CAREERS EDUCATION, INFORMATION, ADVICE & GUIDANCE POLICY

Vision

To nurture pupils’ opportunities to achieve their potential, by increasing their knowledge, understanding, skills and aspirations relevant to life in a rapidly changing world.

Rationale

Careers education and guidance at The Westleigh School actively encourages young people to take ownership of their future careers and to consider all options so that they are able to select the best way forward and make informed choices in their interests, motivations, learning styles, abilities and aspirations.  A planned programme of activities, meetings and enrichment events supports them in choosing relevant 14-19 pathways. Careers provision ensures that all pupils, regardless of their academic ability, are given the opportunity to fulfil their academic potential. Our CEAIG programme will enable pupils to develop the self-knowledge and skills that they need to take charge of their personal and career development. It contributes to the wider school agenda to raise aspirations, improve motivation, develop key and other employability skills as well as promote outstanding levels of achievement. It promotes equal opportunities and challenges stereotypical thinking and attitudes. It helps students, including disadvantaged students and those with special educational needs, to overcome any overt and/or hidden barriers to progress that they may encounter ensuring a position of equality for all our students. It ensures that all students receive appropriate information and guidance, especially at key decision and transition points to enable students to succeed beyond post 16 pathways.

Core Aim

To fulfil the following statement in the Department of Education’s January 2018 publication “Careers Guidance and Inspiration in Schools”:

“Every child should leave school prepared for life in modern Britain. This means ensuring academic rigour supported by excellent teaching, and developing in every young person the values, skills and behaviours they need to get on in life. All children should receive a rich provision of classroom and extra-curricular activities that develop a range of character attributes, such as resilience and grit, which underpin success in education and employment. “High quality, independent careers guidance is also crucial in helping pupils emerge from school more fully rounded and ready for the world of work. Young people want and need to be well-informed when making subject and career decisions.”

This will ensure that our pupils are able to manage their careers, sustain employment and achieve personal and economic wellbeing throughout their lives. This will be quality assured against statutory obligation.

Strategy

Consistent with our strategy of ‘Aspiring and Achieving Together’ the school strategy on Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) is crucial to raising the aspirations of all our pupils, encouraging them to overcome barriers to success, ensuring they are well informed, raising their aspirations and exploring opportunities, to fulfil their potential alongside ensuring academic rigour supported by excellent teaching, and developing in every young person the values, skills and behaviours they need to be well-informed when making subject and career decisions and be successful in life.

Aims:

These aims are in line with the Gatsby Benchmarks and include our statutory duties with regards to careers provision. The benchmarks include:

Gatsby Benchmarks

1.         A stable careers programme

2.         Learning from career and labour market information

3.         Addressing the needs of each pupil

4.         Linking Curriculum Learning to Careers

5.         Encounters with Employers and Employees

6.         Experiences of workplaces

7.         Encounters with Further and Higher Education

8.         Personal Guidance

 

Baker Clause Statement State

This policy statement sets out the Westleigh School's arrangements for managing the access of providers to students at our school for the purposes of giving them information about the provider’s education or training offer.

This complies with the legal obligations under Section 42B of the Education act 1997 (the ‘Baker Clause’).

Student entitlement

Students in Years 8 – 11 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;
  • hear from a range of local providers about the opportunities they offer, including technical education and apprenticeships – through options evening’s, assemblies and group discussions and taster events;
  • understand how to make applications for the full range of academic and technical courses.

 

Management of Provider Access requests

Any provider who wishes to request access to our school should contact us on 01942 202580