Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG)

Our Careers Leader is Ms Vicki Way.

If you have any queries about careers, higher education, apprenticeships or work experience please contact Ms Way on 02476 642400 or by email way.v@st-thomas-more.net

Our Careers Leader works closely with the relevant staff in school, including the designated teacher for children in care, special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) and Careers Adviser, to identify the guidance needs of all pupils in care or previously in care, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and helps put in place personalised support and a transition plan. Mrs Way will attend Annual Review meetings for those students in Year 9 onwards as there is a clear focus on 'Preparation for Adulthood'. She also supports heads of faculty and teachers to build careers education and guidance into subjects across the curriculum.

Children in care are offered specialist careers guidance in preparation for transition. Personal Education Plans include careers and next steps and this forms part of the PEP review meetings.

Our Careers Link Governor is Mr Micheal Green

(Chair of the Education Standards Committee).

In line with our Provider Access Policy, Elaine Wainwright is our Careers Adviser from Prospects, offering impartial information, advice and guidance to young people aged 13-19.

Elaine is based at St Thomas More and works with students throughout the year in school. Elaine is based in the Careers Hub and students are able to drop in and see her, or contact her via Mrs Way or their form tutors. If parents/carers wish to contact Elaine, they can do so by calling her mobile, the school on 02476 642400 or arranging an appointment at parents evenings. Elaine is also present at review meetings for students with special educational needs.

If you wish to contact Elaine, please call 07702862225 or email: elaine.wainwright@prospects.co.uk

Gatsby Benchmarks

St Thomas More Catholic Academy & Sixth Form College conform to the Gatsby Benchmarks, measuring and assessing the impact of our Careers programme against the benchmarks.

We aim to ensure pupils are given opportunities within each benchmark which will allow them to explore different career paths and receive good careers guidance.

The Gatsby Good Career Guidance states that "Every young person needs high-quality career guidance to make informed decisions about their future. Good career guidance is a necessity for social mobility: those young people without significant social capital or home support to draw upon have the most to gain from high-quality career guidance."

More information on Gatsby Benchmarks can be found by following this link: https://www.gatsby.org.uk/education/focus-areas/good-career-guidance

What are the Gatsby Benchmarks?

The Careers and Enterprise Company state that "The Gatsby Benchmarks were developed on behalf of the Gatsby Foundation by Sir John Holman, which aimed to highlight what ‘good careers work’ looked like. They provide a clear framework for organising the careers provision at your school or college. These benchmarks have been accepted as best practice by the Government and as a Careers Leader, it is your responsibility to oversee the implementation of the benchmarks in your school, special school or college."

At St Thomas More Academy and Sixth Form College, we adhere to the Gatsby Benchmarks set out in the "Gatsby Good Career Guidance" Report 2014 which asks that schools incorporate the eight benchmarks into their curriculum and offer students opportunities to meet them. From 2020, this became a statutory requirement for maintained schools, academies, further education colleges and sixth form colleges. to follow the Gatsby Benchmarks to aid in the provision of careers within education.

The 8 Gatsby Benchmarks are:

A stable careers programme
Learning from careers and labour market information
Addressing the needs of each student
Linking curriculum learning to careers
Encounters with employers and employees
Experiences of workplaces
Encounters with further and higher education providers
Personal guidance

The benchmarks form the basis of our careers programme and link closely with our Compass Trackers, where records of how we meet these benchmarks are kept.

The Gatsby Good Career Guidance can be found here - https://www.gatsby.org.uk/uploads/education/reports/pdf/gatsby-sir-john-holman-good-career-guidance-2014.pdf

Benchmarks 284x300

School Leaving Age

The Government has increased the age that all young people in England must continue in education or training. Pupils starting from September 2013 onwards will need to continue until at least their 18th birthday.

This does not mean young people must stay in school. They will be able to choose from:

Full-time education (e.g. at a school sixth form or college) an apprenticeship or trainee ship
Part-time education or training combined with one of the following:
Employment or self-employment for 20 hours or more a week
Volunteering for 20 hours or more a week

This information will all be included within careers interviews/meetings.

What to expect from a Careers Interview

Your careers interview will be an opportunity for you to discuss you future aspirations and plans with Elaine. Prior to your interview you will need to spend some time thinking about what you want to do when you leave school in Year 11, and whether you want to move on to Sixth Form, College or an Apprenticeship/Training and what courses you want to study. If you are unsure, this is your time to ask Elaine lots of questions and get as much advice as possible to help you make some key decisions.

Priority is given to children in care and SEND students who are seen on numerous occasions by our careers adviser. Our Careers Lead and Careers Adviser work closely with the SEND team to ensure that SEND students' needs are met.

Not everyone knows what they want to do when they leave school so Vicki, Elaine and the careers team at St Thomas More are here to help you make the right decisions for you and move you forward along the right path.

Assessing the Impact of Careers Provision

We measure and assess the impact of the careers provision at St Thomas More by:-

Holding fortnightly meetings with the Principal and Careers Lead
Issuing student questionnaires following every career related activity
Termly review of Compass Tracker
Termly review of compliance with Gatsby Benchmarks
Termly review with Prospects Careers Adviser
Questionnaires and feedback from external providers eg. Careers Fair exhibitors
Impact review in regards to Holy Spirit Experience

Date of next review: October 2023

Encounters with Technical Education or Training

We are committed to providing a minimum of six encounters with technical education or training providers to all pupils in years 8 to 13. This was introduced by the Skills and Post-16 Act 2022 on 1 January 2023. Our careers programme outlines the details of these encounters.

National Careers Service

https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/about-us

Support for Adults

There is a service available to adults that offers free information, advice and guidance called The National Careers Service. If you are 18 and over you can receive support for the following: 

CVs, Interview skills,
Job search
Careers Advice
Courses/training,
Applications forms
Funding

If you would like to see a Careers Service Adviser please contact 07702 862225 or email: elaine.wainwright@Prospects.co.uk or alternatively please visit https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/about-us

Prospects support and guidance documents

Decision Making at 16+

An overview of all of your options at the end of Year11 including A levels, Apprenticeships, T levels, Traineeships, BTECs & Employment.

Prospects_Decision_Making_at_16__April_2022

Looking for a job

A guide to searching for a job, application forms, CV writing & interview skills.

Prospects_-_Looking_For_A_Job_April_2022.pdf

Helpful University websites

A guide to the University application process and UCAS as well as a number of university websites and other useful information for students aiming to progress to Higher education.

Prospects_-_Helpful_University_Websites_April_2022__1_.pdf