Ownership: Thorpe St Andrew School and Sixth Form, linked with Broad Horizons Education Trust

Date updated: January  2025

Introduction

This policy statement sets out the school’s arrangements for managing the access of providers to students at the school for the purpose of giving them information about the provider’s education or training offer. This complies with the school’s legal obligations under Section 42B of the Education Act 1997, and current Provider Access Legislation (January 2023).

Rationale

High quality careers education and guidance in school or college is critical to young people’s futures. It helps to prepare them for the workplace by providing a clear understanding of the world of work including the routes to jobs and careers that they might find engaging and rewarding. It supports them to acquire the self-development and career management skills they need to achieve positive employment destinations. This helps students to choose their pathways, improve their life opportunities and contribute to a productive and successful economy.

As the number of apprenticeships rises every year, it becomes increasingly important that all young people have a full understanding of all the options available to them post-16 and post-18 including wider technical education options such as T-Levels and Higher Technical Qualifications.

Commitment 

Thorpe St Andrew School and Sixth Form is committed to ensuring there is an opportunity for a range of education and training providers to access students, for the purpose of informing them about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.  The school is fully aware of the responsibility to set students on the path that will secure the best outcome which will enable them to progress in education and work and give employers the highly skilled people they need. That means acting impartially, in line with the statutory duty, and not showing bias towards any route, be that academic or technical. 

Thorpe endeavours to ensure that all students are aware of all routes to higher skills and are able to access information on technical options and apprenticeships (The Department for Education, July 2021: “Baker Clause”: supporting students to understand the full range of education and training options, and the Provider Access Legislation, January 2023).

Aims 

The Thorpe St Andrew School and Sixth Form Access Policy to other education and training providers has the following aims: 

• To develop the knowledge and awareness of our students of all career pathways available to them, including technical qualifications and apprenticeships. 

• To support young people to be able to learn more about opportunities for education and training outside of school before making crucial choices about their future options. 

• To reduce drop-out from courses and avoid the risk of students becoming NEET (Young people not in education, employment or training).

Student Entitlement 

Thorpe St Andrew School and Sixth Form supports the statutory requirement for students to have direct access to other providers of further education training, technical training and apprenticeships.  The school will comply with the new legal requirement to put on at least six encounters with providers of approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships. This will be done in assemblies or PSHEE/PD sessions, in addition to providers attending careers events at school.

All students in Years 8 to 13 are entitled to, and be provided with at least six encounters:

• To find out about technical education qualifications and apprenticeship opportunities, as part of a careers programme which programme which provides information on the full range of education and training options available at each transition point;

• To hear from a range of local providers about the opportunities they offer, including technical education and Apprenticeships - through options events, assemblies and group discussions and taster events;

• To understand how to make applications for the full range of academic and technical courses.

As set out in legislation (from January 2023), the school provides:

• Two encounters for students during the ‘first key phase’ (Year 8 or 9) that are mandatory for all students to attend;

• Two encounters for students during the ‘second key phase’ (Year 10 or 11) that are mandatory for all students to attend;

• Two encounters for students during the ‘third key phase’ (Year 12 or 13) that are mandatory for the school to put on but optional for students to attend.

Development 

This policy has been developed and is reviewed annually by the Careers Leader and the Principal, Penny Bignell, based on current good practice guidelines by the Department for Education. 

Links with other policies 

It supports and is underpinned by key school policies including those for Careers Education, Safeguarding including Child Protection and SEND.

Equality and Diversity 

Access to other providers is available and promoted to allow all students to access information about other providers of further education and apprenticeships. Thorpe St Andrew School and Sixth Form is committed to encouraging all students to make decisions about their future based on impartial information. 

Grounds for granting requests for access

Access will be given for providers to attend during school assemblies, timetabled Careers sessions in PSHEE/PD time, and Careers events that the school is arranging. Students may also travel to visit another provider as part of the trip to be organised in partnership with the school.

Safeguarding

As a school, we are committed to Safeguarding and meeting the needs of our students and all young  people. To that end we draw providers’ attention to the Safeguarding Policy (document) and, in particular, the Child Protection and Safeguarding Guidance for Visitors (leaflet)

Details of premises or facilities to be provided to a person who is given access

Thorpe St Andrew School and Sixth Form provide an appropriate room or assembly hall to be agreed. All rooms have computers, projectors and screens provided; all students have Chromebooks which provide access to the internet. The Careers Leader or Careers Adviser will organise this, working closely with the provider to ensure the facilities are appropriate to the audience.  Appropriate safeguarding checks will be carried out.  Providers will be met and supervised by a member of the Careers Team who will facilitate.

Live/Virtual encounters

Thorpe St Andrew School and Sixth Form will consider live online encounters with providers where requested, and these may be broadcast into classrooms or the school assembly hall. Technology checks in advance will be required to ensure compatibility of systems. 

Information from Providers

We would encourage providers to share:

• Information about themselves and the approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships that the provider offers,

• Information about the careers to which those technical education qualifications or apprenticeships might lead,

• A description of what learning or training with the provider is like,

• Responses to questions from the students about the provider or approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

Parents and Carers 

Parental involvement is encouraged, and parents may be invited to attend the events to meet the providers.  In all cases, parents and carers will be informed of provider talks in advance of them taking place, with information shared by email.

Requests for access

Requests for access should be directed to Graham Fish, Careers Leader. Graham Fish may be contacted by telephone, 01603 497702, or email, gfish7nrj@yare-edu.org.uk.

Management 

The Careers Leader coordinates all provider requests and is responsible to his senior management line manager. 

Complaints Procedure

Any complaints about this policy should be raised to Graham Fish, email: gfish7nrjyare-edu.org.uk.  Graham Fish will raise the complaint to Penny Bignall, Principal of Thorpe St Andrew School and Sixth Form.

Monitoring review and evaluation 

The Policy is monitored and evaluated annually via the Careers Team, the Senior Leadership Team and the Governing Body.

Policy Coordinator: Graham Fish Policy Reviewed: January 2025

Providers who have been invited into Thorpe St Andrew School and Sixth Form to date include: 

• City College Norwich

• Easton College

• Paston College

• University Technical College Norwich

• ASK Apprenticeships

• Poultec Training

• NHS

Destinations of previous students from Thorpe St Andrew School and Sixth Form include: 

• Thorpe St Andrew Sixth Form

• City College Norwich

• Easton College

• Sir Isaac Newton

• Various universities, such as the Universities of East Anglia, Liverpool, Lancaster, Oxbridge