Summary of the Programme

Careers Education and Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) makes a major contribution to preparing young people for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life, in order to help them make a successful transition to adulthood by:

• Supporting young people to plan and manage their own futures
• Providing comprehensive information on all options
• Raising aspirations
• Promoting equality, diversity, social mobility and challenging stereotypes
• Enabling young people to sustain employment and achieve personal and economic well-being throughout their lives

Primary Phase

Research shows that inspiring young people about the world of work needs to start at an early age as ideas about careers (including potentially-limiting stereotypes) are formed at a young age.

What does Careers Education look like in the Primary phase?

• We embed careers learning throughout the curriculum by making links between our topics and different jobs and careers. For example, in Year 3 when the children are learning about teeth in their Science lessons, we invite a local dentist in to discuss their career as well as make links with the unit topic.
• Visitors from different careers are regularly invited into school to share their experiences and talk to the children about a diverse range of jobs. This year we have had visitors from a range of backgrounds including an author who visited all of our KS2 pupils. The pupils were given a first-hand insight into the life of a writer and what inspires her array of stories.
• We gather data and monitor the career aspirations and attitudes of our pupils throughout the year, including using guidance from the ‘Drawing the Future Report’ (2018). This involves each pupil from Reception to Year 6 drawing a picture of what they would like to be when they grow up. Other information is collected including their favourite school subject and where/from whom they heard about the job. This data is analysed for trends which then informs the themes for future careers learning. This allows us to tailor our careers learning to specific areas of interest, need or challenging stereotyping that can arise amongst our pupils.

Secondary Phase

All young people need a planned programme of activities to help them choose 14-19 pathways that are right for them and help them plan and manage their careers effectively in a changing global world of learning and work.

New careers strategy guidance was issued by the DfE in December 2017. The guidance set out that secondary schools and colleges will continue to be responsible for making sure that their students can access independent careers guidance. The guidance sets out eight benchmarks of good career guidance, developed by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, to set a standard of excellence. 

The eight Gatsby benchmarks of Good Career Guidance are:

1. A stable career programme
2. Learning from career and labour market information
3. Addressing the needs of each pupil
4. Linking curriculum to careers
5. Encounters with employers and employees
6. Experiences of workplaces
7. Encounters with further and higher education
8. Personal guidance

NSWL is committed to providing our students with high quality careers education.

The table below shows year by year the where the Gatsby Benchmarks are addressed in the secondary phase:

 

 

For details on how we achieve the benchmarks in each year group this has been outlined in the School Careers Strategy found on our website.

Visiting Speaker Programme 2023-2024

Students in Year 10, 11 and 12 will have the opportunity to hear from leading industry experts from a wide range of professions including:

• Business and Consultancy
• Medicine and Dentistry
• Accounting
• Engineering
• PhD Researchers
• Law
• Civil Service
• Tradespeople
• Charity
• Graphic Design

These talks with highlight pathways to these professions and to inspire our students to start thinking about what career they would like to pursue in the future.

For anyone that would be interested in delivering careers talk to our students please contact the Careers Lead, Mr Jamie Kerrisk.

Email: Enquiries.NSWL@nishkamschools.org 

Telephone: 0203 141 8760

PSHE and Personal Development Curriculum

All students in Year 7-9 have weekly PSHE lessons whilst Year 12 have a weekly Personal Development lesson.  The PSHE and PD lessons form a spiral curriculum based upon the PSHE Associations guidelines for best practice.  One core theme covered in the curriculum is “Living in the wider world” and part of this theme is careers and enterprise education.

Students will develop their knowledge and skills by learning about topics such as:

• What is a career?
• What are my interests?
• Decision making: How to choose what to study at KS4
• What type of career is best for me?
• How to write a CV
• What is work-life balance?
• What does success mean to me?

Students will use the Unifrog platform when learning about careers and enterprise education.  This will allow students to track their own preferences, skills and interests.

The knowledge and skills covered in careers and enterprise lessons are mapped to the CDI’s Careers Development Framework. Over the course of their studies from Year 7-13 students will develop the six career development skills that people need to have a positive career.  These skills are:

• Grow throughout life
• Explore possibilities
• Manage career
• Create opportunities
• Balance life and work
• See the big picture

NSWL Careers Contact

NSWL staff who are involved in the delivery of the careers programme are as follows:

• Careers Leader: Mr Jamie Kerrisk, Assistant Headteacher

If you would like more information about the Careers programme please contact the Careers Leader via email or telephone.

Email: Enquiries.NSWL@nishkamschools.org 

Telephone: 0203 141 8760

Information for Students

The current careers market is changing and it is important students are informed about careers and possibly entry routes. To ensure that students can access this information the school has subscribed to Unifrog.

Unifrog is an excellent website which all students will have access to.   Unifrog brings into one place information about all post-school opportunities, including every UK university course, apprenticeships including degree apprenticeships, and college courses in the UK, as well as other opportunities, such as School Leaver Programmes. This makes it easy for students to compare and choose the best opportunity for them.  All students will receive their login details in Autumn Term.

There are also several other websites available which students might find useful when exploring careers and options.   Below are links to documents and websites which give useful information and guidance.

• National Careers Service-A government careers website which allows you to assess your skills and match them to potential new careers, explore over 800 careers and find local learning and training opportunities.
• Amazing Apprenticeships-An extensive website which helps you to explore apprenticeships in a wide range of career sectors
• I Could- A free to use website which contains over a 1000 videos of people talking about their careers.  Topics such as job roles, career paths, salaries and possibility for future employment opportunities.
• Careerometer- A tool which allows you to compare the working hours and average wages for job roles across the UK
• The Careers Podcast-LMI has published a podcast which combines useful and inspiring personal development with practical insight into a whole variety of career opportunities, explained first-hand by those who are currently in that role.

Information for Parents

At NSWL we recognize the pivotal role that parents and carers play in advising and supporting children to make informed decisions about their future careers.  This includes decisions about Key Stage 4, post-16 and post-18 options.  The video below created by Talking Futures and the Gatsby Foundation gives an insight into the influence parents and carers have on their children’s careers.

 

 

Unifrog is our ‘go to’ careers website. Students are provided with a log in which gives them access to careers advice and specific careers activities. The video linked here gives an overview of the uses of Unifrog.

There are many other websites that offer advice, guidance and information about careers and further education.

Below are links to documents and websites which give useful information and guidance.

General Information

• A Guide for Parents: Steering your teenager toward a job and career- A guide written for parents and carers to help them make effective decisions about options and careers
• Careerometer- A tool which allows you to compare the working hours and average wages for job roles across the UK
• Careermag Magazine- (March 2022 Issue) Careermag publications are designed to provide quality, up-to-date information about careers and qualifications.  In this issue, the topics of exam stress, importance of work experience and work readiness are covered.
• Paths to Professional Careers: A parent’s guide- Target Careers has compiled a guide for parents about how to support their children, to have conversations about careers and the training required to enter a professional career
• Parent Advisor- A website providing information for parents about higher education and University applications

Information about Education and Training Routes

• Explore your education and training options- The National Careers Service has compiled a comprehensive guide to the different Key Stage 4, post16 and post 18 options and the routes that students can take

 

Information about Apprenticeships

• A Parent’s Guide To Apprenticeships – A government published factsheet giving an overview of apprenticeships
• Amazing Apprenticeships: A Guide for Parents- A comprehensive guide designed to help parents and carers explore the world of apprenticeships and the resources and support available

Information for Teachers

Teachers of all year groups contribute to Careers education at NSWL.  Examples of this include:

• Delivering PSHE lessons on careers in Year 7-9
• Careers Drop Down Days for Year 10 -11
• Through teaching about careers within their curriculum areas
• Delivering careers education in tutor times

All teachers have access to a Unifrog account which will allow them to monitor student use of the platform, set tasks for students to help them learn about careers and to help them teach about careers in their subject areas.

Other resources which teachers may find useful when teaching about careers include:

• Department for Education-This outlines the government policy with regards to Careers education
• The Careers and Enterprise Company-A government-funded website aimed at helping schools to deliver the Gatsby benchmarks.  There are resources available for each Gatsby benchmark.
• My Learning, My Future-A collection of resources designed to help teach careers within curriculum areas
• Careers in the Curriculum: What works?- A paper published by the Careers and Enterprise Company highlighting best practice with careers teaching within curriculum areas

Information for Employers

NSWL works with the Enterprise Advisor network, which is delivered by the Education Development Trust in partnership with the Careers and Enterprise Company. NSWL is part of the Education Development Trust’s West London Careers Hub.

If you are an Employer and would like to join our network, please contact the Careers Leader, Mr Jamie Kerrisk via email or telephone.

Email: Enquiries.NSWL@nishkamschools.org 

Telephone: 0203 141 8760

Employers can support NSWL in a number of ways, including:

• offering talks to students interested in a particular sector or area of industry;
• delivering an assembly to students on a particular sector or area of industry to inform students about the world of work;
• offering interview experience to sixth formers and younger year groups;
• offering work experience;
• linking with a relevant Curriculum Leader (Department) in school and allowing visits to the workplace for a class, where it links with a topic being studied, or coming in to speak to a class to bring real world context to a particular topic.

Please read the research into Employer Engagement.  This is a review of the evidence on how employers can support schools to improve outcomes for students.  This research was conducted by Education and Employers, in conjunction with the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF)

Provider Access

This strategy 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 and Provider Access Legislation (2023).

Rationale

High quality careers education and guidance in school or college is critical to young people’s futures. It helps to prepare them for the workplace by providing a clear understanding of the world of work including the routes to jobs and careers that they might find engaging and rewarding. It supports them to acquire the self-development and career management skills they need to achieve positive employment destinations. This helps students to choose their pathways, improve their life opportunities and contribute to a productive and successful economy.

As the number of apprenticeships rises every year, it becomes increasingly important that all young people have a full understanding of all the options available to them post-16 and post-18 including wider technical education options such as T-Levels and Higher Technical Qualifications.

The provider access legislation is new guidance that comes into force from January 2023. It is a key mechanism to further help learners understand and take-up, not just apprenticeships, but wider technical education options such as T-Levels and Higher Technical Qualifications.

The updated provider access legislation (PAL) specifies schools must provide at least six encounters for all their students: 

• Two encounters for pupils during the ‘first key phase’ (year 8 or 9) that are mandatory for all pupils to attend
• Two encounters for pupils during the ‘second key phase’ (year 10 or 11) that are mandatory for all pupils to attend
• Two encounters for pupils during the ‘third key phase’ (year 12 or 13) that are mandatory for the school to put on but optional for pupils to attend.

Commitment

NSWL is committed to ensuring there is an opportunity for a range of education and training providers to access students, for the purpose of informing them about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.  NSWL is fully aware of the responsibility to set students on the path that will secure the best outcome which will enable them to progress in education and work and give employers the highly skilled people they need. That means acting impartially, in line with the statutory duty, and not showing bias towards any route, be that academic or technical.

NSWL endeavours to ensure that all students are aware of all routes to higher skills and can access information on technical options and apprenticeships (The Department of Education, July 2021: “Baker Clause”: supporting students to understand the full range of education and training options, and the Provider Access Legislation, January 2023).

Requests for access

A provider wishing to request access should contact Mr Jamie Kerrisk

 Telephone: 0203 141 8760

Email: Enquiries.NSWL@nishkamschools.org

Grounds for granting requests for access

Access will be given for providers to attend during school assemblies, timetabled Careers or Life lessons, and Careers or Raising Aspirations events that NSWL is arranging. Students may also travel to visit another provider as part of the trip to be organised in partnership with NSWL.

Details of premises or facilities to be provided to a person who is given access

NSWL will provide an appropriate room or assembly hall to be agreed. All rooms have computers, projectors and screens provided. Computer rooms can also be arranged. The Careers Leader or Careers Adviser will organise this, working closely with the provider to ensure the facilities are appropriate to the audience.  Appropriate safeguarding checks will be carried out.  Providers will be met and supervised by a member of the Careers Team who will facilitate.

Live/Virtual encounters

NSWL will consider live online encounters with providers where requested, and these may be broadcast into classrooms or the school assembly hall. Technology checks in advance will be required to ensure compatibility of systems.

For details on how we meet the statutory Provider Access Legislation requirements please refer to our Provider Access Legislation (PAL) strategy which is on our website.