Careers

The Wherry School, Norwich - Careers Programme Summary

Careers Team at The Wherry School

Email careers@thewherryschool.co.uk

Phone 01603 629440

Careers Adviser and Work Experience Lead: Charlotte Bradley

Transitions and Events Lead: Natasha Duval

Operational Lead: Vicky McKenzie

Strategic Lead: Dani Williams

Link Governor: Jennifer Mangkusasono

Introduction

Recent research in relation to autistic adults in full and part time employment is very poor. According to the National Autistic Society’s ‘Autism Employment Gap’ report published in 2016 only 16% of autistic adults surveyed were in full time employment and only 32% are in some kind of full or part-time paid work (2000 adults surveyed). However, 77% of unemployed autistic people stated that they wanted to be in work.

At The Wherry School we are seeking to play our part in changing this by providing our students with the skills and knowledge they require to thrive in a place of work. Our careers education plays an integral part in achieving this aim by providing students with meaningful encounters with employers and a variety of experiences of the workplace. We aim to work closely with providers and employers to develop an increased understanding of autism and the adjustments that can be made to enable autistic people to access a place of work successfully.

This information sets out the school’s arrangements for managing the access of providers to pupils at the school for the purpose of giving them information about the provider’s education or training offer. This complies with the school’s legal obligations under Section 42B of the Education Act 1997.

All students at The Wherry School are entitled to access education, information advice and guidance throughout their time here. This includes providing a high-quality service to support students through a reliable cross School/College network. In line with the recent DfE guidance ‘Careers guidance and access for education and training providers’ document (September 2022) we will ensure that our students have access to high-quality support to make decisions about the next step that is right for them and to aspire to achieve their full potential.

To achieve this aim, we will be using the Gatsby Charitable Foundation’s Benchmarks to continue to develop our careers provision. Our Careers Strategic Plan is based on these benchmarks, using the eight key principles to drive our careers programme forward.

We recognise that we must continue to develop external partnerships with employers, multi-agency services and higher education providers so that students continue to receive a high-quality careers experience at The Wherry School.

The guidance provided in this summary covers the following:

• Our student offer including how we measure its impact
• Responsibilities of staff
• Developing Employer Engagement
• Parent/Carer involvement
• Supporting Social Mobility
• Our commitment to Professional Development

In line with Section 42A of the Education Act 1997, our governing body is aware of its statutory duty to:

• Ensure all registered pupils of the school are provided with independent careers guidance from year 7 onwards.
• Ensure careers guidance is presented in an impartial manner
• Ensure careers guidance includes information on the range of education or training options
• Ensure careers guidance promotes the best interest of the pupils to whom it is given.
• Provide clear advice and guidance to the head teacher on which they can base a strategy
• Ensure arrangements are in place to allow a range of education and training providers to access all pupils from year 8 onwards, to ensure students are aware of the routes available to them at transition.

How we measure the impact of our careers programme - The Gatsby Benchmarks

In 2014, Lord Sainsbury’s Gatsby Charitable Foundation published a report by Professor Sir John Holman, Adviser in Education at the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, titled “Good Career Guidance.” The report identified eight benchmarks that are the core dimensions of good careers and enterprise provision in schools:

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 Gatsby Benchmarks have a key role in:

• Raising young people’s aspirations and promoting access to all career pathways
• Enabling all young people to develop the skills and outlook they need to achieve career wellbeing, including adaptability and resilience
• Underpinning the Department for Education guidance to schools on meeting their statutory responsibility for careers guidance.

You can view our latest ratings against the Gatsby Benchmarks by clicking here

We use ‘Compass Plus’ which enables us to monitor the careers experiences for each individual student and provide them with a portfolio of evidence of their experiences of the world of work: a post-covid recovery plan has been created for all pupils to allow them to continue to develop meaningful work experiences despite limitations in place - linked also the school ASSK (Autism Specific Skills and Knowledge Curriculum) which has personal development and employability skills at its heart in Years 9 - 12.

We will utilise student evaluation forms following engagements with employers, workplace visits and meetings with our Careers Advisor. This information is evaluated to develop and improve student experience of our careers programme.

Aims of our careers programme

Our careers programme is in place to ensure that all young people have opportunities to acquire and develop the skills needed for Higher Education, apprenticeships, employment and training matched with their individual needs and the skills required by employers.

We do this by providing tailored guidance that makes a difference to young people’s lives, and including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, making sure that we do not promote a narrow view of opportunities. For our students we will ensure that:

• They should be enabled to make informed choices through a variety of experiences in tutorials and through the curriculum.
• They have varied opportunities for self-development as they explore a range of career options which are made available to them through a range of activities e.g. Norfolk Skills and Careers Festival, Opportunity Fair and Enterprise Adviser Network.
• They develop an increased understanding of themselves so that they become self-aware, resilient and responsive as they develop skills needed for planning and managing their own career development.
• They have support to explore opportunities in work, training and further/higher education.
• Students know and understand the full range of career options available to them on completion of their course through the various sources of information and guidance, both within and beyond The Wherry School.
• They have access to and are made aware of relevant changes in education, training and employment.
• Students know where they can access appropriate information advice and guidance through online resources related to Volunteering, Employment, Work Experience, Higher Education and Apprenticeships.
• They are supported on decisions relating to next steps and career decisions.
• Students can access relevant careers information and preparation for employment through bespoke tutorials