Gatsby Benchmark 1
- Every school should have a stable, structured careers programme that has the explicit backing of governors, the headteacher and the senior management team, and has an identified and appropriately trained careers leader responsible for it.
- The careers programme should be tailored to the needs of pupils, sequenced appropriately, underpinned by learning outcomes and linked to the whole-school development plan. It should also set out how parents and carers will be engaged throughout.
- The careers programme should be published on the school’s website and communicated in ways that enable pupils, parents and carers, staff and employers to access, and understand it.
- The programme should be regularly evaluated using feedback from pupils, parents and carers, teachers and other staff who support pupils, careers advisers and employers, to increase its impact.
Gatsby Benchmark 2
- During each Key Stage, all pupils should access and use information about careers, pathways and the labour market to inform their own decisions on study options or next steps.
- Parents and carers should be encouraged and supported to access and use information about careers, pathways and the labour market to inform their support for pupils in their care.
Gatsby Benchmark 3
- A school’s careers programme should actively seek to challenge misconceptions and stereotypical thinking, showcase a diverse range of role models and raise aspirations.
- Schools should keep systematic records of the participation of pupils in all aspects of their careers programme, including the individual advice given to each pupil, and any subsequent agreed decisions.
- For pupils who change schools during the secondary phase, information about participation and the advice given previously should be integrated into a pupil’s records, where this information is made available. Records should begin to be kept from the first point of contact or from the point of transition.
- All pupils should have access to these records and use them ahead of any key transition points to support their next steps and career development.
- Schools should collect, maintain and use accurate data for each pupil on their aspirations, intended and immediate education, and training or employment destinations, to inform personalised support.
- Schools should use sustained and longer-term destination data as part of their evaluation process and use alumni to support their careers programme.
Gatsby Benchmark 4
- Every year, in every subject, every pupil should have opportunities to learn how the knowledge and skills developed in that subject helps people to gain entry to, and be more effective workers within, a wide range of careers.
- Careers should form part of the school’s ongoing staff development programme for teachers and all staff who support pupils.
Gatsby Benchmark 5
- Every year, from the age of 11, pupils should participate in at least one meaningful encounter with an employer.
Gatsby Benchmark 6
- By the age of 16, every pupil should have had meaningful experiences of workplaces.
- By the age of 18, every pupil should have had at least one further meaningful experience.
Gatsby Benchmark 7
- By the age of 16, every pupil should have had meaningful encounters with providers of the full range of learning opportunities, including sixth forms, colleges, universities and ITPs.
- By the age of 18, all pupils who are considering applying to higher education should have had at least two visits to higher education providers to meet staff and learners.
Gatsby Benchmark 8
- Every pupil should have at least one personal guidance meeting, with a careers adviser by the age of 16, and a further meeting by the age of 18. Meetings should be scheduled in the careers programme to meet the needs of pupils.
- Information about personal guidance support, and how to access it, should be communicated to pupils and parents and carers, including through the school website.