Key Careers Staff

Our designated Careers Leader and SLT member responsible for Careers is David Dwight.  

He can be contacted on Careerscds@croxleydanes.herts.sch.uk / Tel. 01923 284483.

The Governor with responsibility for careers is Carla Watson.

Who we work with

The following organisations support our Careers Education and IAG provision:

HCC Services for Young People	Provide qualified personal advisers to deliver careers interviews with all students in Years 11, 12 and 13.
The Brilliant Club	The Scholars Programme helps students develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to progress to the most competitive universities. PhD tutors share their subject knowledge and passion for learning with small groups of students in  Year 10.
Developing Experts	Providing access to over 700 science lessons and a careers library to support careers in STEM.
Universities e.g. University of Bedfordshire, University of Hertfordshire	Provide direct interventions for targeted students in Year 10 to promote university/higher education as a post-school option
Apprenticeship providers e.g. Together Training	Deliver a range of workshops around apprenticeships as a post-school option.
Speakers for Schools	Providing inspirational talks from national and global industry figures and opportunities for work experience.

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). We have been matched with Watford FC to help us to work towards the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks. Meetings take place on a regular basis 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:

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:

1. A stable careers programme
2. Learning from career and labour market information
3. Addressing the needs of each pupil
4. Linking curriculum learning to careers
5. Encounters with employers and employees
6. Experiences of workplaces
7. Encounters with further and higher education
8. 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 2024.

National Careers Education Organisations

 Careers and Enterprise Company

The Gatsby Benchmarks 

The Government’s Careers Strategy

Careers Activity Plan

We deliver a structured Careers and IAG Activity Plan which is reviewed on an annual basis. The key activities scheduled currently are:

Year Group	Activity	When
7	Professional Development (PD) lessons in Careers and Finance	Autumn term
	STEM focus week to correspond with Science Week	Spring term
	Careers and Enterprise Day	Summer term
8	PD lessons in Citizen Charities and Finance	Autumn term
	Work shadowing	Summer term
9	PD lessons in Target setting, budget and finance	Autumn term
	GCSE Options process and interviews	Spring term
10	PD lessons in STEM, Study skills, CV and covering letters	Spring term
	The Brilliant Club: Scholars programme	Summer term
11	PD lessons - Changing job markets, employability skills and interviews, University and apprenticeship pathways, Key Stage 5 applications and informed choices	Autumn term
	Sixth Form opportunities evening and guidance meetings with senior leaders
	Pilot Google Classroom for Careers opportunities
	IAG advisor interviews	Spring term
All years	Virtual and in-person employer encounters, assemblies, careers display board, PSHE, student participation teams, STEM club, Language leaders, promotion of National Apprenticeships Week	All year

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. 

We are building some sustained links with Watford FC  through their support as our Enterprise Adviser. Through this relationship some of our staff will have the opportunity to work with industry experts to develop our curriculums. 

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

Volunteer Form

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 David Dwight (Assistant Headteacher) Telephone: 01923 284483. Email: Careerscds@croxleydanes.herts.sch.uk

The full Provider Access Policy can be accessed in the Policies section of this website here

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 our pilot Year 11 Google Classroom for Careers opportunities.

Careers Feedback

We are keen to hear your feedback about how well we have helped you / your child to prepare for their next steps into post 16 and 18 education and training. We would appreciate you investing 5 minutes to complete the following questionnaires. We also have a feedback questionnaire for any external visitors who collaborate on our Careers events such as sessions, events and talks.

 

Student Careers Feedback

Parent Careers Feedback 

External Careers Feedback 

 

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. 

Parents may be interested to view the following: https://parentinfo.org/articles/all
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

National Apprenticeship Service	https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship	Allows you to search for live apprenticeship vacancies across the country
Amazing Apprenticeships	https://amazingapprenticeships.com/	Find out about apprenticeships as well as live vacancies
YC Hertfordshire	https://www.ychertfordshire.org/	The leading provider of CEIAG provision for young people both inside and outside of school in Hertfordshire
UCAS	https://www.ucas.com/	All you need to know about applying for university and the courses available for you.
Hertfordshire Skills Framework	https://www.hertfordshirelep.com/media/6451/item-5-annex-a-hertfordshire-employability-skills-framework-2018.pdf	Produced by Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership this displays the skills most required by employers across the county
Hertfordshire Labour Market Information	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxEnwYjtk5w   If you want to learn more about specific employment and skills information from (your District) take a look at this infographic poster	An infographic video to explain the types of jobs available and skills required in Hertfordshire