Careers & Preparation for Adulthood
The Maple School's Careers Education, Information, Advice, and Guidance (CEIAG) programme is designed to empower students by helping them understand their interests, strengths, and the choices they can make based on these insights. The programme aims to inform students about various courses, required qualifications, and available opportunities. It focuses on skill development for working life, encourages realistic yet ambitious decision-making regarding courses and jobs, and assists in creating actionable future plans. Moreover, it provides clarity on post-Year 11 pathways, including training, further and higher education, and employment. Students will learn to craft effective applications for jobs and educational opportunities, enhance their interview skills, and boost their confidence through CV writing.
By the End of Key Stage 3
Students will have:
· Gained an understanding of their personal attributes, qualities, and skills.
· Identified the learning methods that suit them best and the positive factors that enhance their engagement.
· Recognised the skills being developed across different subjects.
· Understood how educational trips contribute to their preparation for further education, life, and career.
· Accessed online resources to support their decisions regarding further education and career choices.
· Participated in planned careers sessions during form time, completing career booklets, discussing aspirations, and creating a personalised careers board with staff support.
· Engaged with entry-level and functional skill papers to understand Key Stage 4 requirements for specific college courses and careers, facilitated by subject leads.
· Taken on form time responsibilities to develop punctuality, manners, responsibility, and environmental support skills.
· Attended workplace visits to explore the local labour market and engaged with employers at school for insights into various employment opportunities.
· Benefited from a high-quality programme of weekly careers lessons integrated into the timetable and Personal Development curriculum.
· Participated in enterprise and charity activities.
· Accessed curriculum enhancement days, such as Apprenticeship Day, T Level Day, and Careers Week.
By the End of Key Stage 4
Students will have:
· Continued to receive a high-quality programme of weekly careers lessons integrated into the timetable and Personal Development curriculum.
· Participated in educational trips to local colleges and career taster events, gathering information on further education options.
· Engaged with local providers at school to explore post-16 education opportunities.
· Received support in writing college applications for a variety of academic and technical courses.
· Practiced interview skills within the English curriculum, focusing on body language and communication, guided by the Careers Lead and Careers Leadership Link.
· Engaged in enterprise and charity activities.
· Developed skills in writing their own CVs, learning the necessary language and information.
· Gained insights into personal finances and money management through Maths and Personal Development lessons.
· Participated in work experience, spending a full working day in a field of interest.
· Had a 1:1 meeting with a Level 6 Careers Advisor in the first term of Year 11 to prepare for further education applications.
· Attended career presentations by training providers during parent evenings.
Careers lead contact
Should you want further information about our Careers programme please contact Miss. Strachan via the school office. You can make contact via email [email protected] or by phone 01253 531415.
The Senior Leadership Team link for Careers is Ms. Barker, Deputy Head of School. You can make contact via email [email protected] or by phone 01253 531415.
The Career’s Governor, Christine Russell, provides support and advice on the impact of the Careers Programme.
How We Measure the Impact of Our Careers Programme
We are committed to ensuring that every young person receives a high-quality, meaningful careers programme. To evaluate the effectiveness and impact of our offer, we use a range of robust measures, including:
Student voice surveys and feedback following careers activities, employer encounters, visits and workshops.
Destination data, including students progressing to further education, employment, apprenticeships or training.
Tracking of student participation in careers events, work-related learning opportunities and employer encounters.
Evaluation of students' knowledge, understanding and confidence in relation to career pathways and future choices.
Feedback from employers, training providers, colleges, universities and apprenticeship providers.
Parent and carer feedback regarding careers information, advice and guidance.
Monitoring of individual careers guidance interviews and resulting action plans.
Analysis of NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) figures and post-16 transition outcomes.
Assessment against the Gatsby Benchmarks using the Compass+ self-evaluation tool.
External review and quality assurance through trust-wide monitoring, careers audits and Ofsted inspection outcomes where applicable.
Findings from these measures are used to review, develop and improve our careers programme annually, ensuring it continues to meet the needs of our students and supports positive outcomes for all learners.
Achievement of the Gatsby Benchmarks
We assess our careers provision against the national Gatsby Benchmarks. In the last academic year, our academy achieved 75.7% across all eight Gatsby Benchmarks, demonstrating the strength, consistency, and quality of our careers education, guidance, and employer engagement.
Assessment System
Our school uses Compass+ which tracks each young students progress throughout their time at Maple. Using Compass+ allows us to:
Measure our current careers activity against each benchmark. Compass is designed to quickly and easily help us evaluate career activities against the eight benchmarks of best practice.
Identify strengths and gaps in provision.
Record and track individual student careers interactions, such as employer encounters, guidance interviews, and workplace experiences.
Generate reports that help shape our careers strategy for the year.
Monitor progress over time, once per term, to see whether our provision is improving.
At The Maple School, students have access to impartial Information, Advice, and Guidance from a dedicated staff member who collaborates closely with students daily, supported by the Senior Leadership Team. The designated Careers Lead is Miss R Strachan, and the Careers Link (SLT) is Miss M Barker. For employers or post-16 providers wishing to visit the school, contact can be made with the careers team
Additional support for parents/carers can be found here:
Post 16 providers - Lancashire County Council
Gain Virtual Work Experience. Earn certificates - 100% free! | Springpod
Free courses, programmes and support | The King's Trust
The school collaborates with the Lancashire Careers Hub to ensure compliance with the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks.
All staff at The Maple School are committed to championing careers and supporting all students.