Careers Learning Programme 

Lipson Academy has been a holder of the Quality in Careers standard for several years. 

We are committed to providing high quality impartial careers advice and guidance to all pupils. Our extensive careers programme ensures all students are provided with impartial, independent careers education, information, advice and guidance enabling them to make informed decisions about their own future. 

Careers education is provided through:

• Citizenship lessons

• Providing support and information in tutor

• Embedded into the curricula

• Additional opportunities and employer experiences

• Impartial advice and guidance

Your Entitlement – By Year 11, what Careers Support will you receive?

 

Student entitlement by Year 11
A clear plan for your careers education at Lipson Academy	Careers and WRL overview shared with pupils and parents – Ongoing feedback is appreciated. Website updated annually to show careers journey
Access to up to date information about future study options - Labour Market Information	Unifrog lessons delivered in Citizenship lessons LMI assembly for all year groups. Careers related tutor slots National Careers Week - extended tutor
Your individual needs met with career advice	Thorough Options process in Year 9 A wide range of diverse careers activities. One-to-one careers guidance offered via CSW
Careers taught within the curriculum	Careers taught throughout the booklet curriculum in KS3. National Careers Week lessons & tutorial activities. HOD information videos created for careers week.
Yearly encounters with employers	Careers fair – all years. Year 7 year group workshop. Alumni and employer assemblies .
At least on experience of a workplace	Work Experience Week timetabled in Year 10 and Year 12
Visited a university	Opportunities for different university visits throughout school.
Impartial careers interview with a CSW advisor	Sixth form guidance interviews. CSW guidance interviews for Year 11. Year 9 Options interview for all pupils.

Pupils at Lipson experience a wide range of Careers and Work Related Learning activities. Key events in KS4 form a big part of that experience such as their work experience week. During citizenship lessons in KS3, pupils take part in a series of taught lessons covering employability skills enabling pupils to reflect on their own destination plans. Tutorial time also provides pupils with knowledge on career pathways, apprenticeships and support with the Work Experience Programme.

Our Careers Programme follows the Career Development Institutes (CDI) framework. This has three key elements:  Developing yourself through careers, employability and enterprise education.  Learning about careers and the world of work.  Developing your career management and employability skills. This document outlines our core offer for Careers and the annual planned activities that take place. There are lots of additional opportunities that come up throughout the year.

Careers and Work-Related Learning Programme 

Year 7

• Careers sessions during citizenship lessons: 

• Reflection on skills. 

• Transferable skills. 

• Personal statement writing practice.

• Careers embedded within the curricula

• Unifrog workshops with tutors

• Outlining achievements.  

• National Careers Week Assembly 

• National Careers Week tutorial activities based on aspirations

• Year group employer event experience (2024 - RISE)

Year 8 

Unifrog sessions during citizenship lessons: 

• Aspirations 

• Planning my future sessions

• Looking at different career paths  

• Careers embedded within the curricula

• Unifrog workshops with tutors

• National Careers Week Assembly  

• National Careers Week tutorial activities based on aspirations

• PSHE careers lessons

Year 9  

• Careers unit as part of Citizenship 

• Options evening for pupils and parents.  

• Options guidance interviews – all pupils meet with a senior member of staff to discuss options.  

• Careers embedded within the curricula

• Assemblies led by Alumni 

• National Careers Week Assembly  

• National Careers Week tutorial activities based on aspirations

Year 10:

• Apprenticeship Assembly from T-Levels

• Unifrog lessons delivered via tutor

• Work Experience Week – Everybody in Year 10 goes on work experience. 

• Assembly – Top Jobs and Opportunities, in demand UK jobs and LMI. 

• Select students to attend local Careers Fair

• All students to attend Large Careers Fair with supporting tutorial lessons

• Assemblies led by Alumni  

• Labour Market Information Assembly.  

• Support or group workshops on organising Work Experience – Dependent on pupils needs.  

• National Careers Week Assembly  

• National Careers Week tutorial activities based on aspirations

Year 11:

• Sixth Form recruitment assembly.  

• Sixth Form guidance interviews with a senior member of staff.  

• Assemblies led by Alumni 

• Large Careers Fair with supporting tutorial lessons. 

• Campus visit to Plymouth University

• National Careers Week Assembly  

• National Careers Week tutorial activities based on aspirations

• Careers South West 1-2-1 careers guidance 

Sixth Form:

• Several University trips throughout the year, usually:

• Plymouth University, Exeter University

• Trips to the Apprenticeship Fair and UCAS Exhibition in Exeter.  

• UCAS convention and Next steps Prep session

• Personal Statement support via workshops 

• Sixth Form Work Experience  

• Activities during tutorial such as: 

• Use of Unifrog 

• 1-2-1 tutorial support ongoing  

• CSW Guidance interviews for selected pupils. 

• Various NSSW workshops throughout the year

• Universities Scholarship Schemes including SMF and Sutton Trust

• In2Med programme

Where can you find out more information? If you would like to know more about Careers and work related learning or work experience in school please get in touch with Ed Goodman, Lead on Careers – ed.goodman@lipson.plymouth.sch.uk or Trudy Lincoln - Post 16 destinations lead, – trudy.lincoln@lipson.plymouth.sch.uk 

Below are some excellent resources online designed to help young people and their parents to keep options open and make the right choices:

Applying to University Abroad - https://studee.com/discover/the-ultimate-guide-to-studying-abroad-as-a-uk-student/

Apprenticeships - https://amazingapprenticeships.com/

Building Plymouth - https://www.buildingplymouth.co.uk/

Career Pilot – Plan your future work and study - https://www.careerpilot.org.uk/

Data Plymouth - http://www.dataplymouth.co.uk/

Example of a free to use Situational Judgement Test (SJT) https://virginmedia.shortlist.me/lobby. Many employers use these tests to assess candidates' behavioural decision-making and thought processes.

Find an Apprenticeship -  https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship

Fire It Up - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFMlFqSGJ6voEbsg7KxyiXA

Further Education Provider Database – https://www.ucas.com/further-education/post-16-options

Free support in taking psychometric/numerical/verbal tests for interviews -

https://practicereasoningtests.com

National Careers Service – https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/

Next Steps South West - https://nextstepssw.ac.uk/

Plymouth City Council Skills and Employability – Information for Parents in Years 7-13 https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/investmentandgrowth/strategicgrowth/skillsandemployability

Plymouth Manufacturing Group - http://www.plymouthmakes.co.uk/ 

University and College Admissions Service – https://www.ucas.com/

University Key Information Statistics - https://discoveruni.gov.uk/

Interactive subject specific posters with links to post 16 and post 18 study options including apprenticeships and university

NSSW Career Pilot Posters PDF Interactive

Heart of the South West Local Labour Market Information – Want to find out more about the industries and jobs local to Plymouth?

Advanced Engineering

Construction

Creative and Digital

Health and Life Sciences

Energy

Technology

Professional Services

Retail

Land-Based

Hospitality and Visitor Economy

Babcock Apprenticeships

 

Gatsby Benchmarks

The Academy measures its careers education and guidance against the Gatsby benchmarks. These are a set of measures outlined by John Holman in his 2014 report ‘Good Career Guidance’ and adopted as best practice by the government in 2017 and OFSTED in 2019.

These are:

1. A Stable Careers Programme
2. Learning from Career and Labour Market information
3. Addressing the needs of each pupil
4. Linking curriculum to careers
5. Encounters with Employers and Employees
6. Experience of Workplaces
7. Encounters with Further and Higher Education
8. Personal Guidance

GATSBY Benchmarks - 2024 Annual Review

Lipson Co-operative Academy: Provider Access Policy Statement 

(To include The Department of Education, July 2021: “Baker Clause” and the Provider Access Legislation, January 2023)

Ownership:  Lipson Cooperative Academy

Date updated: November 2024

 

Rationale

High quality careers education and guidance in school or college is critical to young people’s futures. It helps to prepare them for the workplace by providing a clear understanding of the world of work including the routes to jobs and careers that they might find engaging and rewarding. It supports them to acquire the self-development and career management skills they need to achieve positive employment destinations. This helps students to choose their pathways, improve their life opportunities and contribute to a productive and successful economy.

As the number of apprenticeships rises every year, it becomes increasingly important that all young people have a full understanding of all the options available to them post-16 and post-18 including wider technical education options such as T-Levels and Higher Technical Qualifications.

 

Commitment 

Lipson Academy is committed to ensuring there is an opportunity for a range of education and training providers to access students, for the purpose of informing them about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.  Lipson Academy is fully aware of the responsibility to set students on the path that will secure the best outcome which will enable them to progress in education and work and give employers the highly skilled people they need. That means acting impartially, in line with the statutory duty, and not showing bias towards any route, be that academic or technical. 

Lipson Academy endeavours to ensure that all students are aware of all routes to higher skills and are able to access information on technical options and apprenticeships (The Department of Education, July 2021: “Baker Clause”: supporting students to understand the full range of education and training options, and the Provider Access Legislation, January 2023).

 

Aims 

Lipson Academy policy for Access to other education and training providers has the following aims: 

To develop the knowledge and awareness of our students of all career pathways available to them, including technical qualifications and apprenticeships. 

To support young people to be able to learn more about opportunities for education and training outside of school before making informed choices about their future options. 

To reduce drop out from courses and avoid the risk of students becoming NEET (Young people not in education, employment or training).

 

Student Entitlement 

Lipson Academy fully supports the statutory requirement for students to have direct access to other providers of further education training, technical training and apprenticeships.  The school will comply with the new legal requirement to put on at least six encounters with providers of approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships. This will be done in assemblies in National Apprenticeship Week and National Careers Week, in addition to experiencing careers fairs at school and in the local community.

 

Development 

This policy has been developed and is reviewed annually by the Careers Leader (Ed Goodman) and Line Manager (Martin Brook) based on current good practice guidelines by the Department for Education. 

 

Links with other policies 

It supports and is underpinned by key school policies including those for Careers, Child Protection, Equality and Diversity, and SEND.

 

Equality and Diversity 

Access to other providers is available and promoted to allow all students to access information about other providers of further education and apprenticeships. Lipson Academy is committed to encouraging all students to make decisions about their future based on impartial information. 

 

Requests for access

Requests for access should be directed to Ed Goodman, Careers Leader. Ed Goodman may be contacted by telephone or email, ed.goodman@lipson.plymouth.sch.uk, Tel 01752 671318 ext. 1235.

 

Grounds for granting requests for access

Access will be given for providers to attend during school assemblies, timetabled Careers or SMSC lessons, and Careers or Raising Aspirations events that Lipson Academy is arranging. 

 

Details of premises or facilities to be provided to a person who is given access

Lipson Academy will provide an appropriate room or assembly hall to be agreed. All rooms have computers, projectors and screens provided. Computer rooms can also be arranged. The Careers Leader will organise this, working closely with the provider to ensure the facilities are appropriate to the audience.  Appropriate safeguarding checks will be carried out.  Providers will be met and supervised by a member of the Careers Team who will facilitate.

 

Live/Virtual encounters

Lipson Academy will consider live online encounters with providers where requested, and these may be broadcast into classrooms or the school assembly hall. Technology checks in advance will be required to ensure compatibility of systems. 

 

Parents and Carers 

Parental involvement is encouraged, and parents may be invited to attend the events to meet the providers. 

 

Management 

The Careers Leader coordinates all provider requests and is responsible to his/her senior management line manager. 

 

Complaints Procedure

Any complaints about this policy should be raised to Amy Humphries email:  amy.humphries@lipson.plymouth.sch.uk

Amy Humphries will raise the complaint to Martin Brook, Headteacher of Lipson Academy.

 

Monitoring review and evaluation 

The Policy is monitored and evaluated annually via the Senior Leadership Team. 

Policy Coordinator: Ed Goodman 

Policy Reviewed: November 2024

 

Appendix 

Providers who have been invited into Lipson Academy to date include: 

The Talent Foundry

Loughborough University

University of Exeter

dBs institute

Royal Air Force

Achievement Training Ltd

Skills Group

Army Careers

Access Creative College

Building Plymouth

City College Plymouth

Next Steps South West

Arts University Plymouth

Greenshoots Preschool

Plymouth Universities NHS Trust

AECOM

 

2024 Destinations of pupils from Lipson include: 

Bristol, University of the West of England

Royal Holloway, University of London

Arts University Plymouth

Manchester Metropolitan University

University of Plymouth

University of Brighton

University of Plymouth

University of Plymouth

Falmouth University

Arts University Plymouth

University of Plymouth

Plymouth Marjon University

Arts University Plymouth

University of Exeter

University of Exeter

Cardiff University

Plymouth Marjon University

University of Plymouth

Bath Spa University

Royal Holloway, University of London

University of Bristol

University of Plymouth

University of Reading

University of Manchester

Kingston University

Plymouth Marjon University

University of Plymouth

University of Bristol

University of Plymouth

Tufts University, Massachusetts, USA

Bristol, University of the West of England

University of Plymouth

Arts University Bournemouth

University of Exeter

Bournemouth University

Bristol, University of the West of England

University of Glasgow

University of Southampton

Plymouth Marjon University

University of Worcester

University of Plymouth

Manchester Metropolitan University

 

The information published relating to careers education will next be reviewed in September 2025, or prior to this date should a change be required.