Blackpool Aspire Academy works closely with the Careers and Enterprise company and the Career development Institute. These are external organisations that support schools to ensure they are following the Careers guidance and access for education and training providers. The following information is an extract taken from this guidance.

“The department expects all schools and colleges to use the internationally recognised Gatsby Benchmarks to develop a careers programme that increases opportunities for students to access everything from experiences of the workplace and personal guidance with a careers adviser, to engagement with employers, colleges, training providers and universities. The benchmarks are non-statutory but support schools and colleges by providing a framework around which they can develop their careers programme in line with their legal requirements to provide independent careers guidance to pupils throughout their secondary education (11 to 18 year olds) and students aged up to 25 with an education, health and care plan. The benchmarks also support schools to fulfil their statutory duty to enable access of training providers to showcase to students what technical education and apprenticeships can offer.”

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 careers activity against the eight benchmarks of best practice (known as the Gatsby Benchmarks). The Careers and Enterprise Company coordinate the Audit deadlines. This ensures the development of our careers strategy is ongoing to ensure best practice. Blackpool Aspire Academy is a member of the Lancashire Careers Hub. The benefits of being a Hub Member include additional funding and support. Below is the list of published deadlines from the Careers and Enterprise Company for the completion of audits until the end of 2023.

Compass audit deadlines for 2022-2023

  • Friday 16th December 2023
  • Friday 31st March 2023
  • Friday 14th July 2023

Our last audit was completed on the 14th November 2023. Please find the results of the audit below.

In line with the recommendations set out in Gatsby Benchmark 1, The career team plans to review the published information on an annual basis, inviting feedback from key audiences. Blackpool Aspire Academy will also be holding annual Future Skills Questionnaires with the students during their transition years so that the programme has a youth voice.

 

This careers programme is evaluated every year to assess its efficacy and areas for improvement. Key stakeholders (students, parents, teachers and businesses/employers) provide feedback on their participation in activities via questionnaires, surveys and focus groups (Youth leaders for example) throughout the year. We use the evidence collected to inform continuous improvement of the programme.

 

The Blackpool Aspire Academy career team meets on a termly basis with the school’s Enterprise advisor, Wensdae Luca and the school’s Enterprise Coordinator, Kim Helm, in order to provide a well-balanced view on the quality of the careers offered to students. The group reviews the evidence collected during the school year and consider the key stakeholders’ experience and engagement with the programme. The careers’ lead creates an evidence pack for members of the group in advance of the termly evaluation meeting.

The school Careers’ lead will then combine their own knowledge, evidence and information with that from the stakeholder group and provides a short report with recommendations to SLT/the Personal Development Deputy Headteacher towards the end of each term.

 

  • Stakeholder Feedback – We review stakeholder feedback collected using various methods after activities, events and experiences.
  • Implementation – We review what was actually delivered against the programme of planned activity and how well it went.
  • Impact -We measure key performance indicators linked directly to the school’s vision and desired outcomes for our students.