Scholar entitlement to careers education includes
- Access to individual guidance from Careers Advisors.
- Access to computer programmes (including home user license) offering occupational information and opportunity for career and job exploration.
- Access to digital resources to help with career planning and college applications.
- Access to PS16 for college applications and UCAS for universities in the UK.
- A Careers Education Programme built into the KS3 and KS4 curriculum.
At Castle Mead we consider quality Careers Guidance to be an essential part of academy life for our scholars. Quality Careers Guidance can act as a motivator in each scholar’s drive for success at Castle Mead.
We intend to appoint an expert Careers Leader in the next couple of years as the academy grows. In the meantime, please do direct any queries with regards our Careers Guidance to Mr Hague, Principal, in the first instance.
Are you an employer or provider who would like to add to one of our events or help us with our careers work? Please click here.
Progress to date against the Gatsby Benchmarks (September 2020)
*This is to be reviewed in Spring 2021.
| Gatsby Benchmark | Summary of progress to date
| Further actions planned |
| A stable careers programme | Continuing work with Rosie McArtney-Chrisp, LLEP Enterprise Coordinator, as to direction of CMA Careers strategy. CMA Careers Vision Event took place in February, with engagement with local business, parents, staff and scholars. | Pupil Premium Champion to plan activities which overcome identified barrier of scholars lacking aspiration. Take up opportunities offered by local business as to employer engagements. |
| Learning from career and labour market information | Local career and labour market information displayed on the CMA website. | To use this information to shape careers programme. |
| Addressing the needs of each pupil | Disadvantaged scholars have been interviewed by the Y7 Pupil Premium co-ordinator (Yr8 completed last academic year). | Take pupil voice and other such feedback on careers knowledge and ambitions of pupils, to inform careers programme. |
| Linking curriculum learning to careers | Considered as part of line management schedule for Curriculum Leaders. Subject specific careers displays in classrooms. | To consider meaningful opportunities for careers to be linked to curriculum areas, whilst the curriculum is continuing to be mapped at this stage. |
| Encounters with employers and employees | CMA Careers Vision Event took place in February, with engagement with local business, parents, staff and scholars. Talks planned for Yr 8 scholars, before lockdown in March ensued. | Take up opportunities offered by local business as to employer engagements. |
| Experiences of workplaces | To follow towards the end of KS3 and into Y10 with work experience placements. | |
| Encounters with further and higher education | Local universities used to support for delivery of Castle Character Time electives. Continue to establish relationships with universities, engaging again with Widening Participation leads. Building this systematically into the ‘CMA journey’. | Continue to establish relationships with universities, engaging again with Widening Participation leads. Building this systematically into the ‘CMA journey’. |
| Personal guidance | Appointment of Leader of Enterprise and Employability planned now in recruitment plans. | Need to choose a careers guidance platform (e.g. Start, Kudos, Fast Tomato etc.) |
Labour Market Information
The next review of the Careers information published here will be in February 2021.
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