The designated lead for Careers and CEIAG (Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance) at Blacon High School is one of the Assistant Headteachers, Miss R. Thomas. She will also work with a wider network of staff and external agencies to fulfil the school aims below. The named Governor for Careers and CEIAG is Mrs J Gilmour.

Parents/Carers, pupils, staff and employers can read about our CEIAG programme on this page, links below can be accessed or the designated lead can be contacted at school by sending an email to rthomas@blaconhigh.cheshire.sch.uk or by phone on 01244 371 475.

Staff can access Careers across the Curriculum resources for their subject in the Staff Drive Careers folder. 

Parent/Carer Post 16 Guide

Aims

We aim to raise aspirations, challenge stereotypes and encourage students to consider a wide range of careers. Through careers education and guidance it is hoped that students will be encouraged to make the most of their talents and to go on to jobs or courses which suit their personality, interests, skills and abilities. We aim to ensure our students make informed key choices that which will affect their future and also to help them become aware of their strengths, areas for development and interests in relation to the world of work.

The Careers Strategy and statutory guidance

The government’s Careers Strategy was published in December 2017 and was followed in January 2018 by statutory guidance for governing bodies, school leaders and school staff. If you would like to read more about this guidance, click the link below.

Guidance Document

The Gatsby benchmarks mentioned in the documentation linked above are a framework of 8 guidelines about what makes the best careers provision in schools and colleges. Blacon High School’s Careers Strategy is built around them.

The benchmarks are-

• A stable careers programme.
• Learning from career and labour market information.
• Addressing the needs of each pupil.
• Linking curriculum learning to careers.
• Encounters with employers and employees.
• Experiences of workplaces.
• Encounters with further and higher education.
• Personal guidance.

The school’s success against the Gatsby benchmarks is measured using a tool called the Careers Compass Tool and the results of this informs the school CEIAG action plan.

CEIAG Implementation and Impact.

• CEIAG RAP Plan 2018/19
• CEIAG Events 2018/19
• CEIAG RAP Plan Impact 2018/19
• CEIAG RAP Plan 2019/20
• CEIAG RAP Plan Impact 2019/20
• CEIAG RAP Plan 2020/21
• CEIAG RAP Plan Impact 2020/21
• CEIAG RAP Plan 2021/22
• Careers Action Plan Evaluation 2021-22
• Careers Action Plan 2022-23
• Careers Action Plan Evaluation 2022-23
• Careers Action Plan 2023-24

We also intend our students to:

• Develop a broad understanding of the world of work with an ability to respond to changing opportunities.
• Develop independent research skills so that they can make good use of information and guidance.
• Develop and use their self-knowledge and awareness of their strengths, skills and personality, when thinking about and making choices.
• Develop the skills they need to review achievements, plan future actions, make decisions, present themselves well and cope with change and transition.

Commitments

We are committed to:

• The provision of resources and advice to enable students to understand and develop career choices and to ensure that careers education is seen as part of the overall curriculum and learning framework for all year groups.
• Encouraging students to achieve and to be ambitious.
• Further involving students, parents and carers in the further development of careers work.

As well as having one-to-one careers interviews in school in Year 11, students across all year groups will be working with a number of external providers to ensure they have the broadest experiences possible in order for them to make informed and purposeful decisions about their next steps after their GCSEs.

To assist us with reaching success against the Gatsby benchmarks, Blacon High School currently work with;

Higher Horizons

Higher Horizons is a collaborative network of universities and colleges offering outreach activities to schools. www.higherhorizons.co.uk

We also liaise on a regular basis with our local colleges, 6^th forms and training providers; the majority of our students choose from these providers for their next steps. Please see below our Destination Data from 2016 - 2023.

Destination data 2016-2023

• Cheshire College South and West -  Visit Website
• Reaseheath -  Visit Website
• Coleg Cambria -  Visit Website
• Upton High School 6^th form -  Visit Website
• Christleton 6^th form -  Visit Website
• Bishop’s High School 6^th form -  Visit Website
• Queen’s Park High 6^th form -  Visit Website
• Catholic High 6^th form -  Visit Website
• Deeside Sixth-  Visit Website
• TTE training - Visit Website

Chester University Widening Participation Team

This team works closely with secondary schools to help raise students’ aspirations and discuss exciting future opportunities. We deliver bespoke events, which are carefully designed according to your schools and colleges requirements. www.chester.ac.uk/outreach/what-we-do/secondary-school-activities

All About STEM/ASK Apprenticeships

The programme is designed to give schools, colleges and other educational establishments across England free support to develop and transform how your students think about apprenticeships. www.amazingapprenticeships.com/about-ask

Students are also encouraged to create a profile on the online learning platform START. www.startprofile.com

Start is a free and comprehensive digital platform, offering schools and colleges a single starting point to help simplify and improve careers guidance in schools.

By following Start’s structured and progressive activities, the platform caters for all students helping them to make more informed decisions about future study and career options at the right time and in good time.

Overview of Provision

These websites provide additional support when considering possible future study options and careers

www.successatschool.org  – careers information

www.nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk  – select job profiles

www.prospects.ac.uk  select options with my subject (you will need to create a profile and register to use this but it is free to do so)

Labour Market Information (LMI) Links

There are many career websites available that contain LMI, here are a selection:

This information will be reviewed September 2024