Careers

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Philips High School is committed to providing high quality careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) to all students in order to prepare them for the opportunities and challenges of adult working life.

There is a robust programme of careers education in place, as well as access to providers for all students in years seven to 11, such that all students will leave our school with the skills and knowledge required to support their entry into further and higher education, traineeship or employment.

All students take part in a CEIAG programme that:

  • aims to inspire, as well as inform and guide students;
  • is developed around the student and their needs;
  • is integrated into the students’ experience of the whole curriculum;
  • encourages all students to consider possible career choices throughout key stage 3 and 4;
  • encourages all students to develop skills that make them ‘work ready’, such as presentation, communication, decision making and entrepreneurial skills;
  • provides each student with high quality, impartial advice;
  • raises aspirations and promotes equality and diversity.

Our careers leader is Mrs Potts and she can be contacted via email at: jpotts@philipshigh.co.uk.

Gatsby benchmarks

In January 2018 the Government introduced ‘The Gatsby Benchmarks’. The eight benchmarks focus on improving careers guidance and education for all young people and we use these to measure and assess the impact our careers programme has on our students.

Benchmark Description
1. A stable careers programme Every school and college should have an embedded programme of career education and guidance that is known and understood by pupils, parents, teachers and employers.
2. Learning from labour market information Every pupil, and their parents, should have access to good-quality information about future study options and labour market opportunities. They will need the support of an informed adviser to make best use of available information.
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.
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.
5. Encounters with employers and employees 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.
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.
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.
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. These should be available whenever significant study or career choices are being made. They should be expected for all pupils but should be timed to meet their individual needs.

Our latest results when assessed against the Gatsby benchmarks can be found at the link below.

Gatsby benchmark results

Useful links