Severn Vale School is keenly aware of the potential impact on students of being in an 11-16 school. A Year 10 student has summarised this challenge nicely, “The school doesn't have a 6th form and it feels like we are out in the world very soon. We needed to start thinking early, perhaps earlier than other schools."

SVS’s school motto, Empowering All to Achieve, shows a clear commitment to ensuring all students are made aware of and investigate the widest range of options possible for post-16 and that they are empowered to plan with confidence. The aims of the school Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) policy is to enable smooth transition and ensuring student awareness of post-16 choices.

SVS has invested in Unifrog which is available for all year groups and their parents and carers.

 

Overview of Careers Advice at Severn Vale 

Student entitlement to careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG)

CEIAG is about helping students to plan for their future by equipping them with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to make informed decisions about the choices open to them and to make successful transitions through learning and into work.  

Student CEIAG includes a range of:

• Planned programme of career education from Year 7 onwards.

 • Access to a qualified independent impartial Careers Adviser from year 9 including at least one interview by the end of Y11 if requested.

• Work experience in Year 10.

• Access to up to date and impartial careers information from a range of sources including Unifrog.

• Encounters with local employers – students are offered at least one encounter each year from year 7 to year 11. Examples of employer encounters are school assemblies, business breakfasts, mentoring, mock interviews and workplace visits.

• Encounters with post-16 providers - In January 2023, the updated provide access legislation (PAL) came into force. This legislations specifies that Severn Vale School must provide at least four encounters with approved providers of apprenticeships and technical education for all our students.  

• Information about and/or visits to further education colleges, universities and other training providers, so you can understand the full range of courses, apprenticeships and technical education/training routes available.

 

Gatsby Benchmarks

The Gatsby Benchmarks are a framework of 8 guidelines that define the best careers provision in secondary schools and is also a key measure of the effectiveness of career advice. They are also a very important part of the Government's Career Strategy.

The benchmarks are:

 

Benchmark	Description
1. A stable careers programme	Every school and college should have an embedded programme of career education and guidance that is known and understood by pupils, parents, teachers and employers.
2. Learning from career and labour market information	Every pupil, and their parents, should have access to good-quality information about future study options and labour market opportunities. They will need the support of an informed adviser to make best use of available information.
3. Addressing the needs of each pupil	Pupils have different career guidance needs at different stages. Opportunities for advice and support need to be tailored to the needs of each pupil. A school’s careers programme should embed equality and diversity considerations throughout.
4. Linking curriculum learning to careers	All teachers should link curriculum learning with careers. For example, STEM subject teachers should highlight the relevance of STEM subjects for a wide range of future career paths.
5. Encounters with employers and employees	Every pupil should have multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace. This can be through a range of enrichment activities including visiting speakers, mentoring and enterprise schemes.
6. Experiences of workplaces	Every pupil should have first-hand experiences* of the workplace through work visits, work shadowing and/or work experience to help their exploration of career opportunities, and expand their networks.
7. Encounters with Further and Higher Education	All pupils should understand the full range of learning opportunities that are available to them. This includes both academic and vocational routes and learning in schools, colleges, universities and in the workplace.
8. Personal guidance	Every pupil should have opportunities for guidance interviews with a careers adviser, who could be internal (a member of school staff) or external, provided they are trained to an appropriate level. These should be available whenever significant study or career choices are being made. They should be expected for all pupils but should be timed to meet their individual needs.

Contact the Careers Office:

Mr Mark Nichols (Assistant Headteacher) is Severn Vale's Careers leader, and he is supported by Mrs Victoria Barnard (Careers Administrator). 

Contact can be made by sending an email to careers@severnvaleschool.com.

 

Professional Advice:

Independent and unbiased careers guidance is provided by Rachel Dickinson, a professional careers advisor, who visits the school twice a week during term time to meet with students individually and to give group talks. We try to arrange at least one appointment during KS4 for every single Severn Vale student. Most will receive two meetings, with many more students also receiving individual advice in Year 9.

We hope that students will take full advantage of the opportunities on offer at Severn Vale School.

 

Assessment of Careers Provision:

Compass+ is a tool from The Careers & Enterprise Company which helps schools benchmark, manage, track and report on their school's careers programme. Compass+ enables SVS to assess the careers provision against the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks. 

 

Year 10 Work Experience

Work Experience is an opportunity for young people to gain a first-hand insight into a career as well as helping young people decide if a particular career path is right for them. It also provides an opportunity to experience the routines, problems, challenges and rewards faced at work.

At Severn Vale School, we recognise that this is a valuable experience for students, and we encourage all students in Year 10 to find their own Work Experience placement for a designated week at the end of Term 6. 

Information about bow to secure a WEX placement is passed out to Students and parents during the school year.