Careers lead: Mrs K Rodgers

Contact: careers@edwardpeake.beds.sch.uk

Link to: Careers Education, Information and Guidance Policy

Link to: Careers Newsletters

Careers Programme

At Edward Peake School we want all our young people to understand the full range of opportunities available to them in today’s world and help them to acquire the skills and qualifications they will need to succeed in the workplace today and in the future. We believe that every pupil should have multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace. We also aim to prepare our pupils for the opportunities in the next stage of their education, a time when they will make choices about their future studies.

All of our pupils from Year 6 to 9 will have access to a planned careers education information and guidance (CEIAG) programme which supports us in achieving our aims. This will be delivered through our Life Skills curriculum and all teachers will support our whole school approach to careers education information and guidance by making explicit links within their own subject areas and sharing this with the pupils they teach.

By the time pupils get to the end of Year 6 they will have the opportunity to:

  • Identify personal learning strengths and understand why it’s important to stretch the boundaries of their own current learning
  • Learn how to motivate themselves recognising their feelings and set success criteria
  • Gain an understanding of a range of jobs they would like to do when they are older, what motivates them and what they need to do to achieve it
  • Identify some ways they can work with other people to make the world a better place
  • Learn strategies and physical exercises in order to relieve stress, anxiety and support them in coping in challenging situations
  • Identify solutions to difficult situations / challenges
  • Learn about the world of work from visiting speakers.

By the time pupils get to the end of Year 7 they will have the opportunity to:

  • Identify and challenge stereotypes whilst learning about the world of work and why it is important
  • Identify their own characteristics, strengths and preferences
  • Explored a range of jobs / careers and occupations
  • Learn about aspects of employment law relating to young peopleā€™s permitted hours and types of employment; and know how to minimise health and safety risks to themselves and those around them
  • Recognise when they are using the qualities and skills needed to be enterprising
  • Learn about volunteering and the environment in which they live and work to change things: the rewards and benefits
  • Identify different kinds of work and why peopleā€™s satisfaction with their working lives varies
  • Tell their own story about what they are doing to make progress, raise their achievement and improve wellbeing
  • Explain how they have benefited as a learner from career related learning activities and experiences
  • Recognise the qualities and skills needed for employability and provide evidence for those they have demonstrated both in and out of school
  • Learn about the world of work from various visiting speakers.

By the time pupils get to the end of Year 8 they will have the opportunity to:

  • Learn about the dreams and goals of children in a culture different to theirs
  • Prepare for employability: identify, develop and improve soft skills through involvement in the Enterprise challenge.
  • Recognise the qualities and skills needed for employability and started to gather evidence for those demonstrated both in and out of school
  • Learn about resilience and why it is important for people seeking work
  • Explore careers and how these may change in the future
  • Learn how to manage money well – personal budget and how to run a household based on particular jobs and circumstances
  • Identify and make the most of your personal network of support including how to access the impartial careers information, advice and guidance that you need
  • Know how to negotiate and make plans and decisions carefully to help you get the qualifications, skills and experience you need
  • Investigate what is meant by and how to achieve a work life balance
  • Learn and develop employability skills
  • Have at least one meaningful experience of the workplace.

By the time pupils get to the end of Year 9 they will have the opportunity to:

  • Prepare for employability: identify, develop and improve soft skills through mock interviews
  • Recognise the qualities and skills needed for employability and continue to gather evidence for those demonstrated both in and out of school
  • Explore careers and how these may change in the future, using labour market information to support your understanding.
  • Learn how to manage money well – personal budget and how to run a household based on particular jobs and circumstances
  • Identify and make the most of your personal network of support including how to access the impartial careers information, advice and guidance that you need
  • Know how to negotiate and make plans and decisions carefully to help you get the qualifications, skills and experience you need
  • Investigate different pathways for post 16
  • Extend employability skills
  • Link career ambitions to GCSE options choices
  • Learn about the world of work from various visiting speakers.
  • Attend a careers fair
  • Take part in work shadowing
  • Have at least one meaningful experience of the workplace.

Provider Access Policy

Updated: February 2024

Rationale:

High quality careers education and guidance in school or college is critical to young peopleā€™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.

Commitment:

Edward Peake CofE (VC) School is committed to ensuring there is an opportunity for a range of education and training providers to access pupils, for the purpose of informing them about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.Ā  The school is fully aware of the responsibility to set pupils 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.

The school endeavours to ensure that all pupils are aware of all routes to higher skills and are able to access information on technical options and apprenticeships (The Department of Education, July 2021: ā€œBaker Clauseā€: supporting students to understand the full range of education and training options, and the Provider Access Legislation, January 2023).

Aims:

This policy for access to other education and training providers has the following aims:

  • To develop the knowledge and awareness of our students of all career pathways available to them, including technical qualifications and apprenticeships.
  • To support young people to be able to learn more about opportunities for education and training outside of school before making crucial choices about their future options.
  • To reduce drop out from courses and avoid the risk of students becoming NEET (Young people not in education, employment or training).

Pupil Entitlement:

The school fully supports the statutory requirement for pupils to have direct access to other providers of further education training, technical training and apprenticeships.Ā  The school will comply with the new legal requirement to put on at least six encounters with providers of approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships. These encounters occur over Key Stage 3, 4 and 5, beginning at Year 8. The pupil entitlement section of this policy will be updated as the school grows to accommodate further year groups.

All pupils in Key Stage 3 at Edward Peake are entitled to:

  • Find out about technical education qualifications and apprenticeship opportunities, as part of our 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.
  • to understand how to make applications for the full range of academic and technical
    courses including apprenticeships.

For pupils of compulsory school age these encounters are mandatory and there will be a
minimum of two encounters for pupils during the ā€˜first key phaseā€™ (year 8 to 9) and two
encounters for pupils during the ā€˜second key phaseā€™ (year 10 to 11).
These provider encounters will be scheduled during the main school hours and the provider
will be given a reasonable amount of time to, as a minimum:

  • share information about both the provider and the approved technical education
    qualification and apprenticeships that the provider offers
  • explain what career routes those options could lead to
  • provide insights into what it might be like to learn or train with that provider
    (including the opportunity to meet staff and pupils from the provider)
  • answer questions from pupils.

Meaningful provider encounters
One encounter is defined as one meeting/session between pupils and one provider. We are
committed to providing meaningful encounters to all pupils using theĀ Making it meaningful
checklist.

Meaningful online engagement is also an option, and we are open to providers that are able
to provide live online engagement with our pupils.

Development

This policy has been developed and is reviewed annually by the Careers Leader and Headteacher based on current good practice guidelines by the Department for Education.

Links with other policies

It supports and is underpinned by key school policies including those for Careers, Child Protection, Equality and Diversity, and SEND.

Equality and Diversity

Access to other providers is available and promoted to allow all pupils to access information about other providers of further education and apprenticeships. The school is committed to encouraging all pupils to make decisions about their future based on impartial information.

Management of Provider Access Requests:

Procedure:

Requests for access should be directed toĀ Mrs K Rodgers, Assistant Headteacher and Careers LeaderĀ outlining their offer to our Key Stage 3 pupils using the details below:

Telephone: 01767 314562

Email: careers@edwardpeake.beds.sch.uk

Opportunities for Access:

We are developing opportunities throughout our years 5-8 at school in order offer providers an opportunity to come into school to speak to pupils and/or their parents/carers:

Granting and Refusing Access:

Providers will be granted access on the following basis;

  • Communication between providers and Mrs Rodgers
  • Photographic identification is presented and worn
  • Clear benefits to our community are determined

Providers will not be granted access on the following basis;

  • No trail of communication is evident between provider and Mrs Rodgers
  • Sufficient identification cannot be presented
  • Benefits to pupils do not out way the learning in the classroom

Safeguarding:

Our safeguarding/child protection policy outlines the schoolā€™s procedure for checking the identity and suitability of visitors.

Education and training providers will be expected to adhere to this policy.

Premises and Facilities:

The school will provide an appropriate room or assembly hall to be agreed. Any rooms provided will have a laptop, projector and screen provided. Computer rooms or Chromebooks can also be arranged. The Careers Leader will organise this, working closely with the provider to ensure the facilities are appropriate to the audience.Ā  Appropriate safeguarding checks will be carried out.Ā  Providers will be met and supervised by a member of the Careers Team who will facilitate.

Live/Virtual encounters

The schoolĀ 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.

Parents and Carers

Parental involvement is encouraged, and parents may be invited to attend the events to meet the providers.

Management

The Careers Leader coordinates all provider requests and is responsible to the headteacher.

Complaints:
Any complaints with regards to provider access can be raised following the school
complaints procedure or directly with The Careers & Enterprise Company via ā€“
provideraccess@careersandenterprise.co.uk

Monitoring review and evaluation

This policy is monitored and evaluated annually by the senior leadership team.