Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG)
Our Strategy
Our strategy for Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) has been developed in line with the DfE document: Careers strategy: making the most of everyone’s skills and talents (4 December 2017)
"We want to create a stronger, fairer society in which people from all backgrounds can realise their potential. A thriving careers system, that is accessible to everyone, is at the heart of our focus on social mobility. We must break down the barriers to progress that too many people in our country face today and give young people the skills to get on in life. Our careers strategy will support everyone, whatever their age, to go as far as their talents will take them and have a rewarding career." - The Rt Hon Anne Milton MP Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills and Minister for Women.
CEIAG has a focus on six attributes, skills or actions needed to achieve career goals and aspirations. The six areas can be nicely organised into the word ‘Career’:
- Consider your interests, your strengths, and your skills;
- Ambition: The sky’s the limit.
- Research what you need to get there (GCSEs, A levels, a degree, professional qualifications);
- Enterprise: Grasp opportunities that could enhance your skills;
- Excitement: Passion for your dreams and reading around the subject are important;
- Responsibility: Work hard, ask questions and discuss with anyone that will listen.
Gatsby Benchmarks
In order to meet our statutory requirements with CEIAG we use the Gatsby benchmarks to guide our policy and practice. The eight benchmarks are;
1. A stable careers programme
2. Learning from career and labour market information
3.
Addressing the needs of each pupil
4. Linking curriculum learning to careers
5. Encounters
with employers and employees
6. Experiences of workplaces
7. Encounters with further and
higher education
8. Personal guidance
The aim of our CEIAG programme is to provide all students with a range of opportunities to develop in this area, within and beyond the curriculum, and to ensure that staff, governors, families and the wider community are involved in securing high aspirations for each and every student. CEIAG is an integral element of the BFS curriculum, providing all students with the careers education, information, advice and guidance that they need to realise the most ambitious of aspirations. In the Sixth Form, this includes:
CEIAG at Key Stage 5
- Unifrog online service focuses on CV writing, universities, apprenticeships and MOOCS.
- Unifrog will be used to collate useful progression information (activities, competences and interactions).
- Unifrog will be used to support production of UCAS application forms, personal statements and teacher references.
- A Higher Education lesson, as part of the curriculum, to be run weekly for Year 12.
- Students in the Sixth Form will be encouraged to visit university open days, masterclasses, taster courses and summer schools at a variety of universities, to develop their application profile.
- The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) helps develop invaluable research and independent learning skills which are central to higher education.
- There is a dedicated team to support students with the UCAS process. Each student will have support tailored to their application from a subject advisor, their form tutor and the Sixth Form team.
- Interview preparation, practice and workshops are led by departments and the Sixth Form team.
- There is preparation for, and support with, aptitude and pre-admissions tests.
- The pastoral curriculum for Years 12-13 will include lessons on life at university, including finances, driving, living away from home and cooking.
- Charity fundraising and enterprise activities will be encouraged e.g. the Young Enterprise competition and RAG Week fundraising.
- Sixth Form students will be encouraged to undertake volunteering and work experience to support their university applications. A range of opportunities will be advertised throughout the academic year, as appropriate to specific students.
- A number of students every year will take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award. At Sixth Form, this will usually mean the Gold or Silver award.
Progression Routes
Below you will find a range of links to support a variety of progression routes for all students:
- Interviews
- Universities
- Apprenticeships
- Traineeships
- Student Finance
- Volunteering
- CV Writing
- Equal Opportunities: Women, SEND, (Human Rights)
- Course Finder
- University Guide
- University Life
- Finance
- Surviving away from home
- Starting a Business
- The Forces
- Gap Year
- Managing Money
- Budget Planner
We hope that these links are useful, however if you do feel that there is something additional that would provide improved or different information, please contact the school to let us know.
