeships and employment routes
- Take part in activities which challenge stereotypes and raise aspirations
- Develop skills and qualities to improve their employability
- Develop their enterprise skills
- Develop financial capability skills
- Not have limitations imposed on their aspirations based upon their social, economic or ethnic background
All students will:
By the end of Key Stage 3:
- Begin to develop an awareness of their individual skills, strengths and preferred learning styles in relation to Post 16 pathways and future career goals
- Be able to access career resources via the Unifrog Careers Platform
- Set targets and review progress
- Receive Careers information and on-going support from staff
- Take part in pathways events and have access to information about different curriculum areas and the implications of studying specific subjects in Key Stage 4
By the end of Key Stage 4:
- Experience careers education, focus on their development, labour market awareness, educational pathways and employability skills, as part of a spiritual, moral, social and cultural education CIVICS programme
- Be offered at least one individual appointment with a qualified, independent and impartial careers advisor
- Have the opportunity to take part in work experience
- Devise an action plan towards their career goals
- Have taken part in an enterprise activity
- Have listened to talks on different careers
- Have been given the opportunity to speak to representatives from various sectors of the world of work
- Have developed financial capability skills
- Have produced and reviewed a CV
- Have written a formal covering latter
- Be able to access career resources via the Unifrog Careers Platform
- Be offered the opportunity to take part in taster days/sessions
- Have visited or spoken to representatives of further or higher education institutions, such a universities or colleges
- Have opportunities to evaluate individual achievements
- Be given the opportunity to take part in work experience
By the end of Key Stage 5:
- Be offered at least one individual appointment with a qualified, independent and impartial careers advisor
- Participate in an enrichment programme focussed on personal development
- Develop independent research skills
- Meet university representatives
- Have the opportunity to meet apprenticeship providers
- Be given the opportunity to visit universities
- Have the opportunity to volunteer or take part in work experience
- Receive information on higher education taster days, technical and apprenticeship routes
- Understand the UCAS application process and be able to research different universities and courses using online resources
- Receive information and support with planning for university, work and training
- Write a personal statement for UCAS, apprenticeship or job applications
- Been given the opportunity to take part in enterprise and challenge activities
Students will also be offered bespoke opportunities throughout the school year, which may include; school trips, careers fairs, tailored civics lessons, workshops, carefully selected inspirational speakers and lifelong learning, all of which are aimed at enabling a full rounded education and experience of possible future careers.
Monitor, Review and Evaluation
The development of the careers programme has been highlighted in the school improvement plan (written in Autumn term). The actions put forward are subject to review and evaluation every term. The impact of Riverside’s career programme on the students will be evaluated and assessed through a range of different strategies which include, but are not limited to;
- Student questionnaires and feedback, with a focus on the suitability of activities, and an evaluation of the understanding of the content
- Parent questionnaires
- Interviews with targeted group of students, including; SEND students, male/female, Pupil Premium students and EAL students
- The destination data for all year groups
- Current, detailed and monitored tracking data information, that enables us to make sure that the right opportunities are being offered to each student
This information will allow us to modify and tailor our careers plan, in order to more fully meet the individual needs of our students.
We will constantly update and evaluate our programme based on the introduction of new technology, education and careers information, which will enable us to make sure that we are able to provide the most relevant, up-to-date and inclusive programme for all of our students.
Provider Access Policy
In accordance with the requirements of the statutory guidance, ‘Careers Guidance and Access for Education and Training Providers’ (October 2018) and the obligations placed upon schools by section 42B of the Education Act 1997, this policy sets out Riverside School’s arrangements for managing the access of education and training providers to pupils at the school.
Management of Provider Access Requests
Access procedure
A provider wishing to request access should contact Carole Spike-Robertson, CEIAG Coordinator
Phone: 0203 946 5919 or email: casp@riverside.bardaglea.org.uk
Opportunities for Access
- We seek to build partnerships with outside agencies, as a means to broaden our pupils’ horizons and to provide them with exposure to a range of educational and career pathways
- We would encourage providers to contact Carole Spike-Robertson our CEIAG Coordinator to find a suitable event to access pupils. All events will need a minimum lead time of four weeks
- We run a wide range of careers and option events throughout the year, and we have the capacity to offer ad-hoc events. We would particularly welcome providers’ attendance at assemblies, where a whole year group will be assembled in a hall environment and you can tailor your presentation to specific age groups. Please note that presentations must be submitted to the CEIAG Coordinator 48 hours before the planned event
- We would also welcome interest from Businesses, Further Education and Higher Education providers who would like to participate in our Careers Fair
Facilities
- The school can offer a variety of hall and classroom spaces for use by providers
- Audio-visual equipment is available
- Providers are welcome to leave copies of prospectuses, or other relevant literature for distribution
- Presentation can be uploaded to internal student areas, following events
Curriculum Model
Careers education is delivered through subject areas, in the CIVICS programme, in tutor time activities, via year group assemblies and events and key stage events, as well as whole school activities.
All subject areas have explicit links to careers in their schemes of work and in their classroom/corridor displays. Audits are undertaken to make sure that this is the case.
Partners
We work with a range of organisations from the further and higher education sector, training providers and apprenticeship providers. We also have links with a wide and evolving range of businesses in varied sectors. We bring workplace representatives into school to provide workplace relevance to our careers activities and to support our vocational teaching. We have strong relationships with businesses, both local and national, and we actively seek new relationships. We use a range of organisations, such as Speakers for Schools, Amazing Apprenticeships, BEP, Unifrog, and Prospects as well as using parent and teacher contacts.
We have also developed strong links with organisations promoting social mobility and university access, such as:
- The Careers Office
- Mayor’s Fund for London’s Access Aspiration programme
- K+
- Social Mobility Foundation
- 15Billion
- The Brokerage
- Sutton Trust
- Imperial Stem
- Target Oxbridge
We also work with the Careers and Enterprise Company in order to develop long lasting relationships with businesses.
Resources
At Riverside School we have a dedicated careers area for all students, which is based in the main library, as well as a dedicated careers library for sixth form students, which contains a wealth of information on pathways and university application information, this is located in the sixth form common area. We also use the Unifrog Careers Platform for which all students will have their own unique log in.
Compass Evaluation of Careers Programme July 2023