Our school careers plan has been informed by The Gatsby Benchmarks and the DfE’s ‘Careers Guidance and access for education and training providers’ (October 2018). Our school Careers Policy and Strategy details how we ensure that we have a careers system in place that fully meets the needs of our students, connects their learning to the future, widens their horizons, raises aspirations and gives them a clear idea of the routes to jobs and careers. 

The Careers Programme

The Careers programme at Northgate High School aims to develop in all students the knowledge, skills, attitudes and abilities which will enable them to be effective in a variety of adult roles and working life.

In Year 8, Careers is delivered as part of the tutorial and RSHE /PSHE programmes. Topics covered include the relationship between school and work, skills and qualifications for the workplace and different career paths.

In Years 9 to 11, Careers is delivered both as part of the tutorial programme and through our Core programme. In Year 9 students undertake a self-analysis, think about employability and consider their future aspirations and options. In Year 10 the focus is on jobs and the application process. In addition, Year 10 students undertake a work experience programme. In Year 11, students are supported in identifying appropriate routes for their life beyond Northgate.

In Years 12 and 13, Careers is delivered through careers lessons, specific guidance sessions, access to workshops and speakers, input by our alumni and through one-to-one support. A number of students also undertake work experience as part of their programme in the Sixth Form.

We also run events to support our young people in planning for their future, such as our Year 9 Options Evening, Year 11 Pathways evening and Year 12 Next Steps Evening, to which external providers are invited.

A copy of our current Careers Programme can be found below:

Providers and employers who wish to come into school to work with students and staff to give information, advice and guidance on the education, training and employment opportunities that they offer should follow the procedure set out in the school’s Provider Access Statement.

A copy of our Provider Access policy statement can be found below:

Through our strong links with local employers, education providers and our alumni, we are able to provide a range of employer encounters for students throughout their time at our school. These include work experience, employer careers talks, mentoring, curriculum support, assemblies, workplace visits and mock interviews. 

Our annual destinations data suggests that our Careers programme is successful in helping students to prepare for their future. Our Careers Leader, members of the Careers team and the school’s senior leadership team monitor and evaluate our careers programme. We use the Career & Enterprise Company’s ‘Compass’ self-evaluation toolkit to evaluate our progress in working towards the Gatsby Benchmarks and to identify areas of development. 

In addition, our Careers programme is monitored and evaluated through our student surveys, feedback received from the employers and education providers that we work with, parents, staff and the school’s governors. We use this information to review and refine our Careers offer with key trends being reported back to our senior leadership team and our school governors. A designated governor has responsibility for overseeing the quality of delivery and effectiveness of our school’s careers programme. 

Please contact our Careers Leader with any additional feedback that you have on the provision of our careers programme at Northgate High School.

Additional Careers Advice for Students and Parents