Bridge AcademyCareers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance at Stephenson (MK) Trust
CAREERS PLAN
The Stephenson (MK) Trust is committed to providing high quality Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) to all of our students.
In line with the new statutory guidance produced by the Department for Education, we offer a varied programme of careers education embedded within all areas of the curriculum and delivered through our project based learning, princes trust lessons, tutorials, assemblies and careers activities, trips and encounters with local employers. The careers programme is delivered from years 7-13.
We actively encourage and welcome outside agencies, employers and education & training providers to come and meet with our students and believe that all interactions of this kind can help our students to gain a wider understanding of their options and the labour market. These positive and meaningful encounters encourage our students to consider new ideas, which can help to raise their aspirations. Please contact our Careers Advisor to make arrangements for this.
Chloe Batchelor:- chloe.batchelor@bridgeacademy.org.uk
Our careers provision is planned in line with achieving the eight Gatsby Benchmarks of good practice for careers delivery:
The 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
Our provision is revaluated termly using the Careers and Enterprise Company compass tool and our careers plan has been approved by our senior leadership team and our board of governors. The careers plan is reviewed every year and is part of a strategic improvement plan to achieve all benchmarks of good practice and the requirements of the careers strategy.
The views of students and parents are very important. They are welcomed and actively used in all evaluation and planning of the programme. Parents can contact our Careers Team via email or telephone or meet face to face at annual reviews / parents evenings / coffee mornings. Students are encouraged to give feedback about the careers programme at student voice meetings. Parent are encouraged to contact the Careers Advisor for advice, guidance and to discuss their young person’s future.
The careers delivery for each year is summarised and reviewed in an end of year report by the Careers Advisor that is sent to the senior leadership team and the board of Governors.
Leavers intended destinations are provided to the Local Authority in July each year. Actual destinations are provided in September and again at October half term.
Details of our student’s destinations are counted and published each year in the Activity Survey.
The Activity Survey is a statutory report that Local Authorities provide to the DfE each year and it is finalised on the 31st January. It provides initial destination information of young people who left school the previous September and is based on their activity on 1st November.
The information is gathered together by the Youth Faculty by working with schools, local colleges and training providers. The Youth Faculty team also track young people by contacting them by phone, email, letter, and in some circumstances, home visits.
KEY PEOPLE
Careers Leader for Bridge Academy – James Sisk
Careers Leader for Stephenson Academy – Dr Ramsay
Careers Adviser – Chloe Batchelor
Enterprise Coordinator, South East Local Enterprise Partnership – Paul Thompson
Link Careers Adviser, the Youth, Advice and Guidance Service. Youth Faculty, Milton Keynes Council – Charlotte Seal / Tracey Pace
Governor with strategic interest in careers for Bridge Academy – Paula Lawson
Governor with strategic interest in careers for Stephenson Academy – Robert Tittl
CAREERS GUIDANCE
Chloe Batchelor is the careers adviser for Stephenson (MK) Trust, and works across all sites.
Chloe Batchelor has over 17 years Industry experience, working in many different sectors including Government, Manufacturing, Hospitality and Aerospace. She has worked with Apprentices and Work Experience Candidates, assisting in their knowledge of the company and training. She brings with her a wealth of industry knowledge and contacts who are keen to join the Trusts Mentoring Scheme, Friends of Stephenson Trust. She is a qualified Mental Health First Aider and is passionate about helping students develop their potential and have a future regardless of the challenges they may face, while building self-esteem and fostering an ‘I-can-do-this’ attitude.
Chloe offers impartial face-to-face guidance to all students at the Trust, helping them to make informed decisions about their future destinations and career pathways.
Students are offered a careers interview in year 9, 11, 12 and 13. The Careers Team will attend all annual reviews (where possible) in year 9 and 11, 12 and 13.
All students receive a personalised careers action plan. Chloe will work with our students until the October following the summer when they leave to provide wrap around support during the transition period from statutory education to post 16 education, training or employment.
We work closely with the Information, Advice and Guidance service and have named advisers; Charlotte Seal and Tracey Pace who are linked to our Trust. We work closely together during the spring / summer term to ensure a joined up approach and smooth transition to their service. YAG can support our students until they are 20 (25 for those with an EHCP).
Charlotte and Tracey can be contacted at YAG, The Youth Faculty
(MK Council): Telephone: 01908 556700.
Careers @ Key stage 3
Careers is embedded into project based learning lessons and where appropriate in all subjects across the curriculum.
Bridge Academy
Careers embedded into PSHE:
- Recognising our strengths and values
- Raising self esteem
- Communication skills
- Goal setting
- Economic wellbeing
- Teamwork
- Employability skills; interview preparation, writing a CV
Stephenson Academy:
Careers embedded into PSHE and IT Lessons, as well as option lessons.
- Recognising our strengths and values
- Raising self esteem
- Communication skills
- Goal setting
- Economic wellbeing
- Teamwork
- Employability skills; interview preparation, writing a CV, Work Experience and Application Form Guidance
Opportunities for Employer mentoring
Opportunities for Work shadowing
STEM activities - to promote careers in science, technology, engineering and maths
Enterprise Activities
Careers assemblies
Careers notice board to display careers information in each centre
Trips and visits – skills shows, apprenticeships fairs
Careers guidance interviews with all students in year 9
Attendance at annual reviews for students in year 9
Careers @ Key stage 4
Careers is embedded where appropriate into all subjects across the curriculum.
Bridge Academy
Embedded into PSHE and Tutor Time activities, as well as 1-2-1 sessions with the Careers Adviser:
- Recognising our strengths and values
- Raising self esteem
- Communication skills
- Goal setting
- Economic wellbeing
- Teamwork
- Employability skills; interview preparation, writing a CV, work experience and Application Form Guidance
Stephenson Academy:
Careers embedded into PSHE and IT Lessons, as well as option lessons.
- Recognising our strengths and values
- Raising self esteem
- Communication skills
- Goal setting
- Economic wellbeing
- Teamwork
- Employability skills; interview preparation, writing a CV, Work Experience and Application Form Guidance
Work Experience Opportunities – Proactive Young People
Opportunities for Employer mentoring
Opportunities for Work shadowing
STEM activities - to promote careers in science, technology, engineering and maths.
Enterprise Activities
Careers assemblies
Careers notice board to display careers information in each centre
Trips and visits – skills shows, apprenticeships fairs
Careers guidance interview for all year 11 students
Visits to local colleges and training providers
Careers workshops and talks
Employer visits
Mock interviews with employers
Introduction to the Youth, Advice and Guidance service for all year 11 students
Support with post 16 applications and interviews
Careers Adviser in attendance at all annual reviews for year 11 students
Carefully managed and supported transition from school to college
Joint home visits with Youth, Advice and Guidance over the summer
Continued support from the Careers Adviser until October half term following the end of year 11 to ensure students have been able to engage successfully with their post 16 destination
Intended destination and September guarantee information provided to the local authority
Work in partnership with the local authority to provide information for the Annual Activity Survey
Careers @ Key stage 5
Opportunities for Employer mentoring
Active Jobs Board – showing active job opportunities within the local area
Opportunities for Work shadowing
Opportunities to visit Higher Education providers
Careers notice board to display careers information in each centre
Trips and visits – skills shows, apprenticeships fairs
Careers guidance interview for all year 12 and 13 students
Visits to local colleges and training providers
Careers workshops and talks
Employer visits
Mock interviews with employers
Opportunities for work experience
Support applications and interviews
Careers Adviser in attendance at all annual reviews for 6th form students
Carefully managed and supported transition from school to college
Joint home visits with Youth, Advice and Guidance over the summer
Continued support from the Careers Adviser until October half term following the end of year 11 to ensure students have been able to engage successfully with their post 16 destination
Intended destination and September guarantee information provided to the local authority
Work in partnership with the local authority to provide information for the Annual Activity Survey
EXPLORING CAREERS INDEPENDENTLY
Students are encouraged and expected to take responsibility for exploring their own career ideas and options. Here are some good websites that students can use:
Barclays Life Skills - helps young people get the skills and experiences they need to enter the world of work
https://barclayslifeskills.com
Icould - Careers advice, choices & ideas
www.icould.com
Careersbox - Watch videos of people in different jobs
www.careersbox.co.uk
Success at School – Explore jobs by career zone
www.successatschool.org/careerzones
Take a quiz to explore careers in different worlds of work
www.icould.com/buzz
www.prospects.ac.uk
Find out about different jobs: www.nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/job-profiles/home
Information about apprenticeships and job vacancies
https://www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk/
www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/youth-faculty
Interested in University?
HOW WE MEASURE AND ASSESS THE IMPACT OF THE CAREERS PROGRAMME ON STUDENTS
At Stephenson (MK) Trust, we work closely with the Careers and Enterprise Company. They are an external organisation, which supports schools to ensure they are following the Department for Education’s newly devised Careers Strategy.
The following statement is an extract taken from this guidance:
“The careers strategy sets out that every school and academy providing secondary education should use the Gatsby Charitable Foundation’s Benchmarks to develop and improve their careers provision. This statutory guidance has been restructured around the Benchmarks with information on what schools need to do to meet each one. The Gatsby Benchmarks are not statutory framework but who by adopting them, schools can be confident that they are fulfilling their legal duties; the existing duties to secure independent careers guidance and provide opportunities to a range of providers to inform pupils about technical education qualifications or apprenticeships and the new duty to publish information about the careers programme on the school website”
As an education establishment, we ensure we use the eight Gatsby Benchmarks as a building block when planning our Careers Strategy. We are able to measure our performance using the Compass Careers Benchmark Tool; this tool is used by schools and colleges in England, to support the analysis and evaluation of careers activity against the eight benchmarks of best practice (known as the Gatsby Benchmarks). The Careers and Enterprise Company coordinate the Audit deadlines; this ensures the development of our careers strategy is ongoing to ensure best practice.
WORKING WITH EMPLOYERS - THE FRIENDS OF STEPHENSON (MK) TRUST (FOST)
Stephenson (MK) Trust is committed to increasing the opportunities that our students have for engaging positively with adults from the ‘world of work’. We know that young people benefit from activities such as work experience, work shadowing, workshops, careers talks, workplace visits and mentoring.
We are currently looking for mentors to join the Friends of Stephenson (MK) Trust Network, to help build young people’s confidence and self-esteem when it comes to thinking about their future and what they are capable of achieving, working alongside our current mentors.
All volunteers are trained; insured via the STEM Ambassador scheme and undergo a DBS check.
The FOST are a group of positive role models, people with interesting jobs, people who would like to inspire, motivate and encourage young people to reach their potential. They are currently supporting our students with a variety of activities across all year groups.
If you would like to find out more about the FOST or if you are an employer who would like to work with our school, please contact our Careers Advisor Chloe Batchelor – chloe.batchelor@bridgeacademy.org.uk.
Full training and support is provided.
LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION
Students and parents are encouraged to access information about the local labour market. This forms part of all careers work that is delivered in school. A helpful Link to labour market information for the South East Midlands region can be found here:
https://www.semlep.com/labour-market-information/