KS3 Careers

Intent

The Careers programme provided by Broadfield Specialist School is tailored for the needs of each student, to ensure it is appropriate and realistic.  Our aims are to enable, equip and empower all of our students with the understanding of a working life and support them to gain the skills and qualifications required for their chosen career path.

Implementation

The Careers programme has been created to ensure that all students are given the best opportunity to gain the required experiences that the Gatsby Benchmarks have been designed to do.  We are one of the first special schools in Lancashire to achieve all eight of the benchmarks, demonstrating our commitment to ensuring our students are preparing to be work ready.  We do this through having various different types of content in our Careers Programme.  This includes the following areas:

• The Careers Development Institute’s (CDI) Career Development Framework.
• The Skills Builder’s Framework for Essential Skills
• Pathways is specifically for SEND young people to access information to help plan their future
• If you were an Engineer, what would you do?
• Statwars
• Portal
• National Careers Week
• British Science Week
• National Work Experience Week
• Volunteers’ Week

These will provide students with the opportunity to develop and provide necessary skills for their future.

Impact

Each student is given the opportunity to focus on a given career path and are supported by various members of staff in school and college.  Their achievements in careers can be identified specifically, through what they do towards each of the Gatsby Benchmarks.  Students are assessed in school through B-Squared and AQA Unit Awards.

Our Supported Internship is our latest offer, to enable students to enter the world of work.

Enterprise

Intent

In college, students are empowered to embark on the world of enterprise.  The work is tailored for their individual needs, to ensure it is appropriate and achievable.  We enable, equip and empower all of our students with the understanding of a working life and support them to gain the skills and qualifications required to do this.

Implementation

Enterprise in College is about teaching our students how to make a profit by selling a product.  We do this throughout the year, by selling lunches and treats, seasonal gifts and plants we grow in the greenhouse.  This is built around teaching essential skills that are important in working life.

We do this through Skills Builder.

Skills Builder

The Skills Builder Universal Framework is the world’s leading tool for measuring and building essential skills. It breaks the 8 essential skills down into a sequence of steps, starting with absolute beginner through to mastery. It’s a completely open source, and backed by years of research. Developed with leading businesses, academics and educators, it consolidates an array of different frameworks into something comprehensive and practical. It is truly universal. That’s why it’s used by over 850 employers, schools and social impact organisations across the globe.

Impact

Students achievements in enterprise can be identified specifically, through progress on the Skills Builder essential skills, continual assessment of students EHCP’s and AQA Unit Awards.

Duke of Edinburgh

Intent

We offer the Duke of Edinburgh Award to Key Stage 4 pathways and to college students.  Due to recent changes, the award has become more inclusive allowing school to decide how each student approaches the expeditions.  This means far more of our students are taking on the challenges of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

Implementation

We deliver the award in bespoke Duke of Edinburgh lessons that are embedded in the students’ curriculum.  The award involves the following achievements:

Bronze timescales

It will usually take a minimum of 6 months to complete the Bronze programme.

• Volunteering section: 3 months
• Physical section: 3 months
• Skills section: 3 months
• Expedition section: 2 days/1 night

Students also spend an extra three months on one of the Volunteering, Physical or Skills section.

Silver timescales

It takes at least 6 months to achieve Silver if you’ve already achieved your Bronze, or 12 months if students start at silver.

• Volunteering section: 6 months
• Physical and Skills sections: One section for 6 months and the other section for 3 months
• Expedition section: 3 days/2 nights

Gold timescales

For Gold, the programme lasts for a minimum of 12 months, if a silver award has already been achieved, or 18 months if starting at Gold level.

• Volunteering section: 12 months
• Physical and Skills sections: One section for 12 months and the other section for 6 months
• Expedition section: 4 days/3 nights
• Residential section: Undertake a shared activity in a residential setting away from home for 5 days and 4 nights.

Impact

Each student is given the opportunity to take on the challenge that is the Duke of Edinburgh Award.  In college all students will cover the volunteering, skill and physical sections as a part of their curriculum which entitles them to a certificate of achievement.  For those who want to complete the full award, they need to complete the expedition section, which can have exceptions made due to the needs of the student.  Last year we had our greatest amount of Awards with both Bronze and Silver, with even more expected this year.