Careers Strategy

What is our strategy?

Our C.E.I.A.G programme at King Ethelbert seeks to deliver on the 'Careers guidance and access for education and training providers' (May 2025 statutory guidance) and the original 2018 Department for Education Careers Strategy. 

We want to achieve the government's vision of improving careers advice and guaranteeing meaningful work experience for all young people. Our core aims are that: 

• All of our students understand the full range of opportunities available to them, learning from employers about work and the skills that are valued in the workplace, and having first-hand experience of the workplace. This includes specific, meaningful encounters with employers and employees, and a structured work experience programme including a week of activities in years 7-9 and a placement in years 10-11.

• All of our students receive an excellent programme of advice and guidance that is delivered by individuals with the right skills and experience, led by an appropriately trained Careers Leader with support from senior leadership and governors.

• All of our students receive support tailored to their circumstances. All students should be able to access free, impartial face-to-face advice from a qualified careers adviser, with more bespoke support for those who most need it, particularly vulnerable pupils and those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

• All of our students get the information they need to understand the job and career opportunities available and how their knowledge and skills can help them in considering suitable careers, including a full range of academic, technical education, and apprenticeship routes. 

Why is this important?

Now more than ever, our young people need to be fully prepared for the world of employment that awaits them after their studies. By adopting and implementing this strategy, we hope not only to fully prepare them for the next step, but also to raise the aspirations of each young person so they can achieve even more than they expect of themselves. 

We believe all of our students should:

• Understand their options and different paths to work, plan the steps they need to take, and get from where they are to where they want to go.

• Be inspired about new opportunities they might not have known about (or that might not exist yet), or thought they could not achieve.

• Understand their own knowledge and skills and how they can be used in the workplace.

• Get, hold, and progress in a job, whatever their age, ability, or background.

• Increase the amount they earn across their working lives.

• Improve their well-being through doing a job they are good at and enjoy. 

We are committed to using the updated Gatsby Benchmarks as the bedrock of our careers provision, which are now formalised in the latest DfE guidance, and we will use tools like the Future Skills Questionnaire (FSQ) to evaluate impact and ensure all pupils are career ready.

How will we do this?

By working within the Coastal Academies Trust and in partnership with Kent County Council, The Careers and Enterprise Company, The Kent Enterprise Adviser Network, The Education Business Partnership, as well as local training providers, we will ensure that our students receive a thorough programme of events from Year 7 to 13 that looks to engage them with careers, inspire them and raise their aspirations. 

We use The Compass Evaluation Tool to review and evaluate our careers programme three times per year. This enables us to reflect on our career practices and make improvements where necessary. The Compass Evaluation Tool uses the Gatsby Benchmarks to judge our performance in 8 key areas. If you would like further information please do not hesitate to contact me at sarahbiggs@kingethelbert.kent.sch.uk 

Through constant evaluation from students, parents, employers and teachers, we will look to ensure the programme is bespoke to each individual students needs so as to maximize the effectiveness of our careers provisions and help our students get the most of their time here at King Ethelbert school.

What is available for my child?

Key Stage 3:

Key stage 3 is all about inspiring the young minds of our students and is currently geared towards supporting our Year 9 students who will be choosing their GCSE/BTEC options in February.  This support, however, is not limited to just Year 9. From Years 7 to 9 our students will all have the opportunity to attend Careers fairs, visit universities, learn more about science and engineering and the ever popular Business of Enterprise competition, attend talks from various career professionals and participate in a host of careers based workshops put on by local training providers and employers. In addition to this programme, we run options evenings, parents' information evenings and students and parents/carers can access one to one advice from our career's advisor as well as other figures within the school; we look to get our students excited about the prospect of GCSEs/BTECs and look at them as the springboard to their dream job.

Key Stage 4:

Our Careers strategy in Key Stage 4 will be focused on informing and preparing our students for their Post-16 studies and career paths beyond that. As well as our curriculum areas helping students to understand and develop links between their subjects and possible career paths, they will have access to numerous careers related activities.

 During Year 10, in addition to the our Careers Fairs, they will have access to University Outreach events and will participate in our hugely successful and popular Year 10 Employability Day, where they will get the chance to hone and improve skills that are vital in the world of work through employer led sessions. 

In Year 11 and Year 10, each student will have one to one careers interviews with our Independent Careers adviser.  After these interviews, students who need a bit more assistance are identified and will receive a more bespoke support program. In addition to this our students will receive a comprehensive programme of support throughout their post 16 Kent Choices application process.

Key Stage 5:

During their time in our sixth Form, our students will continue to receive support from our Independent Careers adviser with the aim of helping them to understand Higher Education (such as University and Distance Learning), Apprenticeships, School Leaver Schemes and Gap Year opportunities. Also, to support our IB learner profiles (see sixth form pages), our sixth form students will attend numerous events that will look to improve their employability skills, such as our sixth form interviews where local employers come in to host mock interviews for each student, after-which each student will receive individual feedback.

For ALL students/parents/carers:

Please find our KES Progression Routes handout that helps our students/parents/carers to understand the different options available to our students at different stages: