Kingsway Park High School
Kingsway Park High School

Careers

Kingsway Park High School Careers Information Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) for students, parents and employers

Overview

At Kingsway Park High School, all students take part in a careers education, information, advice, and guidance (CEIAG) programme.

The programme:

  • Aims to inspire as well as inform and guide students.
  • Is centred around the student and their needs.
  • Is integrated into the students’ experience of the whole curriculum.
  • Encourages all students to consider their career throughout Key Stage 3 and 4
  • Encourages all students to develop decision making skills.
  • Provides each student with high quality, impartial advice.
  • Raises aspirations and promotes equality and diversity.

As a result of our work with Greater Manchester Apprenticeship & Careers Service (GMACS), all students use Xello (an online platform) to build up their career profiles, research further and higher education opportunities and complete a range of online assignments aimed at making students self-aware and allowing students to recognise and develop their personal attributes and employability skills.

There are many options available to young people at different stages of their education. “What to choose? Which route to take?” etc can be confusing. There are lots of exciting possibilities. Kingsway Park High School believes it is important that students are given access to good quality, impartial advice and guidance about courses, careers and their general wellbeing for the future. We want every young person in the school to be able to make the right choices for their future and to be confident about those choices. Our Careers Policy, outlining our aims and provision, is available under the Policy and Guidance section of our website

Miss Ozluk is our Careers Mentor and is available for students for drop-in appointments at break/lunchtime in the Careers Hub. She is also the first point of call for parents/carers and employers. She can be contacted via the Careers email address lozluk@kingswaypark.org or by phone 01706 716761

Mr Weaver is the Careers SLT link and oversees the work of the Careers department. He can be contacted via the email address info@kingswaypark.org or by phone 01706 716761.

Gatsby Benchmarks & The Baker Clause

The eight Gatbsy Benchmarks are the framework for good career guidance developed to support schools in providing students with the best possible careers education, information, advice, and guidance which we are implementing at Kingsway Park High School.

Benchmarks

Criteria

1. A stable careers programme

Every school should have a stable, structured careers programme that has the explicit backing of the senior management team and has an identified and appropriately trained person responsible for it.

The careers programme should be published on the school’s website in a way that enables students, parents, teachers and employers to access and understand it. The programme should be regularly evaluated with feedback from students, parents, teachers and employers as part of the evaluation process.

2. Learning from career and labour market information

By the age of 14, all students should have accessed and used information about career paths and the labour market to inform their own decisions on study options.

Parents should be encouraged to access and use information about labour markets and future study options to inform their support to their children.

3. Addressing the needs of each student

A school’s careers programme should actively seek to challenge stereotypical thinking and raise aspirations.

Schools should keep systematic records of the individual advice given to each student, and subsequent agreed decisions. All students should have access to these records to support their career development.

Schools should collect and maintain accurate data for each student on their education, training or employment destinations for at least three years after they leave the school.
4. Linking curriculum learning to careers

 

 By the age of 14, every student should have had the opportunity to learn how the different STEM subjects help people to gain entry to, and be more effective workers within, a wide range of careers.

 

5. Encounters with employers and employees

Every year, from the age of 11, students should participate in at least one meaningful encounter*with an employer. *A ‘meaningful encounter’ is one in which the student has an opportunity to learn about what work is like or what it takes to be successful in the workplace.

6. Experiences of workplaces

By the age of 16, every student should have had at least one experience of a workplace, additional to any part-time jobs they may have.

By the age of 18, every student should have had one further such experience, additional to any part-time jobs they may have.

 

7. Encounters with further and higher education

By the age of 16, every student should have had a meaningful encounter* with providers of the full range of learning opportunities, including sixth forms, colleges, universities and apprenticeship providers. This should include the opportunity to meet both staff and students. * A ‘meaningful encounter’ is one in which the student has an opportunity to explore what it is like to learn in that environment.

By the age of 18, all students who are considering applying for university should have had at least two visits to universities to meet staff and students.

8. Personal guidance

Every student should have at least one such interview by the age of 16, and the opportunity for a further interview by the age of 18.

The Baker Clause

Introduced in 2018, the Baker Clause was authored by the former education secretary, Lord Kenneth Baker. The guidance stipulates that schools must allow colleges and training providers to access every student in years 7-13 to discuss non-academic routes that are available to them.

Further updated in July 2021, the government’s statutory guidance for schools and guidance for further education colleges and sixth form colleges sets out the following: “Schools and colleges have a responsibility to set students on the path that will secure the best outcome which will enable them to progress in education and work and give employers the highly skilled people they need.”

As a school, we ensure that all students are aware of both academic and non-academic routes to allow them to have a wider understanding of the jobs and careers available to them through our core events for each year group.

Students

At Kingsway Park High School, we work hard to put in place a range of career opportunities from year 7 to year 11. As well as the year 9 option progress, the Future Pathways programme of events for year 10 and year 11, and the annual careers fair, we regularly have local employers/providers running lunchtime sessions.

There are lots of things to think about when you leave school. To help you choose what to do next, you need to think about:

What career do you want to do in the future? – Some jobs need you to choose certain routes to get into them. Research the industries you are interested in at the National Careers Service.

Your predicted grades. It is the duty of Kingsway Park to make it clear to students that if you do not achieve your Grade 4 or above in Mathematics and English by the end of year 11, you will be required to continue to study these at college or as part of an apprenticeship, up to the age of 19.

How you prefer to learn. You might enjoy school and might like to continue in a school sixth form or a sixth form college to study A levels; you might prefer more hands-on ways of doing things by attending a vocational further education college or you may want to consider an apprenticeship T level whereby you will be employed in a job and completing recognised qualifications in that industry – earning while you are learning!

Unsure or have any questions? Pop into the Careers Hub in the Aspiration Centre to have a chat or to book an appointment with Mrs Plant or Miss Ozluk.

Parents/Carers

At Kingsway Park High School, we believe partnership with parents is important to ensure the best possible outcomes for our students. Please feel free to contact Miss Ozluk should you want to ask any question, seek clarification or ask for assistance.

As part of your child’s journey at Kingsway Park High School, you will invited to two key career events. In year 9 we run a Pathways evening to ensure that you and your child have all the information needed to make the right GCSE choices and then secondly, in year 10, a Future Pathways evening to support your child in moving on to their next steps after Kingsway Park High School. At both events there will be a presentation from Mrs Plant on the Local Labour Market. Your attendance to these two events would be very much appreciated. There will always be opportunities to feedback any suggestions and comments at such events.

Raising the participation age (RPA)

The age to which all young people in England are required to continue in education or training has been increased as of 2014. Students must now continue in some form of education, training or employment until at least their 18th birthday.

This does not mean young people must stay in school. They will be able to choose from:

  • Full time education (e.g. at school or college)
  • An apprenticeship, traineeship or T level
  • Part time education or training combined with one of the following:                                                                             - Volunteering for 20 hours or more per week                                                                                                                        - Employment or self-employment for 20 hours or more per week

Government Policy for Young People – Raising the Participation Age (link)

Employers

At Kingsway Park High School, we are always on the lookout to develop strong links with local and national employers and post-16 providers. During the academic year, we host a number of employer talks, college and university trips and presentations as well as an annual career fair. Our CEAIG provider access policy is available under the Policy and Guidance section of our website. If you would like to get involved with any of these opportunities please contact Ms Ozluk for further information at lozluk@kingswaypark.org

Useful Links

Useful Links

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