Wolgarston High School, Stafford

Wolgarston is committed to meeting the Gatsby Benchmarks for careers provision in schools.

Benchmark 1 – A stable careers programme
Benchmark 2 – Learning from career and labour market information
Benchmark 3 – Addressing the needs of each pupil
Benchmark 4 – Linking curriculum learning to careers
Benchmark 5 – Encounters with employers and employees
Benchmark 6 – Experiences of workplaces
Benchmark 7 – Encounters with further and higher education
Benchmark 8 – Personal guidance

Careers Provision

Careers education is a key preparation for students moving on from Wolgarston. We want to create a culture of high aspiration, self-belief and ambition free of stereotypes or limitations based on expectations. We look to develop learners view of themselves and how they might fit into the world of work or the next level of education removing barriers to achieving their goals. We want to provide opportunities to explore ideas and in some cases eliminate them from their thinking through experience or reflection.

To bring this about we have a careers programme through which we aim to provide:

• direct experience of the workplace,
• exposure to a variety of employers,
• information about the labour market,
• timely information at key points in the decision making process in Year 9, Year 11 and 6th Form.
• Independent careers advice as required,
• Preparation for employment,
• Curriculum links to careers by subject specialists,
• Targeted guidance regarding options and choices at key points in student’s academic life.

Key Points for Guidance
We look to prepare students for the following stages

In Year 8

• Transition to High School

In Year 9

• Choosing Options for GCSE Study

In Year 11

• Continued education though Wolgarston 6th Form,
• A blend of workplace and learning through a Post 16 Apprenticeship
• Further education though Local Colleges
• Continued training though Other Post 16 Providers
• Continued education though Other local 6th Forms In Year 13
• Higher Education at University
• Work and Higher Education though a Post 18 Apprenticeship
• The Workplace