Employers and Universities: Work with us?

Three ways to show you’re delivering outstanding careers guidance

For the first time this year, schools are being inspected on the quality of their careers guidance. Ofsted want to make sure that pupils are prepared for the next step in their education or their career. They’re saying:

  • High quality, impartial careers guidance helps pupils to make informed choices about which courses suit their academic needs and aspirations. They are prepared for the next stage of their education, employment, self-employment or training.
  • Pupils understand how their education equips them with the behaviours and attitudes necessary for success in their next stage of education, training or employment and for their adult life.

Great principles, but how can you actually show that your guidance meets these aims?

Fortunately, technology makes it easy. Using online tools means you get the evidence just by delivering the guidance. Let me explain how…

Are your pupils well prepared for their next stage?

You might be used to tracking progress in academic subjects, but what about work-related learning?

The Success at School skills passport covers the top 10 work-related skills that pupils need to develop. Pupils fill in their progress with each skill online. You can log on and see where they’ve made good progress and where there are still gaps.

When pupils leave with a complete skills passport it shows they are well prepared for their next steps.

Do your pupils have the information to fulfil their aspirations?

Step one, let’s find out what pupils aspire to. But how? You could ask every single pupil what they’re interested in. Or you could take a shortcut.

Using Success at School, your pupils can “favourite” the careers that interest them. You get a simple summary, showing which years are interested in which careers.  Then you can tailor the information you provide to meet their aspirations.

Are you sure the experiences you offer are having an impact?

So let’s say you invited an engineering firm to come and give a talk. How do you know it had any effect? Simple – take another look at the careers your pupils are interested in.

If the number of pupils interested in engineering increased after meeting your friendly local firm, then you’ve got evidence that your careers information is having an impact.

If you want to see what a personalised platform looks like in practice, check out this video. Or email katy@successatschool.org.

By Katy Theobald