Careers 7-11 and Beyond

Find out more about our Career programmes

Careers 7-11 and Beyond

What’s it all about?

At Pinewood School we have developed the Careers Programme taking account of the Gatsby Benchmarks. This ensures that all pupils have access to a stable careers programme providing information on the full range of education and training options available at each transition point.

The Gatsby Benchmarks have been altered slightly to fit SEN schools and recognise that each pupil is unique and working towards a different path. We provide our pupils with a meaningful programme that leads to positive outcomes for our learners. The programme is embedded throughout the school as part of our work related learning curriculum. With this in mind, we completed the careers benchmark tool, COMPASS, and we are currently achieving 100% in all areas. The school ensure that EHCPs align with careers support, with a focus on:

Education and learning
Social and communication skills
Aspirations and goals for the future
Self-help and Independence

For a more detailed look at our Careers programme, please see the links below.

Gatsby benchmarks – what are they?

The Gatsby Benchmarks originated in a research report from the Gatsby foundation in 2013. The research provides a comprehensive study of career development. The report found 8 benchmarks of best practice, which are now more commonly known as ‘The Gatsby Benchmarks’. They are:

A stable careers programme
Learning from career and labour market information
Addressing the needs of each pupil
Linking curriculum learning to careers
Encounters with employers and employees
Experiences of workplaces
Encounters with further and higher education
Personal guidance

As a school we have also introduced an Information Evening for Year 9, 10 and 11 pupils and parents where local providers, employers and setting have stalls to encourage thinking and preparation for the pupils regarding their post 16 options. This has proven to be very successful and this year 100% of all families that attended said they felt it was helpful and relevant for Pinewood students. We received some very positive feedback from families including: