Intent for Careers Curriculum:
‘“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ Jeremiah 29:11
Our careers curriculum is founded on the “hope” that God gives to Prophet Jeremiah. As a school, we want to educate our young people beyond their exams. This means our personal development curriculum is central to the work that we do. A part of this curriculum is ‘Careers Education’. The aim of Careers Education is to instil a sense of ‘hope’ for a prosperous future in whatever pathway our students decide to choose. At each stage of their education, students are prepared for future success in their next steps with unbiased information and up-to-date knowledge in an ever-moving careers climate. They understand the different pathways available to them and can make wise, informed decisions at each stage of their careers journey.
The taught curriculum is planned and sequenced towards growing knowledge and skills for future learning and employment. Subject teachers provide opportunities for students to grow their understanding of the world of work, growing knowledge and skills in readiness for the next stages of education, training or the workplace.
The Gatsby Benchmarks is a framework that help schools to develop and improve their careers provision. We deliver a progressive, aspirational careers programme to all students in years 7 – 13. These are:
- A stable career programme
- Learning from careers and labour market information
- Addressing the needs of each student
- Linking curriculum learning to careers
- Encounters with employers and employees
- Experiences of workplaces
- Encounters with further and higher education
- Personal guidance
The Career Development Institute Framework (CDI) is also mapped across our curriculum as we aim to grow the skills, knowledge and attitudes that all require to have a prosperous career. These are:
We believe that all our students have the capability and potential to develop and grow in their careers. The Careers & Employability programme at Bluecoat Aspley Academy is therefore designed to support students at various stages of their academic journey ensuring that they are able to make informed decisions about their future career choices.
Our aims are:
- To ensure that every child, regardless of background, gender and prior attainment develops the knowledge and skills required to succeed in the most aspirational pathway for them.
- To provide all students with quality careers advice and guidance enabling them to select the appropriate qualifications for their future pathway.
- To deliver a curriculum that offers appropriate qualifications which prepare students for further study and employment.
- To ensure that the quality of teaching, learning and guidance enable all students to leave with the appropriate qualifications for their future pathway.
- To ensure all students understand the range of further and higher education opportunities open to them.
- To implement an effective careers program that provides all students with experiences of employers and workplaces, and ensure that they know and develop the skills that they will need for the work place.
- To inspire students as to the range of future possibilities and develop within them both strong leadership and servant leadership qualities.
Evaluating Careers
To see our Careers Policy, please visit here.
School Improvement Plan
Careers is a key feature of our Academy Improvement Plan as we strive to improve this key feature of Student Personal Development.
Key Priority: To ensure that learning extends beyond the academic curriculum, instilling hope for a prosperous future and enabling all students to flourish
Improvement Aim: All students access a high-quality careers programme which meets the requirements of the Gatsby Benchmarks and the CDI framework.
Success Criteria:
- The majority of Year 10 and Year 12 gain a work experience placement
- Achieve 100% on all areas of Compass+
- All receive high quality information on future study and labour market (Benchmarks 2 and 7)
