Careers Education and Work-Related Learning Guidance
Background:
A young person’s career is their chosen pathway through learning and work. Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance a major contribution to preparing young people for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life.Young people’s careers are forged out of their experience, progress and achievements in learning and work. All young people will benefit from a planned programme of activities to help them make curriculum choices that are right for them and to develop the personal resources and readiness that will enable them to manage their careers throughout their lives.A planned progressive programme of activities supports students in choosing 14 – 19 pathways that suit their interests and abilities and help them to follow a career path and sustain employability throughout their working lives.
From September 2012, the Education Act 2011 placed schools under a duty to secure access to independent and impartial careers guidance for their students in years 9-11.
This policy is written to reflect the revised Statutory Guidance for Careers Guidance (DfE, March 2015), which states that schools have a statutory duty to secure independent and impartial careers guidance for students in Years 8-13. Careers guidance must be presented in an impartial manner and promote the best interests of the students to whom it is given.
Although careers education is no longer a legal requirement, Ridgeway High School continues to make provision in this area. Ridgeway High School is committed to providing a planned programme of careers education, information and guidance for all students in years 7 – 11, which is supported through the Learning for Life Programme of Study.
Ridgeway High School supports access to information and advice from an earlier age, enabling better informed decisions at age 13 and 14. Other valuable careers work introduced from year 8 seeks to raise aspirations and improve motivation.This policy is also framed to help students prepare for Raising the Participation Age (RPA) and to benefit our Pupil Premium students.
Aims of the CEIAG Policy:
- To encourage participation in continued learning including Higher Education and Further Education
- To develop enterprise and employability skills (This is supported by the delivery of Enterprise at Year 7 & 8)
- To contribute to strategies for raising achievement, especially by increasing motivation
- To support inclusion, challenge stereotyping and promote equality of opportunity
- To reduce drop out from and course switching in further education or training
- To ensure students are on the right course that is suited to their aspirations/future goals.
- To contribute to the economic prosperity of individuals and communities
- To meet the needs of all our students through appropriate differentiation
- To focus students on their future aspirations
- To involve parents and carers in making these choices
Development
This policy was developed and is reviewed annually in discussion with teaching, teaching support staff, learners, parents, governors, advisory staff and other appropriate external partners.
Links with other policies
- The policy for CEIAG supports and is itself underpinned by a range of key school policies especially those for Teaching and Learning, Assessment, Recording and Reporting Achievement, Citizenship, PSHE, Work Related Learning and Enterprise, Equality and Diversity, Gifted and Talented, Looked After Children and SEN.
Staff Responsibilities:
Governor link to CEIAG – Jane Gordon
SLT Careers – Adam Samy
WRL Coordinator – Francis Monaghan
Head of Learning for Life – Gemma Moran
Connexions Advisor – Faye Rafferty
Academic Mentor Key Stage 4 – Andrea Amer
Year Manager – Jeanette Roberts
All Ridgeway High School staff are expected to contribute the CEIAG programme through their role as a form tutor. The CEIAG programme is planned and delivered by all staff, external agencies and the Head of the Learning for Life Faculty, Gemma Moran. Specialist, independent and impartial careers advice is offered to all students by the school’s Career Connect Adviser, Faye Rafferty.
Responsibilities of the School:
- To secure access to independent and impartial face-to-face careers guidance
In fulfilling their duty, schools should secure access to independent and impartial face-to-face careers guidance providing appropriatelevels of support for young people to make successful transitions, particularly children from disadvantaged backgrounds or those who have special educational needs, learning difficulties or disabilities.
How this is achieved –Students have access to an on-site Careers Adviser (Faye Rafferty), external agencies, including employers visit the school to discuss different industries and students are provided with trips to visit various learning providers & apprenticeships.
- To assure the quality of external providers of careers guidance
Schools may work individually or within partnerships to secure careers guidance services. Schools can commission independent careers guidance from providers engaged in delivering the National Careers Service or from other providers or individual careers guidance practitioners, as they see fit. Where schools deem face-to- face careers guidance to be appropriate for their students, it can be provided by qualified careers professionals.The Careers Development institute advises that Careers Advisers should be professionally qualified to level 6.
How this is achieved –The independent and impartialCareers Adviser is professionally qualified to the industry standard (level 6 in Advice and Guidance).
Ridgeway are currently working towards the Career Connect Quality Award for Excellence in Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (validated by the Quality in Careers Standard – QiCS).[i]
- To provide additional careers activities for students
Schools should consider a range of wider careers activities such as engagement with local employers, work-based education and training providers to offer all young people insights into the world of work, and with local colleges and universities for first- hand experience of further and higher education. Schools are free to determine the most appropriate forms of engagement but might consider mentoring, workplace visits, work experience, work shadowing, enterprise clubs, employer talks and links with local higher education institutions.
How this is achieved -At Ridgeway, further CEIAG opportunities include Intensive Study Day Activities and the year 10 Business and Enterprise Project. Students in Key Stage 4 also attend a personalised Progression Routes Day where they have the choice to opt for workshop sessions with different post-16 providers and employers, in addition to attending a mock interview with one of the school’s business partners. Parents and students in years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 are invited to attend a Careers Fair in December.
- To ensure adequate support for students with special educational needs (SEN) or disabilities.
Students should receive independent and impartial advice about all of the mainstream education, training and employment opportunities on offer, regardless of their individual circumstances. For those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, this advice should also include information on the full range of specialist provision that is available and what additional support is available to enable them to access the provision.
How this is achieved – Students with SEN are identified at the beginning of the year and are prioritised for individual IAG/Careers intervention.
- To work with the Local Education Authority
Local authorities will be required to assist the most vulnerable young people and those at risk of disengaging with education or work under the duties referred to in paragraph 11 of the statutory guidance. Local authorities are also expected to have arrangements in place to ensure that 16 and 17 year olds have agreed post-16 plans and have received an offer of a suitable place in post-16 education or training under the ‘September Guarantee’, and that they are assisted to take up a place. This will become increasingly important as the participation age is raised.
To enable local authorities to fulfil these duties, they will continue to track young people’s participation and record this on the local Client Caseload Information System (CCIS) in order to identify those who are not participating post-16, or are in need of targeted support. This includes information that helps to identify those at risk of ending up not in education, employment or training (NEET) post 16, young people’s post-16 plans and the offers they receive along with their current circumstances and activities.
From September 2013, Section 13 of the 2008 Education and Skills Act places a duty on all schools to notify local authorities whenever a 16 or 17 year old leaves an education or training programme before completion.
How this is achieved – Ridgeway aims to reduce the number of students not in education, employment or training post 16. This is done by providing CEIAG to all and identifying these early on to ensure all students succeed.
The SENCO also works with the local authority team to support students who have Education Health Care Plans (EHCP).
- To work with education and training providers
Schools have a responsibility to act impartially and recognise where it may be in the best interests of some students to pursue their further education. This may include A levels, Apprenticeships and vocational options. This will require schools to establish and maintain links with local education and training providers, including further education colleges and work-based education and training providers, to ensure that young people are aware of the full range of academic and vocational options, including Apprenticeships.
Schools are also encouraged to arrange visits for 14-16 year olds to local colleges, work-based education and training providers and universities and, where appropriate, to supplement these with local college and work-based education and training provider prospectuses being made available to students to assist informed decision making.
How this is achieved –F. Monaghan and A. Amer contact external providers to attend the Ridgeway Careers event in December. This is also supported by visits to local colleges, industries etc. and arranging for visits to the school.
Monitoring, Review and Evaluation:
A framework for monitoring the delivery of the CEIAG programme is found in the Partnership Agreement with Career Connect and Ridgeway are currently working towards the Career Connect Quality Award for Excellence in Careers Education, information, Advice and Guidance.
Ridgeway High analyses student destination information, feedback from students, parents and carers to inform its CEIAG programme. The SLA with Career Connect is reviewed annually by the CEIAG Coordinator and the SLT link for Careers. The school’s career education and guidance programme is reviewed annually using the CDI’s Framework for Careers, Employability and Enterprise (CDI, January 2016), and via consultation with Career Connect Quality Award Assessor to identify areas for improvement. A progress report will be submitted to the SMT and Governors termly.
Key Staff
Governor link to Careers – Jane Gordon
SLT Careers – Adam Samy
WRL Coordinator – Francis Monaghan
Head of Learning for Life – Gemma Moran
Connexions Advisor – Faye Rafferty
Academic Mentor Key Stage 4 – Andrea Amer
SENCO - Sue Pelter
Year Manager – Jeanette Roberts
Approvals
Head teacher : ......
Link Governor: ......
CEIAG Coordinator: ......
Date for next annual review: January 2017
CEIAG PolicyRidgeway High School2016
[i]The revised (March 2015) STATUTORY GUIDANCE TO SCHOOLS ON THEIR CAREERS GUIDANCE DUTY includes in Paragraph 67 the following which is in effect the 3 pronged approach supported by the Quality in Careers Consortium, the CDI and the Careers Alliance. Please refer to: