THE ASTLEY COOPER CAREERS PROGRAMME

Careers Leader:  Mr R Dannell
Email:   r.dannell@astleycooper.herts.sch.uk
Telephone:  01442 394141

Rational For Careers And Work Related Education And Information, Advice and Guidance 

The Astley Cooper CWRE & IAG programme makes a major contribution to preparing students for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life. The programme supports and inspires young people to achieve their full potential, raising aspirations and empowering young people to plan and manage their own futures.

The availability of information to students, parents/carers and teachers is a key determinant of career choice which highlights the importance of providing comprehensive information on all options.

The programme is designed to promote equality, diversity, social mobility and challenge stereotypes. It should also support young people to sustain employability and achieve personal and economic wellbeing throughout their lives.

Commitment

The Careers Programme is linked to the overall ‘School Development Plan’ for which there are measurable objectives. These will be scrutinised by the School Leadership Team. The programme will also adhere the government new ‘Careers Guidance and Access for Education and Training Providers’ (8th May 2025).

Vision Statement

The Astley Cooper School is committed to preparing their students to manage their future education and career path throughout adult life through a planned programme of CWRE & IAG throughout their school career.
We are committed to maximise the benefits for students by using a whole school approach involving parents / carers, external IAG providers, employers and other local agencies. 
We recognises their statutory duties to secure independent, impartial face to face careers guidance for pupils in years 7 to 13 that includes information on the full range of education and training options, including apprenticeships and vocational pathways
The importance of providing young people with real-life contacts and experiences from the world of work is recognised by the school.
We will ensure that all students have equity of access to impartial careers advice and guidance from external sources.

Opportunities For Access

A number of events, following the updated Provider Access Legislation and integrated into the school careers programme, will offer providers an opportunity to come into school to speak to pupils and/or their parents/carers:

 More Information About Our Careers Programme?

Dates for year group Careers sessions will be published in school and students will be made aware in good time. General Careers events like The Astley Cooper School Careers Fair will be published on the school website and letters and/or texts will be sent to parents and carers. More general information about the Careers programme will be published on the Careers section of the school website. This will include information on:

• The Careers Programme
• The Astley Cooper School Careers Policy
• External Partners the school works with
• Useful websites for students, parents/carers, employers and teachers
• Our Pre-Apprenticeship Programme for Year 12 students

More information on the Gatsby Benchmarks can be found here, The Gatsby Benchmarks.

If you require any other information regarding the school Careers Programme, please contact the Careers Leader, details at the top of page.

Measuring the Impact of the Careers Programme

The Careers Leader monitors the progress and quality of Careers Education in the school using  nationally recognised benchmarks.  The Gatsby Benchmarks allows us to monitor and evaluate our Careers Guidance so that we can strive to improve the quality of the Careers Education at the Astley Cooper School. The benchmarks provide us with a framework and focus on these eight key areas:

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

 Using self-evaluation tools the school can monitor its progress based on these eight principles. The self-evaluations are also critically monitored through our Careers steering group which includes a representative from a local business, a lead from the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) and internal staff.

Periodically during the year the SLT will evaluate the progress of the school's Careers Programme against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). These include:

1. Continue to develop a clear strategy for careers in line with Gatsby benchmarks
2. To continue to develop a programme of activities to support students in each year
3. Develop programme for targeted groups, including – Y8 girls / Y10 girls, Y12 pre-apprenticeship programme
4. To liaise with external agencies to develop further opportunities and employer interactions for our students
5. To continue to liaise with co-operative partners to expand our provision

 These KPIs are reviewed annually. There is a dedicated member of SLT assigned to the Careers Programme and a representative on the governing board.

The overall Careers Programme information published will be reviewed by 19th December 2025.