At James Calvert Spence College we are determined to ensure every child has personalised career education and guidance to inspire aspirational and appropriate destinations for when students leave us at the end of Key Stage 4 and 5. The aim of Careers Education Information Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) curriculum is to ensure our students are well informed about the world of work, whilst developing employability skills that will allow learners to take ownership of their own career development.
At JCSC, CEIAG takes place throughout the curriculum, within tutor time, during assemblies, alongside school trips and benefits from external speakers. Whether your child is seeking full time employment, an apprenticeship, or a pathway into college and university, we will ensure your child is able to make an informed and supported decision on their future. As a school we are currently working with Teach First, North East LEP and Northumberland CEIAG Network to further develop the CEIAG curriculum to maximise the opportunities we can share with our students.
Students in years 11-13 have access to careers information in the dedicated Careers Google Classroom where opportunities, events and information are shared.
CAREERS EVENTS & WORK EXPERIENCE GALLERY
If you would be interested in having a presence at our school Careers Fair, offer work experience placements to our students or would like to discuss opportunities to enhance our curriculum, please contact our Head of Sixth Form and Careers Lead, James Moore: jmoore01@jcsc.co.uk.
OUR CONNECTIONS
Our Careers and Destinations offer sits within our Personal Development provision of Our Connections, designed to be both strategically planned and reactive to the emerging needs of our pupils and community.
Our Connections is designed to support students in connecting with and exploring who they are whilst instilling a sense of pride in taking a responsible role within their community and country.
WAVES
Our Careers provision is targeted through three waves:
Wave 1 – Whole school access for all. Wave one includes assemblies, career fairs, guest speakers and tutorial sessions. All students are provided with meaningful experiences of the world of work. A key intention of this Wave is to expose all students to a wide range of careers in order to challenge their preconceptions.
Wave 2 – Key year group specific intervention/ encounters. Wave two focuses on providing year group specific experiences at hinge points within their educational journey. A key intention of this Wave is to ensure students are provided with bespoke advice and support to enable them to make important decisions about their future. This also allows for students to engage in meaningful experiences within the workplace.
Wave 3 – Targeted provision (including those at Risk of NEET and EHCP). Wave three will be data informed to provide tailored opportunities to students most in need of support.
WHOLE SCHOOL CAREERS PLAN
INDIVIDUAL GUIDANCE
When it comes to defining moments during a child’s school experience it is vital they have the opportunity to discuss their options and opportunities thoroughly with a qualified member of staff who can offer the best guidance. When students are selecting GCSE options at the end of Year 9 every student will meet with Mr Gaines, whilst every Year 11 and 13 student will have a 1-1 interview with Mr Moore.
Additionally, all learners in years 11, and 13 have a minimum of one compulsory 1 hour session with the schools careers adviser from Northumberland County Council. Following each meeting students will receive an action plan for their next steps and a summary of the key points from their meeting. Further drop in sessions with Mr Moore are also available.
Parents/carers can request after-school appointments by contacting the schools main office, and career guidance is also available during parents evenings.
STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS
Students who require further support in making an informed decision on their future are provided with a tailored experience to make their next steps either with external providers or ourselves, as smooth as possible. Students will be provided with additional 1-1 careers guidance meetings if required, and arrangements to visit external providers can be made. Students with an Education Health Care Plan will also be supported by Northumberland County Council and the school’s SENCO throughout their annual reviews.
HOW WE MEASURE THE SUCCESS OF OUR CEIAG CURRICULUM
A key measure of the success of our CEIAG curriculum is through the destination data we collect at Year 11, 12 and 13. This highlights the exciting opportunities students have embraced after leaving JCSC. CEIAG has also been a key focus within teaching staff continued professional development as we seek to embed careers links throughout our whole school curriculum. Furthermore, we gather student voice through tutor time and parent voice during parents evenings to gather a feel of whether students feel well supported, informed and guided on their future.
As a school, we are striving towards fully achieving the GATSBY Benchmarks of good career guidance. JCSC was involved in the pilot of the GATSBY benchmarks within the North East and we are proud to say we seek to embed these benchmarks into every aspect of our CEIAG delivery. Through the help of Teach First and North East LEP we constantly reflect on our practice and review how we can fully achieve every benchmark each term. In addition, each Director reports back to the careers lead through their SEF summary sheets on how careers is being applied within their directorate.
The benchmarks include:
- A stable career programme
- Learning from career and labour market information
- Addressing the needs of each pupil
- Linking curriculum learning to careers
- Encounters with employers and employees
- Experiences of workplaces
- Encounters with further and higher education
- Personal guidance
EXTERNAL RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS
Globalbridge
The careers platform Globalbridge allows students to showcase their interests and talents to explore careers opportunities and make future career connections. Our Sixth Form students have been working with this platform since September 2022.
Find apprenticeships online
The GOV.UK Find an apprenticeship page is great way of finding Apprenticeships of all levels in your local area or chosen field.
IFATE Occupational Maps
The maps group together occupations with related knowledge, skills and behaviours into 15 routes. This makes it easier to see how they relate to one another. We call them maps because they help people navigate the technical education landscape.
The maps show occupational standards which are employer-led descriptions of occupations. These standards describe each occupation, including its duties and required KSB’s. IfATE’s apprenticeships and technical education products are based on these standards.
Careerometer
Students and parents alike tells us they find the following careers labour market information widget useful. The careerometer widget allows you to explore and compare different career options.
Would you like to be involved in our careers curriculum?
If you are an external provider, business or employer we are always seeking to widen our network and increase the opportunities we can offer our students, we would love to hear from you.
Head of Sixth Form, James Moore
Email: jmoore01@jcsc.co.uk
Tel: 01665 710636