Careers
This section of our school website is intended for students, parents, teachers and employers wanting to find out more about our Careers Education programme.
Vision Statement
At Croxley Danes School, our Careers Education and Information and Guidance Programme seeks to inspire all students to have the highest expectations about the careers they might enter.
Preparing students for their future lives beyond school is an integral part of everything we do, from achieving the best qualifications possible to developing skills and confidence.
This means that all students, and parents, should be made aware of all their options as they progress through school. While qualifications remain very important, with few exceptions, they are no longer the only consideration. We recognise that employability or work-readiness is becoming more and more important when potential employers’ look for people to fill vacancies.
Whether students progress on to further or higher education, or skilled employment, our ultimate goal is that students make a significant contribution to society and achieve lifelong wellbeing in their careers.
Key Careers Staff
Key Careers Staff
Our designated Careers Leader is Mr Henry Arkill and SLT Careers Link member is Miss Cat Webb.
They can be contacted on careers@croxleydanes.herts.sch.uk/ Tel. 01923 284483.
The Governor with responsibility for careers is Eddie Hodgart.
Who we work with
Who we work with
The following organisations support our Careers Education and IAG provision:
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Universities e.g. University of Hertfordshire |
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Apprenticeship providers e.g. Amazing Apprenticeships |
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Support from The Careers and Enterprise Company, Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership and Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal
We are signed up to The Careers and Enterprise Company – The Enterprise Adviser Network – programme. This is a free provision managed locally by Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership to support us to achieve all 8 Gatsby Benchmarks – a target set by the Department for Education in their Careers Strategy (Dec 2017). Meetings take place termly with the Local Enterprise Partnership to discuss progress.
We are using the Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal (www.hopinto.co.uk) and encourage all students, parents and teachers to use this portal to seek current live job or apprenticeship vacancies within Hertfordshire as well as being a one-stop shop for a variety of information about the Hertfordshire Jobs Market providing information and inspiration about a variety of careers.
You can also follow HOP via their Social Media platforms as detailed below:
Gatsby Benchmark Information
In 2014, Lord Sainsbury’s Gatsby Charitable Foundation published a report by Professor Sir John Holman, Adviser in Education at the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, titled “Good Career Guidance.” The report identified eight benchmarks that are the core dimensions of good careers and enterprise provision in schools:
- A stable careers programme
- Learning from career and labour market information
- Addressing the needs of each pupil
- Linking curriculum learning to careers
- Encounters with employers and employees
- Experiences of workplaces
- Encounters with further and higher education
- Personal guidance
The Gatsby Benchmarks have a key role in:
- Raising young people’s aspirations and promoting access to all career pathways
- Enabling all young people to develop the skills and outlook they need to achieve career well-being, including adaptability and resilience
- Underpinning the Department for Education guidance to schools on meeting their statutory responsibility for careers guidance.
- Currently we have fully achieved 3 Benchmarks and partially achieved 5 benchmarks.
- The Careers Strategy at Croxley Danes School is designed to ensure that all 8 Gatsby Benchmarks are met where possible by the end of each academic year.
The school tracks and measures student engagement in our careers offering using the Unifrog website as well as Compass+, the foremost tool in School Careers provision from the Careers & Enterprise Company which enables clear tracking and reporting of our school provision against the Gatsby Benchmarks. This year, we will be engaging in the Future Skills Questionnaire for the first time with a range of student groups to further gauge student feedback on our in-school careers provision.
National Careers Education Organisations
National Careers Education Organisations
Employer Engagement
Employer Engagement
We recognise the importance in working with local employers in order to support our Careers Education and IAG provision. We are very keen to establish links with employers who will be able to open our students’ eyes to the world of work.
For this academic year we are seeking employers to support a variety of talks, workshops and careers events. If you are able to support any of these events or would like to work with us in any other way please fill in our volunteer form
Student Entitlement
Student Entitlement
All students in years 8-13 are entitled:
- To find out about technical education qualifications and apprenticeship opportunities, as part of a careers programme which provides information on the full range of education and training options available at each transition point;
- To hear from a range of local providers about the opportunities they offer, including technical education and apprenticeships – through options events, assemblies and group discussions and taster events;
- To understand how to make applications for the full range of academic and technical courses.
Management of Provider Access Requests Procedure
A provider wishing to request access should contact Mr Henry Arkill (Careers Lead) Telephone: 01923 284483. Email: careers@croxleydanes.herts.sch.uk
The full Provider Access Policy can be accessed in the Policies section of this website here
Croxley Danes School works with a Hertfordshire Coordinator from the Careers and Enterprise Company. We work together to review our Careers Strategy and Compliance with the Gatsby Benchmarks every term.
Baker Clause
The Baker Clause
Croxley Danes School is fulfilling its statutory requirements in providing students access to University, Technical Colleges, FE colleges and apprenticeship providers through effective whole cohort assemblies and careers-related activities.
Guidance for parents and students & useful websites
Guidance for Parents
Parents play a very significant role in helping students to make informed choices about their study options and decisions about their future careers. Parents should be encouraged to discuss with their child about options and future aspirations. We welcome parents’ input and recommend that you always attend activities at school such as GCSE and A-Level opportunities evenings.
There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach and we recognise that all students must be able to make informed decisions avoiding pre-conceived ideas or stereotypes.
Should you wish to discuss your child’s future options please contact their form tutor in the first instance or our Careers Leader using the contact details above.
Finding out further information - links for students, parents and teachers
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National Careers Service |
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/ | A comprehensive resource offering guidance on careers, job profiles and education pathways |
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National Apprenticeship Service |
Allows you to search for live apprenticeship vacancies across the country |
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Amazing Apprenticeships |
Find out about apprenticeships as well as live vacancies |
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SFYP Hertfordshire |
The leading provider of CEIAG provision for young people both inside and outside of school in Hertfordshire |
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UCAS |
All you need to know about applying for university and the courses available for you. |
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Career Pilot |
A user-friendly website which allows users to see which careers different school subjects can lead to and allows parents to support their child in making options choices with career opportunities in mind |
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Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal - Labour Market Information |
https://www.hopinto.co.uk/explore-careers/resources/using-labour-market-information/
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An infographic video to explain the types of jobs available and skills required in Hertfordshire |
Careers Policy & Provider Access Statement
The Careers Policy and Provider Access Statement available to download below sets out Croxley Danes School’s arrangements for managing the access of providers to students at the school, for the purpose of giving them information about the provider’s education or training offer. This complies with the school’s legal obligations under Section 42B of the Education Act 1997.
Student Entitlement
All students in years 8-13 are entitled
- to find out about technical education qualifications and apprenticeship opportunities, as part of a careers programme which provides information on the full range of education and training options available at each transition point;
- to hear from a range of local providers about the opportunities they offer, including technical education and apprenticeships – through options events, assemblies and group discussions and taster events;
- to understand how to make applications for the full range of academic and technical courses.
Management of Provider Access Requests
A provider wishing to request access should contact Mr Henry Arkill, Telephone: 01923 284483. Email: careers@croxleydanes.herts.sch.uk
Full details of our arrangements can be found in the document below.
How we measure and assess our Careers Programme
The school tracks and measures student engagement in our careers offering using the Unifrog website as well as Compass+, the foremost tool in School Careers provision from the Careers & Enterprise Company which enables clear tracking and reporting of our school provision against the Gatsby Benchmarks. This year, we will be engaging in the Future Skills Questionnaire for the first time with a range of student groups to further gauge student feedback on our in-school careers provision.
The information provided on this webpage will be reviewed and updated February 2026.
Summary of CDS Careers Programme 2025-26
Please see below for a summary of the Careers Programme we will offer for all year groups this academic year (2025-26)
