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Developing careers skills is not just a government requirement but a moral obligation. Our school has a high level of students from deprived backgrounds and making them aware of what careers are is essential if they are to break the cycle of disadvantage. Skills Builder also allows them to develop those skills in a methodical manner.
Overall impact
For students it has been beneficial to understand how they can develop themselves and their skills. Additionally it has made them able to explain how they can show their skills to employers and further/higher education providers.
Keep it simple
We have drawn up a schedule for students to encounter every skill in tutor time careers focused classes. These are 20 minutes sessions that take place every Tuesday. The students look at 3 or 4 steps for each skill each year. In addition, teachers deliver essential skills in lessons. Strategies for how to develop the skill are shared with staff. A CPD session this was run by the careers lead.
Start early, keep going
Teachers deliver essential skills lessons from year 7 where they look at the first four steps in each skills. Additionally drop down days are run across the school. The involvement of parents stems from the parent governor being the member of the governing body to support careers. He has overseen the strategy, which has been shared with parents, and supports it.
Measure it
Assessment takes place via Pupil Voice and student self-assessment. Students have fed back to teachers and form tutors who have fed back to members of the senior leadership team. Next year, there will be 2 review cycles where all students will be able to feedback. Students log their development in their careers journals. We will continue to develop ways to measure progress made by exploring the Skills Builder Hub and internal assessment documents.
Focus tightly
All students are given timetabled sessions to look at skills and are encouraged to write down ways in which they can develop their skills. The following sessions also give students a chance to feedback on what they have done. Students also meet careers skills within their wider curriculum lessons, which provides addditional opportunities to focus tightly on the eight essential skills.
Keep practising
Each essential skill is looked at on a fortnightly basis, and this happens all the way through the school. This approach provides opportunities for the skills to be practiced across the curriculum. Additionally as part of our rewards system , students need to explain how they have developed and use the skills they have learned.
Bring it to life
We work closely with employers and many of our students will complete some form of work experience. That said, breaking the essential skills down in to meaningful actions has been the most effective way of bring the skills to life, providing engagements and development for our students.
What's next
The system we have put into place will be further stream lined next year. Essential skill steps from the framework will be embedded, so that it will be much clearer for students to see their progress.
