Careers Programme

The aims of our careers education, information, advice and guidance include:

to raise students’ aspirations and to broaden their horizons.
to inspire and to empower students to make informed realistic decisions at key transition points in learning and work.
to provide good quality independent and impartial careers advice to students which inspire them and motivates them to fulfil their potential.
to provide advice and guidance which is in the best interests of the student.
to provide opportunities to work in partnership with employers,training providers, local colleges and others to provide opportunities to inspire students through real-life contact with the world of work.
to develop enterprise and employability skills including skills for

self-employment.
to support inclusion, challenge stereotyping and promote equality of

opportunity.

Students in Years 7-13 are entitled to:

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 evenings, assemblies and group discussions and taster events.
To understand how to make applications for the full range of academic and technical

The Schools Careers policy and plan sets out how the School provides a fit for purpose careers programme, which provides our students with the knowledge and inspiration to succeed in their chosen career paths. The schools Careers Plan is based on the CDI Framework for Careers, Enterprise and Employability (2018) and the DfE document “Careers Guidance and Inspiration in Schools” (January 2018).

How does Oaks Park evaluate the effectiveness of it's careers programme?

Destinations data is used as an indicator of the long term impact of the careers provision at Oaks Park High School. We are proud that our school has significantly reduced the number of NEET students over the past five years and ensured that the vast majority of students achieve a place on the route most suited for them.
Each careers event is evaluated, with students ranking the usefulness of the event on their future career decisions.
As a school we put ourselves forward for external evaluation against the Quality in Careers Standard every three years. The last evaluation took place in 2018 and Oaks Park passed in every category with minimal points for improvement.
We use best practice in completing regular self-evaluation of our provision on the Compass+ tool. At present, Oaks Park is well above national average in its progress across all eight Gatsby Benchmarks and is 100% in six of the eight benchmarks.
Our careers programme is reviewed yearly and a new team progress plan and timetable is produced at the start of each academic year.

How can you support careers at Oaks Park?

There are a number of ways in which you or your company can support current students in developing their careers knowledge and understanding:

Deliver a talk to our current students about your profession and company.
Take part in a workshop, helping students with employability skills.
Attend our careers fair to showcase your company.

Further information can be found in our provider access policy and a form to request offering a support session can be found here. Following completion of this form a member of the careers team will contact you with additional information.