Progress Schools

Career Guidance

scroll down

Careers Guidance

Supporting our students to think about and plan for their next steps post-16 is vitally important in our eyes. We want to see them thrive and so we offer a number of opportunities to help them to make informed decisions about their next steps.

We are vigilant in providing our students with every opportunity available to ensure they make the right choice for them.

All year 11 students, and those with Special Educational Needs (SEN), have access to a minimum of three careers guidance sessions with advisors throughout the academic year, empowering them to make more informed decisions about their futures. From apprenticeships to further education, our students are fully supported in whichever option they choose.

We partner with our sister company, Progress Careers, who supports us to delivers our careers education, information, advice, and guidance programme. Progress Careers offer exceptional one-to-one careers guidance, working with over 100 schools and 5,000 plus young people nationally.

Our careers programme has also been recognised by Ofsted, who, after visiting PS The Hive, Birkenhead, commented that our “Pupils benefit from in-house and independent careers advice. This helps to raise their understanding of the qualifications and skills required for different education, training, and employment opportunities.”

Gatsby Benchmarks

Every school has an obligation to meet the Gatsby benchmarks to ensure they are fit for purpose, and we are no different. We work hard to cover all eight benchmarks as shown below.

Gatsby Benchmark 1
Stable Careers Programme

Every school and college should have an embedded stable careers programme of career education and guidance that is known and understood by pupils, parents, teachers and employers

Gatsby Benchmark 2
Learning from career and labour market information

Every pupil, and their parents, should have access to good quality information about future study options and labour market will need the support of an informed adviser to make best use of available information

Gatsby Benchmark 3 –
Addressing the needs of each pupil

Pupils have different career guidance needs at different stages. Opportunities for advice and support need to be tailored to the needs of each pupil. A school’s careers programme should embed equality and diversity considerations throughout.

Gatsby Benchmark 4
Linking curriculum learning to careers

All teachers should link curriculum learning with careers. For example, STEM subject teachers should highlight the relevance of STEM subjects for a wide range of future career paths.

Gatsby Benchmark 5
Encounters with employers

Every pupil should have multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace. This can be through a range of enrichment activities including visiting speakers, mentoring and enterprise schemes.

Gatsby Benchmark 6
Experiences of workplaces

Every pupil should have first-hand experiences* of the workplace through work visits, work shadowing and/or work experience to help their exploration of career opportunities, and expand their networks.

Gatsby Benchmark 7
Encounters with further and higher education

All pupils should understand the full range of learning opportunities that are available to them. This includes both academic and vocational routes and learning in schools, colleges, universities and in the workplace.

Gatsby Benchmark 8
Personal guidance

Every pupil should have opportunities for guidance interviews with a careers adviser, who could be internal (a member of school staff) or external, provided they are trained to an appropriate level

Career Resources

We always tell our students it is never too early to check out their post-16 options.

Progress Careers logo

Progress Careers

National Apprenticeship site

UCAS Further Education

Latest News

  • Re-enters mainstream

    Kaitlyn re-enters mainstream thanks to support from Progress Schools

    Kaitlyn joined Progress Schools and rebuilt her relationship with learning. She gained the necessary skills to make her ADHD an asset and re-entered mainstream schooling after 8 months.

  • Back on track

    Back on track thanks to Progress Schools

    “We are a close supportive team and always there for our students.”. The supportive team atmosphere and the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on students' lives make Progress Schools in Carlisle an ideal workplace.

  • Maureen Bainbridge, Student Engagement Mentor

    Progress People: Maureen Bainbridge

    “We are a close supportive team and always there for our students.”. The supportive team atmosphere and the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on students' lives make Progress Schools in Carlisle an ideal workplace.

  • Alternative Provision FAQs

    Alternative Provision: Top 6 Frequently asked questions

    Alternative Provision has many common misconceptions surrounding it. It is easy to get confused as to what it is and what it involves. We have created this series of Frequently Asked Questions to help you reach a better understanding of Alternative Provision.

  • UK government's approach to youth mental health crisis

    UK Government’s approach to youth mental health crisis

    The UK government has recognised the urgency of addressing the mental health crisis among children and young people and has taken several steps to improve the situation.

  • Young learner triumphs over adversity

    Patrick triumphs over adversity, a bright future lies ahead

    Patrick faced immense challenges after the loss of his mum. Joining Progress Schools gave him access to the support he needed to overcome adversity and create a brighter future for himself.