CEIAG (Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance)

At The Prescot School, careers information, advice and guidance (CIAG) is offered and delivered through a wide range of integrated programmes from Years 7 to 13. ‘Careers’ forms an important part of our wider strategy and aims to meet and exceed the statutory requirements to provide impartial advice and guidance to all our students. The careers programmes we deliver also link to important polices that promote equality and diversity.

We know that effective careers advice has a positive and direct impact on a student’s aspirations and motivation to succeed. As such, we aim to meet all 8 of the Gatsby ‘gold standard’ benchmarks that promote effective careers delivery in schools.

The eight Gatsby ‘benchmarks’ of Good Career Guidance are:

1. To provide a stable careers programme
2. Learn from career and labour market information (and adapt accordingly)
3. Address the needs of each pupil i.e. understand their individual aspirations
4. Linking the student’s curriculum learning to careers
5. Providing encounters with employers and employees (for each year group)
6. Providing experiences of the workplace
7. Providing encounters with further and higher education providers (including Apprenticeship providers)
8. Ensuring personal guidance is available and offered to all students

Our careers programmes are regularly reviewed using this model as a benchmark; ensuring its ultimate fitness for purpose.

Baker Clause Access – Student Entitlement

Students are entitled to:

• find out about apprenticeship, employment and alternative technical training opportunities as part of a 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 and national providers about the opportunities they offer, including technical education and apprenticeships – through options evenings, assemblies and group discussions and taster events.
• understand how to make applications for the full range of academic and technical courses.

Baker Clause Statement

This statement sets out the school’s arrangements for managing the access of providers to students 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.

As part of our CEIAG programme, we will consider requests from approved training, apprenticeship and vocational education providers to speak to students. We also approach these providers when planning and organising key CEIAG events throughout the school year.

All requests should be emailed at least six weeks in advance of an expected date for the planned session.

In the first instance, requests by providers should be sent to CHaigh@prescotschool.org.uk and should include:

• The proposed format, timings and duration of the planned session.
• The number of staff from the provider’s organisation who propose to visit.
• Any support requirements needed from the school.
• All requests will be given due consideration from the designated Careers Leader and Senior Leadership. Requests will be considered against:
• Clashes with other planned activities or visits.
• Interruption to preparation for public or internal examinations.
• Availability of school staff, space and resources to host the session.

The Executive Principal/Head of School may refuse a request if it would be likely to be detrimental to the safety or wellbeing of students or staff, or if granting the request would be likely to bring the school or the Trust into disrepute.

For questions on this policy statement or the wider CEIAG programme at The Prescot School, please do not hesitate to contact us.

• We use the 'Compass evaluation tool' to assess ongoing progress in relation to the eight Gatsby Benchmarks.
• The Careers Action Plan is reviewed each Year and link to specific Year groups and their Career needs.
• The Careers Learning Journey and planning documents are reviewed and adapted yearly to monitor their relevance to our pupil and community needs.

The following steps are in place to evaluate the effectiveness of the careers programme each year. The evaluation cycle involves:

• Review of the content of the Careers programme with a focus on outcomes for learners.
• Focus on the delivery of the programme and evidence of impact on pupils through pupil voice, careers interviews, learning walks as part of the school Quality Assurance programme and monitoring external providers and events.
• Evaluation process including using feedback to adapt the programme to continuously improve it so it meets the objectives

The evaluation also involves looking at a range of evidence such as:

• Book look data
• Destinations data
• Reduction in NEET figures
• Feedback from students e.g. their understanding of different careers and pathways

Feedback from other stakeholders includes:

• Parents/carers
• Careers and Enterprise Coordinator
• Enterprise Advisor
• Teachers
• Governors
• Employers
• Post 16 Option providers

An outline of the evaluation schedule is as follows:

• Are we making the best use of the resources we have allocated for careers work?

• The effectiveness of different guidance interventions, e.g. one-to one interviews, small group work, drop-in sessions
• Are we optimising students' learning from the careers programme?
• Evaluation of Activities up to the end of the Summer term
• How well are students succeeding in taking the next steps in their education, training or employment that are 'right for them'?
• The effectiveness of the Year 9 options process
• The destinations achieved at the end of KS4 e.g. Careers Advice and Guidance, Apprenticeship etc.

• Knowsley Community College
• St Helens College
• The City of Liverpool College
• Carmel College
• Riverside College
• Cronton Sixth Form College
• Hugh Baird College
• Myerscough College
• Liverpool Media Academy
• LIPA Sixth Form College
• National Careers Service
• Career Connect
• UCAS
• Apply for an Apprenticeship (Government website)