Careers | Leighton Middle School

Leighton Middle School Careers Guidance and Provider Access Statement

Date of implementation: Reviewed December 2019

Review date: Yearly

Careers leader: R Herbert (HOY 8) (contact the school email for information)

Line manager: N Black (Assistant Headteacher)

Introduction

This statement sets out the school’s arrangements for managing the access of providers to pupils at the school for the purpose of giving them information about the provider’s education or training offer. This complies with the school’s legal obligations under Section 42B of the Education Act 1997. The governing boards of maintained schools have a statutory duty to ensure that all registered pupils are provided with independent careers guidance from years 8 to 13.

Pupil entitlement

All pupils in years 8 (up to Year 13 in Upper School) are entitled:

to find out about technical education qualifications and apprenticeships opportunities, as part of a careers programme which provides information on the full range of education and training options available at each transition point;
to hear from a range of local providers about the opportunities they offer, including technical education and apprenticeships – through options events, assemblies and group discussions and taster events;
to understand how to make applications for the full range of academic and technical courses.

Management of provider access requests

A provider wishing to request access should contact:

R Herbert, Head of Y8 and careers leader

Opportunities for access

A number of events, integrated into the school careers programme, will offer providers an opportunity to come into school to speak to pupils and/or their parents/carers:


Year 8	PSCHE careers scheme of workY8 – scheme of work linked to careers and progression	Focussed week of ‘Start’ careers programme	Enterprise project in FFT Fire Forward programme (if available)
	Receptionist opportunity – all pupils in Year 8 Assemblies – careers focussed – whole school – a range of parents and friends of the school who can come in and share their experiences with the children.
Other opportunities throughout the school for providers to come in and speak to the children	Sports leaders – festivals, focussed coaching sessions G&T programme that includes pupils taking lessons, cross curricular links e.g. Green Trust working with children, performers working alongside Choir/Drama group Science Crest Award – sharing ideas, supporting in lessons or in events Careers display in library – send in literature, posters, ideas for children to read Peer supporters – speak to the group to share experiences, leadership ideas and how to support children Appropriate ‘careers’ posters displayed in classrooms for subject staff to discuss – outside speakers to come into lessons to share their experiences with the children
Year 7	Careers focussed sessions using the Start programme in the computer suite to start the careers process early.

Premises and facilities

The school will make the main hall, classrooms or private meeting rooms available for discussions between the provider and students, as appropriate to the activity. The school will also make available equipment to support provider presentations. This will all be discussed and agreed in advance of the visit with the Careers Leader or a member of their team. Providers are welcome to leave a copy of their prospectus or other relevant course literature at the Library, which is managed by the school librarian. The Library is available to all students at lunch and break times.

The delivery of the careers programme will be from a range of staff across the school and will be monitored by HOY 8. The programme will be delivered in Y7&8 as we are a middle school. As a school we introduce careers related activities across the whole school and pupils from Y5 will have meaningful encounters with a range of employers through assemblies and personal learning days.

The following table outlines the delivery of the careers programme against the Gatsby Benchmarks. This will be monitored and updated as appropriate, initially using the compass careers benchmark tool.

The Gatsby Benchmarks and Leighton Middle School

Gatsby benchmark	Requirement	Leighton Middle School evidence
1. A stable careers programme	Every school and college should have an embedded programme of career education and guidance that is known and understood by students, parents, teachers, governors and employers.	A programme within PSCHE and across the school that has the explicit backing of the senior management team, and has an identified person responsible for it – R Herbert. The careers programme should be published on the school’s website in a way that enables pupils, parents, teachers and employers to access and understand it. The programme will be evaluated yearly with feedback from pupils, parents, teachers and employers as part of the evaluation process. Moderation of Y8 PSCHE, topics will form part of the evaluation.
2.Learning from career and labour market information	Every student, and their parents, should have access to good quality information about future study options and labour market opportunities. They will need the support of an informed adviser to make best use of available information.	To reflect the local need for the jobs sector: Pupils will have careers focussed assemblies delivered from a range of professionals: Police, Actor, Fire Service, Builder, nurse – see list of assemblies for further detail. Careers focussed area in the library – updated yearly Tactic youth service assembly for the children Links with the fire service for Y7&8 pupils with clear pathways for careers opportunities and cadets. Parents provided with appropriate information regarding careers education online via the school website and all have access to the start profile that their child accesses in school.
3.Addressing the needs of each student	Students have different career guidance needs at different stages. Opportunities for advice and support need to be tailored to the needs of each student. A school’s careers programme should embed equality and diversity considerations throughout.	Throughout the Y8 PSCHE careers programme staff actively seek to challenge stereotypical thinking and raise aspirations. Schools should keep systematic records of the individual advice given to each pupil, this is logged by Heads of Year who monitor assemblies and the Head of PSCHE who has an overview of the curriculum area. Schools should collect and maintain accurate data for each pupil on their education, training or employment destinations – this is done through links with our Upper Schools and through tracking of pupil progress at GCSE. Where appropriate the school seeks to provide opportunities for pupils to take part in activities that will enable them to find out more about careers e.g. G&T activities and teaching, Fire Service, MKDons mentoring.
4.Linking curriculum learning to careers	All teachers should link curriculum learning with careers – this is an area that staff focus on in their curriculum areas. e.g. STEM subject teachers highlight the relevance of STEM subjects for a wide range of future career paths – speakers are invited in to share their experiences.	The Science department encourage pupils in Y7&8 to take part in the Science Fair and Crest Awards The school will have a focus in 2018/19 on women as leaders. Y8 PSCHE unit of work on career paths and future job opportunities. Y8 Enterprise project, the pupils are working in small groups to develop a food product that they create, market, budget for and sell to make a profit for charity. This is based on the apprentice TV programme idea. Evening on the Lawns – pupils are able to bid to run a stall to raise money for charity Y8 receptionist – in house work experience that all Y8 pupils have the opportunity to do.
5.Encounters with employers and employees	Every student should have multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace. This can be through a range of enrichment activities including visiting speakers, mentoring and enterprise schemes	Pupils will have the opportunity in assemblies to meet with employers from a range of industries from Y5 upwards – this is reflective of the local job market e.g. builders, nurses, local firms and so on. Pupils meet with Fire Service colleagues if available Pupils meet with the Police Service if available Weekly drop in session from the school nurse if appropriate
6.Experiences of workplaces	Every student should have first-hand experiences of the workplace through work visits, work shadowing and/or work experience to help their exploration of career opportunities, and expand their networks.	Our Y8 have an opportunity to work alongside reception as our Y8 receptionist. During school visits, teachers will discuss the possible careers that they may encounter during the visit.
7.Encounters with further and higher education	All students should understand the full range of learning opportunities that are available to them. This includes both academic and vocational routes and learning in schools, colleges, universities and in the workplace.	This section may be filled with information from Upper School? PSCHE programme in Y8 discusses work placements, apprenticeships and University places to give pupils an idea of pathways they could follow. This also gave examples of possible employment with career pathways, relevant qualifications and had a focus on early preparation for options in Y9.
8.Personal guidance	Every student should have opportunities for guidance interviews with a career adviser, who could be internal (a member of school staff) or external, provided they are trained to an appropriate level. These should be available whenever significant study or career choices are being made.	Upper School with provide pupils with careers interviews as part of their programme. Middle schools may not meet this benchmark and are not expected to do so.