Careers Education and Guidance

Careers Programme Information

At Saxon Hill Academy, we are committed to supporting our pupils to successfully transition to their post-Saxon Hill destinations. We equip our pupils for this via a highly-adapted Leaders curriculum, personalised Golden Thread targets, linking the Preparation for Adulthood areas to EHCP outcomes, and a tailored Careers programme. Our teachers plan a bespoke, exciting and innovative programme of careers for our learners, ensuring students have the opportunities to experience, participate and learn about the opportunities available to them when they leave school. Our careers programme and Leader Curriculum for Towards independence is reviewed annually. The Gatsby Benchmarks underpin all careers learning at Saxon Hill Academy. 

Pupils in our Adventurers Department (KS3) have opportunities to access a range of enterprise projects and internal work experience opportunities. Pupils in Towards Independence (KS4/5) access a range of internal and external work experience opportunities, life skills sessions and community visits. We also hold a Careers week every year that all pupils across school take part in. Additionally, we provide a highly informative and personalised annual Transition Event, with representation from local and regional colleges, workplaces and social care providers. 

A prospectus has been compiled (see link below), of local and other suitable post-19 providers in order to better inform young people, parents and carers about what is on offer once they leave Saxon Hill. This may support you to make an informed choice about what would be the best, appropriate option for your child post-Saxon Hill.

Who to Contact

If you would like to discuss careers, post-19 provisions or next steps for your child please contact one of our 'Careers Leaders' via the school reception on 01543 414892.

        

Finding their Motivation

Throughout their time at Saxon Hill, our learners are involved in discussions about their individual aspirations for the future and after they leave school. These are updated with the young person annually in their Pupil Voice document and shared regularly with parents during EHCP annual reviews and during parents evenings. This provides teachers with a learner's guiding light and we do all we can to provide opportunities and teach them to prepare for following this path. Each year, the learner will revise their Pupil Voice document and as they mature, they gain greater experience and their aspirations become more refined and realisable. Sometimes it is not the career itself that excites them, but some aspect of it that becomes realistically accessible to them. By experiencing these career related opportunities, their aspirations refine into realistic opportunities for post-Saxon Hill. 

The Careers Curriculum

In each of the age-phase departments, our pupils learn about the jobs that people do in school and in the wider community, gaining a wealth of experience to help them decide which path they wish to choose when they leave school. As part of our Leaders Curriculum, an annual  topic anchor is 'A Day in the Life of...' where children will learn more about specific jobs and roles within the community. 

Adventurers Department Students (KS3)

Adventurers students experience jobs through enterprise activities and internal work experience opportunities. These include running the weekly Tuck Shop, organising cake sales, making and selling crafts. Many students are involved in work for many charities e.g. Blankets for Babies appeal, Dun Roamin dog rehoming charity, Water Aid and they join Rotakids and Rotaract to actively support the local community and raise money for a whole range of local charities.

The work-based learning opportunities are wide ranging and teachers select the most appropriate access points to these vocations for each of their pupils to devise a bespoke programme of careers education.

All progress in these areas is recorded on their Evidence for Learning profile at Rainbow or Jewels level, depending on the level of their achievement, as well as towards pupils' Golden thread Targets.

Towards Independence Students (KS4/5)

Towards Independence students continue to build on this excellent foundation. In addition, pupils work towards a range of units and accreditation options that support their aspirations for after Saxon Hill. These range from pre-entry level to level 1, with a focus on our core areas of learning. 

Pupils regularly access our work experience opportunities, including our Community Café, a Foodbank Collection Centre, a local Garden Centre, Craft Barn shop and Beaudesert Farm. All are used to provide excellent work-based learning opportunities for all Towards Independence students. For more information on our work experience opportunities, please see our Careers Guidance and Work Experience policy above. The skill set able to be developed at each work experience opportunity has been analysed to create a comprehensive bank of Task Analyses for each venue, ensuring the learning experiences and progress at each one are maximised. Pupils also undertake a range of community visits and life skills sessions, practising key skills such as travel training, shopping, visiting a library and ordering food. Additionally, pupils visit a range of post-19 provisions and colleges, appropriate to their aspirations. 

Measuring Impact

School Progress

We use the SEND Gatsby benchmarks for guidance and to measure the progress students make in their careers education. We have evaluated our own progress on these benchmarks and set ourselves subsequent targets. To see our areas of strength and for development, click here to see our progress on the Gatsby Benchmarks.

Pupils' progress and achievements during these sessions are tracked on Evidence for Learning towards relevant accredited units or using Task Analysis that have been created for each opportunity. 

View a sample of how we track individual student engagement with work experience opportunities, life skills and community visits as part of our Preparing for Adulthood programme.