Careers (CEIAG)
Caldecott School understands that preparing pupils for life after school is an important part of their development. From Primary through to Secondary we aim to give pupils numerous encounters with a wide range of employers to challenge stereotypes and raise aspirations.
Pupils from Years 7-11 will have access to independent and impartial careers guidance focusing on the specific needs of the individual student to promote self-awareness and personal development.
Participation in career and work-related learning activities gives individuals valuable opportunities to discover more about themselves: who they are, how they are changing and who they could possibly become. We understand the delicate balance of raising aspirations while managing realistic expectations.
We aim to engage parents and carers at all stages, and we encourage them to be fully involved with their child’s decisions about their future. We are committed to using the Gatsby Foundation’s 8 benchmarks of Good Career Guidance to develop the careers programme and tailor this to meet and support each pupil’s individual needs.
https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/careers-leaders/gatsby-benchmarks/
https://resources.careersandenterprise.co.uk/resources/gatsby-benchmark-toolkit-send
As part of their entitlement, students have access to a range of external providers, to ensure they learn about approved technical qualifications and apprenticeships as well as alternative provisions and supported internships.
If you are interested in working with Caldecott School, please contact the Careers Leader or see our careers and provider access policy.
Who to contact for more information:
Clair Turner (careers lead)
clair.turner@caldecottfoundation.co.uk
01303 815685 / 07392 08258
Monitoring and Evaluation
To understand that events and activities delivered within our career programme are suitable and fit for purpose , it is essential that they are evaluated regularly.
The programme must engage pupils and provide the necessary facts that are both meaningful and informative.
Our Careers programme is monitored in a number of ways.
Using the Careers and Enterprise Compass tool we are able to evaluate our careers activity against Gatsby’s eight benchmarks of best practice. This report is completed once a year.
Pupil voice and parent/carer questionnaires are collated after each event and this feedback is invaluable to measure the impact of each activity.
An annual report will be submitted to the Board of Governors for discussion.
Work Experience
Work experience should be an integral part of a young person’s development and should prepare them for the transition from life at school to work. The aims of our established work experience programme is to give pupils;
- an understanding of the work environment and what employers expect of their workers
- an opportunity to explore possible career options
- increased self-understanding, maturity, independence and self-confidence
- increased motivation to continue study and/or undertake further training
- a better understanding of how the school curriculum can help prepare young people for work
- an introduction to workplace recruitment practices
- enhanced opportunities for part-time and casual employment
- the opportunity to include the employer’s work experience evaluation in future job and course applications
- the chance to ‘try out’ a workplace
Work Experience is offered to all year 10 and 11 pupils and where possible we attempt to match them to their particular interests. Initial placements are for one day a week for 6 weeks and can be extended if both parties are happy to do so.
Partnership: We work in partnership with a variety of local companies who provide a wide range of opportunities for the pupils. These include Ashford International Model Railway Education Centre(AIMREC), who have worked with pupils to engage them in some quality work experience while working towards personal targets.