Student Careers Advice & Information
St Mary’s Catholic Academy has a statutory duty to provide impartial and objective Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) in Years 7 to 11. CEIAG at St Mary’s is seen as an integral part of the holistic curriculum, which is available for every student and this is evident in the Personal Social and Health Education Curriculum (PSHE)
CEIAG at St Mary’s Catholic Academy is impartial and it enables students to explore potential pathways through the work of our Independent Career Advisor. St Mary’s offers a full education entitlement to the age of eighteen years but also allows all providers an equal opportunity to provide current information to the students.
- To equip students with the necessary decision making skills about future progression and their destination when they leave St Mary’s.
- To provide students with current information on courses at Key Stage 3, 4 and 5.
- To give opportunity for maximum exploration of future careers including work experience opportunities where possible.
- To decrease the possibility of students making incorrect transition choices.
- To understand how the ‘world of work’ works.
- To keep up-to-date with new careers emerging from technological advances and understand the labour market.
- To ensure all Year 11 students have at least one post-16 pathway guaranteed when leaving St Mary’s.
- To ensure our most vulnerable students are supported beyond St Mary’s so that they do not become NEET (not in education, employment or training).
- To ensure all PP/SEN students receive further impartial and independent guidance from an external Careers Advisor.
Head of Student Careers Advice
- Mrs. M. Fitzpatrick
- 01253 396286
- [email protected]
Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance is a progressive journey from Year 7 to Year 11. The aims at St Mary’s Catholic Academy are:
- For students to develop positive attitudes to study and work
- For students to evaluate their own strengths and to build in their own areas for development
- To help students fully engage in career planning
- For students to understand and develop the skills that are required to be successful in their future pathway
- To provide students with a comprehensive understanding of opportunities at key transition points and translate these effectively into appropriate decisions and actions
- To provide students with relevant careers information, advice and guidance that are suitable for their individual needs
St Mary’s Catholic Academy aims to provide equal opportunities of access to careers information, advice and guidance for all students.
Our CEIAG programme is led by Miss Fitzpatrick. If you require further information or think that you could offer our students a careers experience, she will gladly assist.
We link the programme to the eight Gatsby Benchmarks (2024 updates) which are explicitly referenced through the DfE’s Careers Strategy (December 2017) and the new Statutory Guidance for Careers (January 2018).
The eight benchmarks are
- A stable careers programme
- Learning from career and labour market information
- Addressing the needs of each young person
- Linking curriculum learning to careers
- Encounters with employers and employees
- Experiences of workplaces
- Encounters with further and higher education
- Personal guidance
Our careers programme is delivered as an element of our fortnightly PSHE lessons, Form Tutor Mentoring and through additional interleaved events that take place throughout the academic calendar and curriculum to ensure that a whole school endeavour is made to ensure that careers is at the heart of our education.
St. Mary's Career Access Policy
St Mary’s Catholic Academy aims to provide a minimum of at least six encounters with approved providers of apprenticeships and technical education for all our students:
- Two encounters for students during the ‘first key phase’ (year 8 or 9) that are mandatory for all students to attend
- Two encounters for students during the ‘second key phase’ (year 10 or 11) that are mandatory for all students to attend
- Two encounters for pupils during the ‘third key phase’ (year 12 or 13) that are mandatory for the college to put on but optional for students to attend.
This updated policy in line with government legislation is a key mechanism to further help learners understand and take-up, not just apprenticeships, but wider technical education options such as T-Levels and Higher Technical Qualifications.
At St Mary’s Catholic Academy we are fervent in supporting and engaging all students to ensure that they have frequent, meaningful encounters that seeks to further inform and expand their understanding in career and further education choices post year 11.
How do we measure and assess the impact of the careers programme on pupils?
St Mary’s Catholic follows the advice and guidance supplied by the Careers and Enterprise company. This is an external organisation that supports schools to ensure they are following the DFE’s newly devised Careers Strategy. The following information is an extract taken from this guidance.
“The careers’ strategy sets out that every school and academy providing secondary education should use the Gatsby Charitable Foundation’s Benchmarks to develop and improve their careers provision. This statutory guidance has been restructured around the Benchmarks with information on what schools need to do to meet each one. The Gatsby Benchmarks are not a statutory framework but by adopting them, schools can be confident that they are fulfilling their legal duties: the existing duties to secure independent careers guidance and provide opportunities to a range of providers to inform pupils about technical education qualifications or apprenticeships and the new duty to publish information about the careers program on the school website.”
As an education establishment, we ensure we use the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks as a foundation when planning our Careers Strategy. The effectiveness of our provision is inspected and audited by the Careers and Enterprise Company using the Compass Careers Benchmark Tool. This tool is used by schools and colleges in England to support the analysis and evaluation of career activity against the eight benchmarks of best practice (known as the Gatsby Benchmarks). The Careers and Enterprise Company audit this information. This ensures the development of our career strategy is ongoing to ensure best practices and maximise the career opportunities for all of our students at St Mary’s Catholic Academy.
Year 7 Activities
Careers Focussed Assemblies
CEIAG lessons in PSHE
Encompass Careers Questionnaire
Year 7 Information Evening
Year 8 Activities
Careers Focussed Assemblies
CEIAG lessons in PSHE
Independent Career Advice: Careers Group Session
Local Workforce Market Tutorial
Workplace Encounters Initiative
Year 8 Information Evening
Year 9 Activities
Careers Focussed Assemblies
Careers Fair in Blackpool
CEIAG lessons in PSHE
IAG Career Convention and options process
NHS Careers Roadshow
Options Evening
Year 10 Activities
Careers Focussed Assemblies
CEIAG lessons in PSHE
NHS Careers Roadshow
One to One Independent Career Interview
One week work experience
Parents Evening
Sixth Form Open Evenings
Sixth Form Taster Day
Year 11 Activities
Careers Focussed Assemblies
CEIAG lessons in PSHE
Encompass Questionnaire
NHS Careers Roadshow
Parents Evening
Sixth Form Open Evenings
Year 11 Induction Day
Sixth Form Activities
Careers Focussed Assemblies
Health Academy
NHS Careers Roadshow
Parents Evening
UCAS Evening
UCAS One to one optional interview
University lectures / Apprecticeship talks
University visits
Dates of Interest
Cisco Pathways Work Experience Application Invitation
The applications for February Pathways Work Experience programme for Years 11 & 12 are now open.
- Apply for hybrid programme: Hybrid in Bedfont Lakes, West London office or Didsbury near Manchester office (2 days in office & 3 days virtual)
- Apply for virtual programme – Fully Virtual