Careers
At Great Oaks Small School we want to ensure that all our students understand how their education equips them with the skills, knowledge, behaviours and attitudes for their future career.
We believe that good quality careers guidance helps students to make well-informed and meaningful choices about their future and supports students to prepare for their next steps such as further learning, work (employment, self-employment, volunteering), training and their next adventure or challenge.
Our Careers Education programme will support students to:
- Develop themselves through careers, employability and enterprise education
- Learn about careers and the world of work
- Develop skills to manage their careers, employability and enterprise skills
Through use of a variety of mediums and activities, Great Oaks Small School ensures that all students are offered a full balanced curriculum accommodates the additional learning needs and the social communication needs for students with autism and reflected in the student’s EHCP Outcomes.
We are ambitious for our students and want them all to enjoy and achieve during their time at school. We will work with families and carers to encourage all to aspire to achieve the best that they can in order to achieve the best possible life opportunities. Great Oaks Small School will provide all students in the school with age-appropriate impartial advice and guidance throughout their school career.
We aim to meet statutory expectations in relation to careers by:
- Providing impartial careers guidance for all our students from Year 7 to 14 and we will pay particular regard to the DfE’s principles of good practice, OFSTED inspection criteria and the CDI framework with regard to fulfilling CEIAG duties.
- We are continuing to develop our provision for all our students both as stand-alone ‘moments’ as well as Careers-related provision inter-woven through the curriculum, dedicated careers lessons and bespoke careers events and experiences.
- Fulfilling our duties under the Equality Act 2010 to promote equality of opportunity, foster good relations amongst all people, eliminate harassment and discriminatory practices and support children with protected characteristics.
- Having a named Careers Leader for Great Oaks Small School – Lorraine Vincent
- We also act in line with the ‘Baker Clause’, to be impartial and not show bias towards any route, be that academic or technical.
Our Careers Programme
Our school has an embedded careers programme that aims to inform and encourage students to consider their career options and take steps to understand their choices and pathways. We provide statutory independent careers guidance to all students from year 7 onwards.
Our programme has been developed to meet the expectations outlined in the Gatsby Benchmarks:
- A stable careers programme with a career’s leader
- Learning from career and labour market information
- Addressing the needs of each student
- Linking curriculum learning to careers
- Encounters with employers and employees
- Experience of workplaces
- Encounters with further and higher education
- Personal guidance
Our programme doesn’t show bias towards any particular career path and promotes a full range of technical and academic options for students.
It is structured in a way that builds upon previous years, and the overarching aim is divided between the Key Stages so that students are encouraged to think appropriately about their future. See Appendix 3
Our careers programme is delivered through a number of methods, including:
- PSHE/Careers lessons
- Teacher-led discussion
- Displays, careers events
- Guest speakers
- Visits to external careers events, workplaces, training and education providers,
- Participation in STEM activities and Events
Key Stage 3 (Years 7 – 9)
Our Key Stage 3 careers programme will support students in their planning and choices of GCSE subjects and exploring future career ideas and pathways. This includes:
- KS4 Subject Taster sessions
- Career guidance meetings with students and their parents/carers
- Careers lessons as part of PSHE
- Use of the XELLO careers computer programme
- Enterprise Challenge
- STEM activities
- Employer Encounters
Key Stage 4 (Years 10 – 11)
Our Key Stage 4 careers programme aims to help students research and understand their choices and routes into education and training. This includes:
- Career guidance meetings
- Careers lessons as part of PSHE
- Use of the XELLO careers computer programme
- Visits to external Education & Training Providers
- Guest speakers
- Employer Encounters
- External careers fairs & events
- Work experience opportunities
- Enterprise Challenge
- Transition Support
- Work experience
- STEM activities
Key Stage 5 (Years 12 – 14)
Our Key Stage 5 careers programme supports students in planning for their future, including university and alternative pathways. This includes:
- Career guidance meetings
- Careers lessons as part of PSHE
- Use of the XELLO careers computer programme
- Visits to external Further and Higher Education & Training Providers
- Support with UCAS application, Student Finance and Student Support
- Guest speakers
- Employability Programme
- Employer encounters
- External careers fairs & events HE encounters
- Work experience opportunities
We expect all our students will follow the same careers programme that meets the Gatsby Benchmarks, with adjustments and additional support as needed.
Our careers leader will work with teachers and, where appropriate, professionals from relevant organisations, to put in place personalised support and transition plans. This may include meetings with students and their families to discuss education, training and employment opportunities, supported internships and transition plans into further or higher education.
Our careers leader may, as appropriate, invite adults with disabilities and alumni to visit and share their experience and advice.
