Gatsby Benchmarks

In 2014, Lord Sainsbury’s Gatsby Charitable Foundation published a report by Professor Sir John Holman, Adviser in Education at the Gatsby Foundation, titled “Good Career Guidance.”

The report identified eight benchmarks that are the core dimensions of good careers and enterprise provision in schools:

• 1: A stable careers programme 

• 2. Learning from career and labour market information 

• 3. Addressing the needs of each pupil 

• 4. Linking curriculum learning to careers 

• 5. Encounters with employers and employees 

• 6. Experiences of workplaces 

• 7. Encounters with further and higher education 

• 8. Personal guidance 

We are currently working in partnership with the Enterprise Adviser Network which is supported by Kent County Council and the Careers Enterprise Company to ensure that all of these benchmarks are met and that we deliver a successful programme of Careers education. We have been working very closely with our Enterprise coordinator, David Fretton, and various Enterprise Advisers to design a careers plan and strategy that is suitable for our students. This is subject to constant review and improvement via the Compass Evaluation tool which is specifically designed to assist schools in designing and improving their careers programme.