Cherry Tree Careers Curriculum Intent Statement
Our curriculum intent is to provide access to personalised education and lifelong learning for children and young people with medical and mental health needs, accepting the whole child and providing hope to them and their family for an optimistic future, enabling them to make progress and achieve their full potential. Throughout the provision, we focus on supporting our pupils to overcome barriers caused by absence through their medical needs. The curriculum seeks to bridge gaps in skills, knowledge and emotional preparation to enable them to achieve in their next stage of education or training wherever that may be.
We want our pupils to be able to fulfil their potential and prepare for life beyond being at school. They will experience a careers curriculum that establishes a growing knowledge and awareness of the world of work and what they, as young people, can aim for as they prepare for adulthood and Post 16 transition. This includes delivering opportunities and experiences that our pupils can start to build their own future pathways on. As we aim to do this, we are aware of the impact the inherent difficulties our pupils have due to the nature of their needs and diagnosis and look to how we can start to overcome these barriers, working alongside them.
By aligning our careers provision to the Gatsby benchmarks, we can give our students the knowledge they need to flourish and succeed as individuals, so they can reach their full potential.
Our programme encourages our pupils to understand the wide range of future pathways available including technical, vocational and academic routes.
We continually measure and assess the Intent, Implementation and Impact of our careers programme. This allows us to continually evolve and improve our career provision to meet the needs of our students, the world of work, and the rapidly changing landscape.
INTENT:
- Students have access to an impartial, careers programme from Year 7 to Year 11, with explicit content, delivered in logical progression.
- Unbiased careers advice and 1:1 support from CONNEXIONS.
- A range of different career activities such as small group lessons, STEM activities, PSHE, employer encounters, career conversations, FE visits, Apprenticeship information, careers within the curriculum, opportunities for workplace visits etc.
- Careers programme is published on our website, to ensure wider information, access and transparency.
- Students develop an analytical approach to career data such as Labour Market Information, which encourages exploration and supports them in making well informed decisions.
- Challenging perceptions and raising aspirations, so that subject and career choices challenge stereotypes.
- Students with special educational needs and disabilities, or those from disadvantaged groups, develop their skills in a safe and aspirational environment, to enable them to reach their full potential and prepare them for their next transition point.
- Supporting all students as they learn about the world of work, their adaptability, resilience, transferable skills, qualifications and their own life goals such as happiness and wellbeing.
- Providing advice, information, guidance and support which will encourage further engagement with all stakeholders such as parents/carers, families, staff and employers.
- To futureproof students so they can understand the options available to them now and in the future.
IMPLEMENTATION:
How will we deliver this?
Pupils will have access to a careers curriculum from Year 7 onward and this will be routinely monitored and evaluated to ensure it is fit for purpose.
- Delivering a clear, progressive and impartial programme to Year 7 – Year 11, which is backed by SLT, with explicit content taught in logical progression, routinely monitored, audited and evaluated to ensure it is fit for purpose.
- Individualised programmes, age and ability appropriate, with clear and accurate career information, advice, and guidance, which meets the needs and supports pupils with progression to next steps wherever that may be.
- A range of resources which supports the ever changing and evolving world of work landscape and opportunities for identified cohorts ensuring they understand their options and are able to reach their full potential.
- Planned, facilitated access from external providers who can fully inform students about LMI and the range of Post 16 options, Post 18 options, alternative qualifications and apprenticeships.
- Teachers confidently embed careers within their own subjects (SOW), and are able to link their own expert subject knowledge to the world of work and can explain the range of pathways available, giving unbiased options.
- Regular communication, information, guidance to support pupils, parents, teachers and providers channels such as letters and Cherry Tree website.
IMPACT:
What is our expected impact?
- Pupils will have a successful transition from Year 11 into Post 16 and beyond school.
- Pupils will have had experience of a range of opportunities, interests, and options so they are best placed to make informed decisions about their future choices.
- Pupils will develop the skills needed for them to be employable.
- Pupils will know the value of having work and commitments in their lives.
- Pupils will know that they have a valued and important part to play in the world in which they live and they can and are motivated to contribute to society in a way which best suits their interests and skills
- Pupils will know about and make use of support and advice that is available to them from CONNEXIONS.
- The raising of aspirations and expectations amongst pupils and their families regarding further education and employment.
- A whole school approach ensures that careers is considered an important aspect throughout life at Cherry Tree for pupils in preparation for adulthood.