Gospel Oak School will measure and assess the impact of its own careers programme using the Gatsby Benchmarks and the Compass+ tool, as well as using our own internal tracking systems. We regularly evaluate our programme using opinions of providers, pupils, staff and parents.  

The Careers Leader is line managed by a member of the Senior Leadership Team to promote and champion the programme in weekly leadership meetings. 

Resources have been allocated to enhance the careers activities, we provide a dedicated area of the school’s website for up-to-date information for use by pupils, parents and teachers.  

Our Provider Access Policy is also published on our website for the benefit of employers and educational establishments.  

Pupils will be informed of updated LMI information through their PSHE lessons, annually through assemblies and in their individual career’s interviews.  

A dedicated LMI section on the school website is regularly updated. 

LMI is included in careers displays in school.  

Staff will be kept up-to-date in annual CPD careers sessions. 

Employers visiting the school and trips to providers help to contribute to the delivery of LMI information.  

LMI information will be disseminated to parents at key pathway evenings and through the school’s website 

Pupils will be signposted to LMI through personal interviews or on our webpage.  

Our Careers Programme is designed to support our pupils into the career pathway of their choice. Each student will have tailored advice and support at key transition points.  

We aim to raise the aspirations of all of our pupils, encouraging them to consider a range of pathways at post 16 that will help them to access Higher Education, Apprenticeships and Degree Apprenticeships at post 18.  

We challenge career stereotypes through our PSHE programmes and setting examples through our visiting employers.  

The school keeps an accurate record of all of our pupils’ careers experiences and uses this to tailor and target future support.   

With the use of Unifrog we are able to target all pupil’s career aspirations allowing us to carefully target our invites for careers activities but most are open to all who choose to sign up.  

Our Alumni Network continues to grow so that we can track the destinations of our pupils and use this to inform and evaluate our careers programme.  

Our SEND pupils receive targeted support from our Careers Adviser and extra support where needed; for example in sourcing supportive workplace experience opportunities and dedicated SEND Careers fairs.  

Destinations are collated by the Careers Leader with the support of the Careers Adviser, who reports these to the local authority.  

The Careers Adviser keeps accurate records of individual careers advice, and these are shared with pupils and kept securely on pupil files. 

We have a whole school approach to careers where careers staff, teachers and pastoral staff help to support our pupils as they navigate their career pathways.  

Career learning is incorporated into all subjects, not just PSHE, English, Maths and Science.  

Subject departments are encouraged to develop links with local employers and universities and use these to create new opportunities for pupils within lessons or for educational visits to work places or higher education providers.  

An annual CPD session for all teaching staff is dedicated to careers.  

Each year group has a series of PSHE lessons dedicated to Careers, which are tailored to the different stages of their career learning.  

STEM activities will form a large part of the careers programme in general but targeted activities will be organised by the STEM lead.  

Heads of House promote and recognise achievements that can contribute to pupil’s future applications or showcase their developing skillset, within weekly assemblies.  

Plans for targeted CPD for all staff to help support integration of careers-related content into medium-term curriculum planning. 

We have built up a strong network of local and national employers, many of whom regularly return to support the school each year. We continually work to expand this network to give our pupils access to a wide variety of external speakers.  

All pupils attend our annual Careers Fair where they meet a range of employers every year.  

All pupils have opportunities to take part in events with employers throughout the year, including trips, assemblies and workshops.  

We have built up a strong Alumni Network which allows us to create a variety of encounters for our pupils and enriches the delivery of our careers programme.  

All year groups will be supported with a programme of advice offered by the DWP.  

Gospel oak School will work closely with the Careers and Enterprise Company to engage with their programmes and create new opportunities for our pupils. The school works in partnership with the Enterprise Adviser Network. 

Year 10 and 12 pupils take part in a full week of work experience.  

Any pupil who wishes to gain voluntary work is also encouraged and supported to do this in their spare time.  

Older pupils who wish to complete work experience in the school holidays are supported to do so.  

Pupils in Years 10-13 are also regularly sent virtual work experience opportunities to take part in.  

Our structured placements include preparatory sessions with pupils to ensure they get the most out of the experience.  

Year 11 and 12 pupils are encouraged to take part in NCS, which includes a valuable voluntary work placement.  

Pupils have many opportunities to take on leading roles within school that give them a taste of a working dynamic e.g. School Council, Cadets and reception duties.  

Visits to employers are arranged where possible for small groups.      

The school has built up contacts with a full range of local and national providers and uses these contacts to help inform our pupils of all of the options available to them.  

All pupils attend our annual Careers Fair with a full range of options presented: universities, colleges, apprenticeships, employment, training providers, technical education providers etc.  

Various visiting speakers, taster lectures, trips and projects are arranged throughout the year.  

We have partnerships with many universities and take part in their various outreach projects.  

PSHE sessions and assemblies help pupils to explore all of their options, including T levels, apprenticeships, traineeships and technical qualifications.  

Year 12 pupils will attend careers fairs in Birmingham to reach an even wider range of university and apprenticeship providers.  

We also work very closely with universities and organisations who have tailored Access Schemes to help pupils along their way to university, such as the Sutton Trust, Social Mobility Foundation, Pathways to Birmingham and Aston Pathways,   

Year 9 pupils and parents are given up-to-date information as part of their Pathways Programme when selecting GCSE options. 

Every pupil will have had at least one interview with our Careers Adviser by the end of Year 11. Pupils do not just simply have discussions about their chosen pathway during these interviews but can also request application support and CV/personal statement advice.  

Every student will have had at least one appointment with our Careers Leader in Year 13. Students receive extensive tailored UCAS and Apprenticeship application support. (These sessions often occur much more than once and are impartial and conducted by staff with professional careers qualifications, who work to standards required by the CDI Code of Ethics.)  

Every pupil and their parents/carers have the opportunity to book a Careers Interview on request.  

• Pupils in Year 11 and Sixth Form will be given further application and personal statement support by their tutor.  

Targeted careers interviews take place for those with the most need and requests from pastoral staff, tutors and teachers are also prioritised.  

A record of Year 11 and 13 pupils’ Intended Destinations is monitored by the Careers Leader and Careers Adviser to target advice for those in most need.  

All pupils in Year 10 and 12 will have mock interviews in preparation for their post 16 /18 applications.