Careers, Education, Information, Advice and Guidance

CEIAG at Portland School

Rationale & Vision

Portland School is dedicated to providing all of our students with impartial careers advice and access to a diverse range of employers who can help them explore their future pathways. To achieve this, we align our Careers Education, Information, Advice, and Guidance (CEIAG) plan with the Gatsby Benchmarks, as outlined in the Department for Education’s Careers Strategy (December 2017) and the Statutory Guidance for Careers (January 2018). This approach ensures we meet the requirements for delivering independent careers guidance to pupils from Year 8 to Year 13, in accordance with Section 42A of the Education Act 1997.

 The 8 Gatsby benchmarks are outlined below:

  1. A stable careers programme
  2. Learning from career and labour market information 
  3. Addressing the needs of each student 
  4. Linking curriculum learning to careers 
  5. Encounters with employers and employees 
  6. Experience of work places 
  7. Encounters with further and higher education
  8. Personal guidance 

The vision for the development of CEIAG across our school is to provide the very best opportunities to enable our students to make informed and incisive decisions throughout, and beyond, their school life. By using the Gatsby benchmarks as a framework of best practice we have  a CEIAG programme that meets the needs or our ever changing cohort of students, providers and labour market landscape. Our plan promotes equality of opportunity, celebrates diversity and challenges stereotypes whilst inspiring, raising aspirations and giving our students an optimistic outlook on life and their place in the world of work. 

All pupils in years 7-13 are entitled to:

  • find out about technical education qualifications and apprenticeships opportunities, as part of a careers programme which provides information on the full range of education and training options available at each transition point;
  • hear from a range of local providers about the opportunities they offer, including technical education and apprenticeships – through options events, assemblies and group discussions and taster events;
  • understand how to make applications for the full range of academic and technical courses.

We have a dedicated CIAG lead who works entirely on developing opportunities for our students. This includes mapping careers opportunities across the curriculum, developing opportunities for work experience where appropriate, facilitating opportunities for larger groups of students, assisting with applications to sixth forms, colleges, universities and apprenticeships and tracking vulnerable groups to ensure all are receiving the provision needed.

Our Programme

At Portland School, we provide a wide range of tailored opportunities to support our SEMH students both in and outside the classroom. Our goal is to guide each student toward further education, training, or their desired career by focusing on:

  • Developing the habits, skills, and mindsets needed to thrive in both professional life and further study.
  • Ensuring students are exposed to diverse experiences and relatable role models to broaden their horizons and build aspirations.
  • Offering high-quality advice and guidance throughout their time at the school, especially during key transition points.

For more information about the opportunities we offer, please contact our Careers Leader using the contact details provided.

Intent

At Portland School, we recognize that our pupils have Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, which is why our Careers Education, Information, Advice, and Guidance (CEIAG) programme is carefully crafted to address their unique requirements. We review this programme annually, using our monitoring and evaluation processes to ensure it aligns with our school’s context and core values, while supporting the individual aspirations and interests of each student.

Our thoughtfully structured CEIAG programme empowers all students to build the knowledge, skills, understanding, and cultural capital necessary for a successful transition to life after school. With this focus in mind, we aim to:

  • Provide impartial and independent careers advice for all pupils (Gatsby Benchmark 1-8).
  • Prevent students from becoming NEET (not in education, employment, or training) (Gatsby Benchmark 1-8).
  • Support strategies to raise achievement by increasing motivation, positive attitudes toward learning, and attendance (Gatsby Benchmark 3).
  • Promote inclusion, challenge stereotypes, and ensure equality of opportunity for all (Gatsby Benchmark 3,4).
  • Encourage participation in continued learning, including higher education, further education, and apprenticeships (Gatsby Benchmark 7,8).
  • Develop enterprise and employment skills in students (Gatsby Benchmark 2,3).
  • Reduce course dropouts and unnecessary course switching in education and training (Gatsby Benchmark 3,5,6,7,8).
  • Contribute to the economic prosperity of both individuals and communities (Gatsby Benchmark 2,5,7).
  • Meet the needs of all pupils through appropriate differentiation (Gatsby Benchmark 3).
  • Focus students on their future aspirations and career opportunities (Gatsby Benchmark 3,4,8).
  • Actively involve parents and carers in the CEIAG process (Gatsby Benchmark 1,2,5,6,7).
  • Support raising the participation age and ensure positive post-16 destinations for all pupils (Gatsby Benchmark 1,4,8).
  • Address the unique needs of our students across all year groups (Gatsby Benchmark 1,3).
  • Use current Labour Market Information (LMI) to inform students, parents, and staff about the local and national job market (Gatsby Benchmark 1,2,3).
  • Regularly gather feedback from students, parents, and staff to improve our CEIAG provision (Gatsby Benchmark 1,2,3).
  • Provide additional support to vulnerable groups, including SEND and pupil premium students (Gatsby Benchmark 1-8).
  • Ensure that all stakeholders understand the vision and rationale behind our CEIAG programme (Gatsby Benchmark 1).
  • Monitor and evaluate the programme to maintain high-quality standards in line with other curriculum areas (Gatsby Benchmark 1).
  • Share best practices with other academies within the Co-op network to continuously develop our programme (Gatsby Benchmark 1).
  • Ensure all students actively engage with a CEIAG tracking platform to make informed career development choices (Gatsby Benchmark 1,2,3).
  • Maintain the Quality in Careers Standard in recognition of our academy’s outstanding CEIAG programme (Gatsby Benchmark 1).

For more information on how our CEIAG programme supports our SEMH students, please contact our Careers Leader.

Implementation

 

 

Impact

At Portland School, where we support pupils with Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, assessing the impact of our Careers Education, Information, Advice, and Guidance (CEIAG) programme is crucial for its ongoing development and for ensuring we create a positive and empowering experience for our students. We appreciate both quantitative and qualitative feedback from all stakeholders, using this information to inform necessary adjustments in our future planning. Our internal and external quality assurance processes ensure that the goals and execution of our programme meet our high standards..

We measure the impact of our CEIAG programme in the following ways:

  • Utilising the Gatsby Benchmarks to assess all CEIAG activities.
  • Tracking positive destination data for all students.
  • Monitoring progress over time using the Compass tracking tool.
  • Reducing NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) figures over time.
  • Gathering quantitative and qualitative feedback from all CEIAG events.
  • Measuring progress and attainment over time, especially in vulnerable groups such as SEND.
  • Reviewing progression data, including apprenticeship uptake and entry into further education, with a focus on vulnerable groups like SEND.
  • Assessing the development of employability skills after key events.
  • Increasing employer engagement over time.

By continually reviewing these measures, we ensure our CEIAG programme effectively supports the individual needs and aspirations of our SEMH students.

Careers Team

The Careers Lead practitioner in school is: 

Coming soon

Contact details: 

Telephone: 01782 88 20 20

 

The member of SLT with responsibility for oversight of CIAG is:

Mr G Anderson 

Deputy Headteacher

Contact: george.anderson@portland.set.org

 

 

We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with employers who can share their skills, experience, and expertise to inspire and support our SEMH students. At Portland School, our careers events depend on volunteers to assist with a range of activities, such as facilitating sessions, giving talks, conducting mock interviews, and participating in our careers speed networking events. Your involvement can have a lasting impact on our students’ understanding of the workplace and their future career paths.

For more information, or if you're interested in volunteering, please refer to our Provider Access Policy in the "Our Policies" section of our website.

For any queries around your child's Careers Education please contact Mr Anderson at george.anderson@portland.set.org or contact the school office on 01782 882020

Find some useful websites below for parents

  • Careers Advice for Parents aims to give parents an easy-to-read overview of all the essential facts on finding jobs and apprenticeships or choosing further and higher education courses that could make a real difference to their child’s future career prospects.
  • CASCAID Parents offers a guide to Careers guidance. 
  • Parental Guidance offers advice and information on all aspects of the process of career choice for young people aged 13 to 25.

Other websites you may find useful include:

 

Further Information and Useful Links

Careers Policy View Here