Addressing the needs of each pupil
Pupils have different career guidance needs at different stages. Opportunities for advice and support need to be tailored to the needs of each pupil. A school’s careers programme should embed equality and diversity considerations throughout.
What good looks like
Young people have different career guidance needs at different stages. Opportunities for advice and support need to be tailored to the needs of each pupil. A school’s or college’s careers programme should embed equality and diversity considerations throughout.
- A school’s or college’s careers programme should actively seek to challenge stereotypical thinking and raise aspirations.
- Schools and colleges should keep systematic records of the individual advice given to each student, and subsequent agreed decisions. All students should have access to these records to support their career development.
- The records of advice given should be integrated with those given at the previous stage of the student’s education (including their secondary school) where these are made available. Records should begin to be kept from the first point of contact or from the point of transition.
- Schools should collect and maintain accurate data for each pupil on their education, training or employment destinations for at least three years after they leave school. This data should be used to review a school or college’s careers provision and inform development and continuous improvement.
- Colleges should collect and maintain accurate data for each student on their education, training or employment destinations. This data should be used to review a school or college’s careers provision and inform development and continuous improvement.
Why this matters
- 26% of young people who received free school meals (FSM) in year 11 are not in education or employment (NEET) aged 18-24, compared to 13% of non-FSM students
- High achieving students from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to apply to higher education, attend a high-status university, or access high status professional jobs than similarly qualified peers from more affluent backgrounds
- FSM students make up only 16.7% of students in KS5 (16-18 years) academic pathways in comparison to 28% on vocational pathways
- 1,400 more students per year in post-16 EET during 2018/19 connected to schools’ reported Gatsby Benchmark provision.
The benefits of Gatsby benchmark achievement for Post 16 destinations report click here.
Webinar series:
- Exploring approaches to the collection and maintenance of destination data and student records >Webinar (Jan/Feb 2022)
- Making effective use of destinations data >Webinar (Jan/Feb 2022)
- Inclusion and developing careers provision to meet the needs of all students > Webinar (March 2022)
Careers Leaders:
Getting started with BM3
- Refer to the CDI Framework and Skills Builder to ensure that your progressive careers programme scaffolds student knowledge and understanding linked to allow students to challenge stereotypical thinking and raise aspirations.
- Explore how Compass+ can support you with collection and visualisation of Destination Data.
- Consider how you can engage students and track actual and intended destinations. The DfE will soon be releasing updated Destinations Data Good Practice Guide.
- Refer to resource and support from Benchmark 1 relating to strategic planning and evaluation to inform best practice on making effective use of Destination Data.
Training
All Careers Leaders require Outstanding training
For further support with Benchmark 1 register for our fully funded Careers Leader training.
Download our Training Catalogue which includes all the information you need and a helpful comparison guide on the 11 high-quality Training Providers we work with. Here you will be able to choose the right course to suit you and your development, so that you can embed a successful careers programme in your school/college.
Once you have chosen the right course and Training Provider for you, you are all set to register!
Careers in Context: Can Do Approaches
Young people will have had very different experiences during the pandemic and may require different or enhanced support
Opportunity:
- Prioritise working with colleagues from senior leadership team and other key staff to ensure that the careers programme is responsive and effective in supporting and tracking positive destination outcomes for all students.
How:
- Establish systems and processes to track, record and respond to intended and actual destinations ensuring that vulnerable students and those at risk of not making positive transitions are identified and supported.
- Support existing and newly identified vulnerable groups by providing tailored opportunities for advice and support, particularly for newly identified vulnerable groups may include those disproportionately or unexpectedly impacted by Covid-19.
- You can support the most vulnerable students by: Aligning your careers programme to whole school or college initiatives on student engagement and NEET prevention.
- Work with colleagues to understand key groups of students who are most at risk of NEET or not making a positive transition to ensure that your progressive careers programme explicitly meets the needs of these students.
- Analysing destination data and knowledge of local labour market to inform and shape your careers programme.
- Compass+ can support you with tracking and recording student level intended and actual destinations. You can also create custom groups so you can target relevant careers interventions for students with highest need.
- Refer to resource and support from Benchmark 1 relating to strategic planning and evaluation to inform best practice on making effective use of Destination Data.
Education Leaders and Governors:
Education Leaders and Governors: For further information on each Benchmark, to support you in your role, please see the Education Leader, Secondary and College Governor Guides.
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Careers Education Resources: Apprenticeships and Technical Education
A range of e-learning bitesize resources supporting educators and careers leaders to inspire students to choose technical education and apprenticeships as prestigious career pathways. With a focus on STEM, future skills and priority skill areas, whether it’s general TVET careers education and information you are looking to provide, or sector and industry specific, our module and video resources are easy to use and take between 25-45 minutes to complete.
Neurodivergence flowchart/worksheet
A flowchart showing the decisions a young person may make, considering whether or not they are neurodivergent, on their journey towards a job interview. This is available as an A4 worksheet and an A3 poster.
HSBC Resources
HSBC have a number of resources available to support young people when thinking about their career pathways from work experience opportunities to activities to support them in thinking about the different pathways into a career at HSBC.
How can we live smarter?
How can we live smarter? is a collection of practical STEM subject activities linked to employability skills. Students will consider how humans have transformed the world around them and what the future might hold for the planet Earth and the people who inhabit it. Discovering how new technology and innovations could improve the quality of our lives as well as the world we live in. From creating a game to save water at home, to investigating how we can use our living space more efficiently.
HE Unboxed
Help students understand the range of opportunities available to them through Higher Education – and inspire them to continue learning at this level.
globalbridge
globalbridge is a unique platform, built by teachers, that helps young people evidence their talents, experiences and aspirations whilst also helping them connect with opportunities, regardless of their background.
Working with Autism
This resource has been created by Doncaster College and University Centre.
It takes key information from the SPELL Framework developed by The National Autistic Society as a starting point.
What’s Next? - Free online course
The University of London Careers Service have developed a new free, impartial and accurate online careers course resource for school and college students (aged 16-18), to help them learn more and make good, well-informed career decisions about their post-18 careers options.
What's next?
Developed by Endeavour Training.
This resource is an employability and further education advice pack for young people and parents. The pack is produced in both English and Roma languages. The pack is focussed on opportunities in Sheffield and the surrounding areas but has elements which are universal across all areas. The pack has been designed to be accessible to people with SEN.
What is your SEN Superpower?
Developed by Black Country Careers Hub and Cadent gas Cornerstone Employer.
These videos can be accessed by neuro-diverse pupils to inspire them to be what they what to be and challenge those stereotypes.
What Employers want
This activity has been developed by College Park School and is part of the My Skills My Future programme. It contains a lesson plan and accompanying resources aimed at young people in SEND group 1.
Uni Access Tools
Support students when it comes to finding the right university, and help them prepare for what’s ahead, with this targeted programme and free suite of resources.