A guide toGatsby Benchmark 1
A stable careers programme
Summary:
Every school should have an embedded programme of career education and guidance that is known and understood by pupils, parents, teachers and employers.
Benchmark 1 criteria for schools
- 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 pupils, parents, teachers and employers to access and understand it. The programme should be regularly evaluated with feedback from pupils, parents, teachers and employers as part of the evaluation process.
The first rung in building a structured career ladder for all students comes from strong leadership and a committed senior management team. The pilot in the North East showcases the importance of every school having a Career Leader who can drive forward all eight benchmarks in the school.
Summary:
Every college should have an embedded programme of career education and guidance that is known and understood by pupils, parents, teachers and employers.
Benchmark criteria for colleges
- Every college 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 college’s website in a way that enables learners, parents, college staff and employers to access and understand it. The programme should be regularly evaluated, with feedback from learners, parents, college staff and employers as part of the evaluation process.
The first rung in building a structured career ladder for all students comes from strong leadership and a committed senior management team. The pilot in the North East showcases the importance of every school having a Career Leader who can drive forward all eight benchmarks in the school.
Leadership, vision and tracking
Schools and colleges across the pilot have shown that a Career Leader needs to be supported by leadership and have the authority to deliver a strategy and conduct the orchestra of career guidance across the school. Embarking on using the framework of the benchmarks, with buy in from all staff, will make the process much simpler. It is, however, something which requires regular review, evaluation and adaptation.
At Excelsior Academy, the chair of governors is also the governor with responsibility for careers, and one of the Vice Principals acts as a Career Leader with strategic responsibility for the quality and impact of the careers programme. They are supported by a careers activities coordinator and a work experience coordinator as well as dedicated team of ‘careers champions’, staff who implement and deliver the careers plan across the school. Careers guidance is now built into the fabric of the school, with the benchmarks being built into the appraisal and performance review of staff at all levels, including that of the headteacher.
The Link School appointed a member of the senior management team to be the Career Leader for the entire school. They have responsibility for creating and rolling out a series of programmes throughout the year matched to the benchmarks. Employing the right member of staff to become the Careers Leader is key. If the Careers Leader is not a member of the senior leadership team (SLT) they should report to a member of the SLT who has strategic responsibility for careers education.
In order to ensure that we met Benchmark 1 a large amount of research and cross referencing took place with external providers, quality awards and the CDI. This ensured that we created a framework for careers guidance which feels robust and comprehensive.
Career Leader at Churchill Community College
Benchmark 1 states that schools need to provide information about their careers offer in a manner accessible to staff, students, parents, carers and employers. To achieve this, The King Edward IV school built a dedicated careers website. Young people particularly appreciate being able to access relevant careers information from home and it also gives parents and carers the opportunity to get involved.
Evaluating their current position against the benchmarks using the Compass tool was a powerful first step for all the schools and colleges involved.
The tool gives you an immediate read-out of performance against the eight benchmarks, to both celebrate successes and focus on the areas that most need development.
Jump to Benchmark
Benchmark 1
A stable careers programme
Benchmark 2
Learning from career and labour market information
Benchmark 3
Addressing the needs of each pupil
Benchmark 4
Linking curriculum learning to careers
Benchmark 5
Encounters with employers and employees
Benchmark 6
Experiences of workplaces
Benchmark 7
Encounters with further and higher education
Benchmark 8
Personal guidance
Advice for SEND
Good career guidance ensures that all young people, whatever their needs, background or ambitions, know the options open to them and can make the informed choices needed to fulfil their potential. This is particularly important for the more than one million young people in England recognised as having SEND. Far too often, these young people can be held back by negative stereotypes and assumptions about their limitations.
Publications
Good Career Guidance: Reaching the Gatsby Benchmarks handbook (2017)
Good Career Guidance: Appendices (2014)
Good Career Guidance: Benchmarks for Schools (2014)
Good Career Guidance: Benchmarks for Young People in Colleges (2014)
Good Career Guidance: Perspectives from the SEND sector (2019)
Good Career Guidance report (2014)