A HANDBOOK FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS GOOD CAREER GUIDANCE REACHING THE GATSBY BENCHMARKS 01 CONTENTS FOREWORD 4. FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS SIR JOHN HOLMAN 02 RAISING ASPIRATIONS AND TACKLING STEREOTYPES FOREWORD 26 RYAN GIBSON 5. FURTHER 03 CONSIDERATIONS WWW.GOODCAREERGUIDANCE.ORG.UK ABOUT THIS HANDBOOK CAREERS LEADERS 04 30 1. THE IMPORTANCE OF 6. FURTHER CAREER GUIDANCE CONSIDERATIONS 06 UNDERSTANDING THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF 2. THE GATSBY CAREER TECHNICAL EDUCATION BENCHMARKS 32 08 7. FURTHER SUPPORT ON 3. ACHIEVING THE YOUR JOURNEY TO GOOD BENCHMARKS CAREER GUIDANCE EXPERIENCES FROM THE NORTH 36 EAST PILOT AND PRACTICAL TIPS TO HELP YOUR SCHOOL ANNEX A: 10 THE NORTH EAST PILOT 38 Cover image: Illustration by Cath Riley 02 03 FOREWORD It has been a humbling experience to see how the hard work and dedication of the schools and colleges involved has directly resulted in such a positive change to the lives of the young people they serve I first realised the importance of career The landscape is changing for career Over the last few years it has been my Throughout this pilot, the North East LEP guidance when I was a headteacher. guidance. Not only has the Government pleasure to lead Gatsby’s career guidance supported these schools and colleges in Many young people rely on their parents given clear backing with its new strategy; pilot, testing the implementation of forging new relationships and creating new and families to guide them through school The Careers & Enterprise Company is the Gatsby Benchmarks in schools and systems and structures both within and and beyond, towards a fruitful career. making fundamental changes to the colleges across the North East. Before between institutions. I would encourage But even the best-informed families may support available for schools and colleges joining the North East Local Enterprise you to seek out the equivalent local give incomplete or even stereotyped across all eight Gatsby Benchmarks. Rapid Partnership to lead this work, I was an support on offer to your school or college. advice. School is the place where all changes in online information and ‘big assistant headteacher at a secondary The Careers & Enterprise Company students, whatever their family background, data’ mean that up-to-date labour market school in South Tyneside, where I saw Enterprise Coordinators, hosted across can get unbiased information, advice information is readily available to schools, first-hand the positive impact that good the country, are a great place to start. and guidance on the whole range of students and parents, wherever they are. career guidance can have on students. In the North East we are now rolling out career pathways. Changes to technical education mean I have always believed that careers our support for the Benchmarks across the options open to young people to guidance is important for each and every the region. I am pleased that the Department follow apprentice and technical routes young person, whatever their ambitions for Education has used the Gatsby It has been a humbling experience to see are clearer and wider than ever. or background – a value that sits firmly Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance how the hard work and dedication of the at the heart of the Benchmarks. as the core framework for the Careers I hope that this handbook helps your schools and colleges involved has directly Strategy, Making the Most of Everyone’s school understand how to be part of a It is important to understand that the resulted in such a positive change to the Skills and Talents, launched in December step change in career guidance across experience of each school and college lives of the young people they serve. This 2017, and the Statutory Guidance, Careers England, supporting every young person in the pilot was different. They all had handbook shares some of the stories and guidance and access for education and to make decisions that lead to a positive different starting points and a different experiences from the pilot, and I hope this training providers, published in January and fulfilling life. set of strengths and challenges (and you information can help inspire you on your 2018. The eight Gatsby Benchmarks can learn more about these schools and journey to implementing the Benchmarks. define an ambitious framework for career colleges in Annex A). As a result, their guidance that works for schools, employers solutions and approaches to achieving and, most importantly, young people and the Benchmarks were varied. However, their families. The Benchmarks are based every school and college found that the on international best practice, but they Benchmarks created a clear framework have been tested in a pilot in schools and Sir John Holman, that helped coordinate activity across colleges in North East England. The pilot Senior Advisor to the Gatsby Foundation the whole school, from subject teachers Ryan Gibson, showed that with good leadership and a April 2018 to governors and administration staff. Facilitator of the Gatsby career pilot, clear sense of purpose, the Benchmarks The Benchmarks also helped external North East LEP are achievable by each and every school. stakeholders, such as employers, clearly April 2018 see where they could fit into a school’s careers programme. 04 ABOUT THIS HANDBOOK THIS HANDBOOK IS DESIGNED TO HELP SECONDARY SCHOOLS CREATE A CAREER GUIDANCE PROGRAMME FRAMED BY THE GATSBY CAREER BENCHMARKS. WE HOPE IT WILL BE PARTICULARLY USEFUL FOR HEADTEACHERS AND CAREERS LEADERS WHO HAVE RESPONSIBILITY FOR OVERSEEING THEIR SCHOOL’S CAREERS PROGRAMME. The handbook introduces the Benchmarks, Several themes run through the THE CAREERS & which describe all the elements of good Benchmarks, such as the use of data, ENTERPRISE COMPANY career guidance in schools. However, we providing advice on all progression routes, The Careers Strategy, published in recognise that every school is different, the need to focus on each and every December 2017, identifies a broader and context is critical to designing a student, and the need for strong school role for The Careers & Enterprise careers programme. This handbook is leadership. We explore some of these Company across all eight of the Gatsby therefore not a prescriptive ‘step-by-step’ themes in the ‘further considerations’ Benchmarks. At the heart of its mission guide. Instead we present a series of sections towards the end of the handbook. to inspire young people about the world case studies and suggested approaches We hope this handbook can act as a of work is a highly successful national developed by the broad range of schools starting point for your journey, and we network, connecting schools and colleges, and colleges involved in the successful have included a list of key organisations to employers and career programme pilot of the Benchmarks. help you further. We have also put together providers. The impact of their work a more extensive list of recommended can be seen in many of the stories organisations on our website, where in this handbook, and we encourage you can also find an online version of this all schools to make use of the extensive handbook (which includes direct weblinks support it provides. to organisations or documents when they are mentioned in the text). The website address is: www.goodcareerguidance.org.uk Right: Students at Kenton School 06 07 1 THE IMPORTANCE OF CAREER GUIDANCE GOOD CAREER GUIDANCE IS THE KEY TO SOCIAL MOBILITY: IT IS ABOUT SHOWING YOUNG PEOPLE – WHATEVER THEIR SOCIAL AND FAMILY BACKGROUND – THE OPTIONS OPEN TO THEM, AND HELPING THEM MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES TO SET THEM ON THE PATH TO REWARDING FUTURE CAREERS. This is particularly important for young Only through schools can we be sure We see careers education as a driving force behind the social mobility of people who come from families without that every young person gets the advice experience of higher education, or who they need, and that this advice is in their our students. With 45 per cent of our students qualifying as Pupil Premium, live in areas of deprivation, or whose best interest, and theirs alone. Ofsted many do not have access to the role models and social networks required to ethnicity or gender is underrepresented recognise the importance of career in certain occupations. Good career guidance and reference its importance develop their employability skills; we hope to open their eyes to careers they guidance is about raising aspirations, throughout their inspection framework. perhaps won’t have ever considered. As a result, careers education is a key aiming high and avoiding making any For some young people, university may assumptions about the limits on a young focus of our Academy and an integral part of our Academy development plan. offer the best route after school. For person’s options. It’s about accepting others, technical routes or apprenticeships The Benchmarks have provided a clear framework to help us to develop that while some subjects – for example may be better. Many schools and teachers science and mathematics – may seem our careers provision across all areas of the curriculum find it easier to advise on the university harder than others, they may open route, because that is the route that many more doors. teachers took themselves. However, good career guidance means showing all students all the options open to them, whichever route they eventually take. JANET BRIDGES OBE, PRINCIPAL, CASTLE VIEW ENTERPRISE ACADEMY Right: Year 12 students from Churchill Community College on placement at Printed.com as part of their school’s innovative new approach to experiences of workplaces 08 09 Benchmark Summary Criteria 2 1 A STABLE Every school and college should have an – Every school should have a stable, structured careers programme CAREERS embedded programme of career education that has the explicit backing of the senior management team, and has and guidance that is known and understood an identified and appropriately trained person responsible for it.