Sandbach School & Measuring the Impact of our Careers Education Programmes
We Measure and Assess the Impact of our Careers Programme through:
- Comparative analysis of our annual Destination Data for Yr 11 and Yr 13
- Stakeholder feedback including; Parents, Carers, Students & Staff g. Microsoft Forms data analysis and annual Student ‘Future Skills’ Questionnaires (FSQs)
- Employer feedback
- Visiting partners / provider feedback
- Work experience evaluations
- Gatsby Benchmark reviews – Using the on-line Careers & Enterprise Company C.E.C. – Compass Plus evaluation ‘tool’ with comparison to regional and national Gatsby data.
- Regular Senior Leadership and Zone Management discussions and reviews
- On-going internal ’Quality Assurance’ reviews using the C.E.C. Internal Leadership Review ‘Maturity’ Model
Gatsby Benchmarks
The Eight Benchmarks are a framework for good career guidance developed to support schools in providing students with the best possible careers education, information, advice, and guidance:
- 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
The Gatsby Benchmarks are reviewed each term by the Careers Leader and supporting staff. Appropriate actions are implemented and shared with relevant stakeholders.
We use the ‘Careers & Enterprise Company’s Compass Plus’ self-evaluation tool that gives us an immediate confidential read-out of how our own career guidance performs against the Gatsby eight benchmarks. This is supported by the Cheshire and Warrington ‘Pledge’ organisation and East Cheshire Careers ‘Hub’. The Careers Leader then reports the findings to the Zone Manager and Senior Leadership Team.
Collaboration The school’s Careers Leader is regularly involved in local / regional networking events and conferences to discuss best practice and to collaborate with employers, F.E. and H.E. providers, other Cheshire schools, Cheshire and Warrington Pledge and Cheshire East Council accordingly.
Review of Published information on the Website
The review of published information takes place in July of each year (ready for publishing updates to the website and making amending to relevant policies for the new academic year in September). Published Information and our careers policies are reviewed annually by the Careers Leader and Zone Management. However, in addition to this, published information is regularly reviewed and updated throughout the year e.g. updates made to relevant destination data, adaptations & modifications to the careers programme and updates to information displayed on the school website (via the ‘Careers Education’ section on the school’s homepage).