Our CEO, Laura-Jane Rawlings shares her view on an outstanding careers programme.
We often hear schools and colleges being criticised for not providing good Careers Education Information Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) programmes but rarely do we hear about schools that are really going over and above to support their students to progress. I know that there are many schools doing great work, but until I met Julie Poppleton Head of CEIAG at Chase Terrace Technology College I probably could not have described what outstanding might look like. Having met with and interviewed the headteacher, key staff, students, parents and members of the business community I feel I can say with confidence that the programme at Chase is the best I have ever seen.
What is different about the programme at Chase?
Julie Poppleton who leads the programme is an absolute dynamo, she is a qualified careers practitioner who has made it her mission to provide the best possible programme to every student in the school. This could really only be achieved with the brilliant support and backing of the headteacher Tim Chamberlin, the Trust and the Governing Body.
Headteacher Mr Chamberlin clearly recognises the value in investing in careers, he believes that every pupil benefits from this investment and is confident that they are developing pupils who will be able to successfully move on to Higher Education, Apprenticeships and Employment. Mr Chamberlin remains committed to this investment even when he knows other schools do not invest at the same levels and the eyes of Ofsted will primarily focus on their academic results rather than the depth of support students are benefitting from.
The school have appointed Julie to the Senior Leadership Team to ensure that she benefits from the very highest level of support. This role also allows Julie to work closely with teachers and non-teaching staff alike to ensure the careers offer is embedded across all areas of school life. Julie is also given the freedom to attend local events and conferences to build her knowledge of the local labour market but to also build her address book for future employer opportunities.
What does an outstanding careers programme look like?
The programme has everything you could possibly want to see in it:
- Every year group from 7+ has multiple work related learning and careers sessions – there is also some outreach into primary feeder schools so year 6 pupils benefit. Careers Framework 2016- 2018 which shows the full programme and includes; enterprise activities, employability sessions, careers trips out to Skills Show and other fairs, inspirational speakers and much more
- The school has created really meaningful relationships with their employer community, who offer support with various activities include – careers fairs, mock interviews, work experience, taster days and much more
- Interviews with qualified careers advisers at key points to include – Pre-GCSE choices and Pre-Post 16 choices – an open door policy for students as and when they would like support with access to three trained advisers
- A dedicated careers room
- Parents are invited to the guidance sessions with their children which has led to parents seeking advice on their own pathways
- Parents and students invited to taster classes such as Mandarin to raise aspirations
Can you see a difference in the pupils?
I met with a selection of year 11 and 13 students during my one day site visit to the school. The students were confident, articulate and really understood the value the careers programme has given them. The students spoke about peers in other schools who do not have a similar programme and could identify the difference among them.
Students had good aspirations, many linking to the experiences they had at school such as engineering taster days, careers fairs and work experience as being the pivotal experience that helped them to make their next step choices. Students were confident in discussing Apprenticeships v University and were not making their choice based on preconceived stereotypes but on the value each route would have for them and the person they were.
I loved talking to the students exploring the subject of “careers provision in schools” and can say without doubt that the students I met all have a great future in the world of work.
What next for the school?
The school has a growing ambition to be centre to the community, helping parents as well as students to raise their aspirations. It is currently developing an outreach programme. It is crucial that the school is able to maintain this level of support for students and they are looking at creative options to help them do that.
I am delighted to say that the school has begun to introduce the Youth Employment UK Young Professional Membership to students and will be embedding it into the curriculum from September 2018.
About the school
Chase Terrace Technology College is part of The Stephen Sutton Multi Academy Trust. It is a larger than average secondary school providing a full programme to students from 11 – 18. http://cttc.staffs.sch.uk
In my own view the school should be highlighted as a centre for excellence, schools and colleges alike should be able to learn from the programme that is in place here and be able to access support so that they can begin to deliver similar quality programmes. If all of our schools and colleges put into play what I have witnessed at Chase then I am sure the discussions around youth unemployment would be very different. It has been my pleasure to get to know and work with staff and students at Chase Technology College over the last 12 months.
Next steps:
- Read more about how we support young people to develop their skills with our free Young Professional Membership
- Take a look at our impartial careers hub and explore all of your options
- If you are looking to embed the Young Professional in your school, college, programme or organisation you can register for more resources here
