Our SEND services to schools and academy trusts
Our Personal Career Guidance Services for students with additional needs
Gatsby Benchmarks 1, 3 and 8
To support your students with additional needs we provide a flexible and bespoke menu of careers information, advice and guidance services. This is designed to support you in meeting the individual needs of your students and the school as part of the Gatsby Benchmarks. Tailored services include:
- Individual impartial career guidance from a Level 6/7 qualified adviser, supporting the student as they explore transition and career choices. Staff are able to support students with communication difficulties through the use of Widgit symbols and Makaton. Careers interviews can be undertaken with or without school staff support depending on individual need and preference.
- Ongoing work with students, parents/carers, in co-operation with school staff such as off-site visits, researching education or work experience options.
- Careers information and advice on vocational and academic pathways both at 16 and 18+, including mainstream and specialist college provision, supported internships, alternative provision and apprenticeships.
- Support for both students and their parents/carers on key transition and option choices including a bespoke Transitions Information Booklet and coffee mornings involving key stakeholders and providers.
- Attendance and contribution to Education Health Care reviews.
- Free email access to a careers adviser for student and parents and carers
Our additional support offer for careers-related services to help you achieve Gatsby Benchmarks 1-7:
- Bespoke careers education workshops which support the school’s preparation for adulthood programmes which can include:
- Developing records of achievement and CVs which reflect the student’s employability skills, choices and careers
- Preparing for an interview including work experience, paid or voluntary work
- Understanding the importance of key attitudes, behaviours and skills known as employability skills
- Understanding job adverts and how to apply
- Teambuilding activities and applying this to employability skills
- Helping you to develop a whole-school approach in order to promote cross-school IAG
- Access to our Links4Careers webpages of resources and curriculum materials and signposting schools to SEND specific materials (under development)
- Supporting schools to gain national accreditation with The Quality in Careers Standard in CEIAG
- Advice and consultancy on careers information resources, including quality free resources
- Free monthly e-bulletin News4Careers covering local and national careers related news, events, resources and opportunities for students (subscribe here)
Encounters with employers
Gatsby Benchmark 2, 4 and 5
Our offer includes:
- Facilitating employer-focused workshops. These interactive activities with local employers broaden horizons, raise aspirations and help students gain an understanding of the skills, behaviours and attitudes employers are looking for. They also help staff and students to have a greater understanding of the local labour market.
- Supporting employers to ensure that they are making an effective contribution to school/employer partnerships.
Testimonials:
I gained an understanding of some of the ways that careers information can be built into subject areas in an interesting and engaging way (Teacher, Dawn House)
I learnt how to make small talk with new people … Learnt what a CV is and why we need one … How to get a job and keep it (Student, Beech Academy)
We didn’t know where to get support for our children or what options were open to them. This type of meeting is really useful (Parent at a coffee morning at Foxwood)