Careers

Careers, Education, Information, Advice and Guidance

Portland School follows the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Careers Hub: Careers Education Curriculum, a structured framework designed to embed high-quality careers education across all key stages. This Careers Education Curriculum ensures that students develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to make informed decisions about their future, supporting progression into further education, training, and employment. It aligns with national best practice, including the Gatsby Benchmarks, Future Skills Questionnaire, and the Employer Competency Framework for Skills, while remaining adaptable to individual school and student needs.

Intent Statements for the Careers Curriculum

Key Stage 2 (Years 5-6) – Building Awareness & Early Exploration

Intent: To introduce students to the world of work, helping them explore different job roles, workplace environments, and essential skills. Careers education at this stage fosters curiosity and encourages students to recognise their own strengths and interests in a fun, engaging way.

Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9) – Broadening Horizons & Decision-Making

Intent: To deepen students' understanding of career pathways, skills, and labour market trends, enabling them to make informed decisions about their personal aspirations. This stage provides structured opportunities to explore options, reflect on strengths, and connect classroom learning to real-world careers.

Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11) – Preparing for the Future

Intent: To equip students with practical employability skills, career planning tools, and experience-based learning opportunities. Through work-related activities, employer interactions, and personal development, students will gain the confidence to take ownership of their post-16 choices and future aspirations.

Our 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, sibgha.amin@portland.set.org.

Careers Team

The Careers Lead practitioner in school is:

Miss S Amin

01782 882020 ext.2031

sibgha.amin@portland.set.org

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

Mr G Anderson

Deputy Headteacher

george.anderson@portland.set.org

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.