CEIAG and PSHE at St Bede’s Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form
CEIAG is an integral part of the curriculum within St Bede’s Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form as students are timetabled 1 period per week throughout the academic year. CEIAG is delivered within our PSHE programme and is designed to give students the ‘tools’ to develop their personal career ambitions independently, working on the principle of ‘making informed decisions’.
Within our PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) programme, years 7 – 11 receive a module on ‘work related learning’ equipping students with the knowledge to help them make informed decisions later in their life. Sixth form students have a wide range of CEIAG integrated at key times during the year, again to help them to make informed decisions about their future.
Year 11 students receive a 1:1 careers guidance interview from a qualified independent and impartial careers adviser; Careerwave is our current provider. This service is available to all students and is timetabled over the period of Year 11. Students complete a pre-interview form in accordance with Data Protection and at the end of the interview each student is given a personal careers action plan. Students can request further interviews / email contact and can update their plan. From the point of issuing the plan, students then take ownership of this.
Identified students within Year 11 receive 1:1 careers guidance from ‘One Point’. These students will also have sessions with Zenith ‘Rising Star’ to ensure they are fully equipped for the world ahead and to make informed decisions. Students with an EHCP receive further guidance from their case worker.
Careers guidance interviews are monitored through regular meetings, student feedback and the quality of the personal career action plans. CEIAG, including destination data, is evaluated and reported to the Senior Leadership Team and the governors of the school. Areas for development are highlighted in action planning throughout the year.
At the beginning of Year 11, each student receives information on ‘Open Evenings’ and events of all Post 16 providers within County Durham. Throughout the year, posters are displayed on the Heads of House board with information about other events such as Apprenticeship opportunities. Where possible we are also displaying information on our Facebook page @StBedesandByron. During Open Evenings such as Byron Sixth Form, we will endeavour to provide information on Further and Higher Education by inviting the local universities to join us.
Where possible St Bede’s and Byron will invite companies and agencies into school to opportunities to students post 16 and 18 years of age (see Provider Access Policy).
Further guidance for Sixth Form students from Job Centre Plus / Department for Work and Pensions on topics such as CV writing, skills identification and development, interview techniques and mock interviews take place within their PSHE sessions. Throughout the UCAS process, we enhance their guidance with ‘ULAS’ which is a support package. Sixth Form students also gain regular access to Universities through external visits and talks within school. Students also have the opportunity to apply to a number of mentoring programmes such as Teach First’s ‘Futures Programme’, Brilliant Club, Social Mobility Foundation and the local universities supported progression programmes.
Key Stage 4 and 5 students (Year 10 and Year 12) also undergo a 1 week’s ‘work experience’ allowing them direct access to ‘the world of work’ as well as developing a range of ’employability skills’. Students are requested to find their own placement with the help from the school. The school will ensure that each placement is appropriate; Futureworks is a company which carry out Health and Safety Checks on placements.
The school is also working with ‘North East Ambition’; this is committed to providing good careers guidance by using the Gatsby Benchmarks. Within this, St Bede’s and Byron are engaged with an Enterprise Advisor, and we are delighted to be working with Glyn Jenkins from Northumbrian Water and sub companies Turner and Townsend, Mott MacDonald Bentley and The Esh Group. This partnership has developed our opportunities for ‘direct access to employers’ and we have implemented strategies within PSHE. This is evaluated and future planning is in place to enhance students experiences further.