Welcome to the Careers page, full of all the wonderful opportunities our pupils receive at Chantry Middle School. We are aware that high quality, independent careers guidance is crucial in helping students emerge from school more fully rounded and ready for the world of work. Young people want and need to be well-informed when making subject and career decisions.
This is delivered alongside a dynamic, personalised and innovative curriculum for all pupils, designed to meet all individual needs and to ensure all pupils are equipped with both the skills and knowledge required to be successful in school and in the future.
We seek to secure independent careers guidance for all pupils, so they are inspired and motivated to fulfil their potential. We would like to support every pupil to develop high aspirations and consider a broad and ambitious range of careers. We hope to inspire every pupil through more real-life contacts with the world of work which can help them understand where different choices can take them in the future.
Our careers programme provides access to a range of activities that inspire young people, including employer talks, careers fairs, motivational speakers, colleges and university visits, coaches and mentors. We recognise that high quality mentoring can be an important part of delivering against the duty as it develops the character and confidence needed to build a successful career.
As our pupils progress through our Learning Trust, their subject choices may have an impact on what opportunities they can access such as college, university or apprenticeships. It is important to ensure that they think through all options before making any decisions.
“At Chantry Middle School we are committed to getting pupils to think about what they might want to do in the future. The experiences and opportunities we offer aim to allow pupils to access the wide breadth of choices that exist and we hope to inspire their future career choices.”
Chantry Middle School provider access policy statement
Under Section 42B of the Education Act 1997 and the Skills and Post-16 Education Act 2022 we have a duty to provide pupils in Years 8-13 with access to providers of post-14, post-16 and post-18 education and training. This policy statement sets out how we manage access requests from these providers.
What are pupils entitled to?
Pupils in Years 8 to 13 are entitled to:
- Learn more about technical education qualifications and apprenticeship
opportunities, as part of a careers programme which informs pupils of the full range
of education and training options available to them at each transition point.
- Hear from a range of local providers about the opportunities on offer, for example,
technical education and apprenticeships – this can be achieved through options evenings, assemblies, group discussions, and taster events.
- Understand how to apply to the full range of academic and technical courses
available to them.
All pupils in Years 8 to 13 will receive at least six encounters with accredited providers of
technical education and apprenticeships. These encounters will be divided accordingly:
- During the first key phase (Year 8 to Year 9) all pupils must attend two mandatory
sessions by accredited providers
What opportunities are provided to allow access to pupils?
Via our school careers programme, we offer providers numerous opportunities throughout
the school year to speak to pupils and/or their parents, which includes live online encounters.
These sessions will be scheduled during the school’s main opening hours.
The school offers the two provider encounters that are legally required and a number of additional events.
During these sessions, at a minimum, providers will be given enough time to:
- Share information about the provider and the approved technical qualifications and
apprenticeships they offer.
- Explain what career routes these qualifications and apprenticeships could lead to.
- Provide insights into what it might be like to learn or train with that provider.
- Answer pupils’ questions.
Who should providers contact to discuss events and options?
Providers can speak to our careers leader, Georgia Bulloch, to discuss possible attendance at relevant events on 01670 512874
or by emailing [email protected]
Our Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy sets out the school’s approach to allowing providers into school to speak to our pupils.
What can providers expect once a request has been accepted?
Once we have approved a provider, we will work with them to identify the best method for providing access to our pupils.
We will make the school hall, classrooms and private meeting rooms available to host discussions between providers and pupils. We will also make presentation equipment, such as interactive whiteboards, available to providers.
Arrangements will be discussed in advance between our careers leader and a nominated member of the provider’s team.
Providers are welcome to leave a copy of their prospectus and other relevant course literature with the admin team at the school office who will pass it onto our Careers lead.
How are complaints regarding provider access managed?
If you have a complaint relating to the school’s provider access arrangements, you can raise it in line with the school’s Complaints Procedures Policy or you can contact The Careers and Enterprise Company directly on [email protected].
Approval and review
This policy statement was approved by the governing board on.
The next review will take place on DD/MM/YY.
Signed: _______________________Chair of governors
Signed: _______________________Headteacher
Helpful Websites for both parents and students:
The following websites will allow you to explore prospective career choices and the skills required to be successful. They also offer information about the various routes into certain careers and options post-16.
National Careers Service – take a skills test, explore different careers or explore different providers. Watch videos about young people’s journeys to their careers and find advice on how best to make your decisions.
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/
Skills for Careers – tools for both students and parents about exploring careers possibilities, advice on how to speak to your child about careers as well as information to help young people understand money and finance.
https://www.skillsforcareers.education.gov.uk/
Find an Apprenticeship – an opportunity to explore the thousands of apprenticeship opportunities available to young people, as well as a link explaining what an apprenticeship is and how to apply for one.
https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship
Free Careers Resources – a comprehensive list of websites and resources that students and parents can access to help with careers options and research. Follow the subheadings to find the information you require.
https://ambition.northeast-ca.gov.uk/free-careers-resources
Provider Portal – A website that highlights post-16 providers – including independent training providers, as well as local Further Education (FE) and Higher Education (HE) institutions.
https://ambition.northeast-ca.gov.uk/provider-portal
Labour Market Information (LMI)
Labour Market Information (LMI) is a useful tool to help research future jobs in the local area, understand the skills needed for certain roles and the demand for future employment.Crucially for young people, LMI also covers future demand – what kinds of jobs will be in demand after leaving school and what kinds of skills will be needed.
Career-ometer
https://www.icanbea.org.uk/career-o-meter/
Skills-ometer
https://www.icanbea.org.uk/skills-o-meter/
Our Region, Your Future Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RqQGbuK0OU
North East Labour Market Statistics
