Measuring and Assessing the Impact of the Careers Programme on Learners
At RMGS, we believe it is very important to assess the impact of our careers programme on our learners. We do this in a number of different ways.
Identifying and Analysing Student Destinations
We identify and analyse the destinations of our Year 11 learners and Year 13 leavers taking into account their prior attainment.
For Year 11 learners, we record pathways including
- Level 2 courses or intermediate apprenticeships
- Traineeships/Supported Internships
- Level 3 courses, apprenticeships or T levels
Analysis of sector-based outcomes to ensure our advice is relevant to the jobs available and to ensure that we promote equality of opportunity.
For Year 13 leavers, we identify and analyse whether learners:
- Go onto higher education - the range of courses being studied and the universities/colleges being attended
- Go onto an apprenticeship and whether it is advanced, Higher or degree level
- Go on to employment and record location and working hours
- Remain within further education
- Go into a gap year
Destination data for these cohorts is collated and displayed on the school websites careers and sixth from pages of the school website and sent out to parents and staff.
Tracking changes over a period of time
We have a partnership agreement with Medway council to share student destinations, joiner and leaver information. Medway Council continue to track our Year 11 leavers destinations from the end of Year 11 to the age of 18, or from the end of Year 13 when they have finished Sixth Form with us. Thus, identifying and reviewing where students leave or change courses/apprenticeships.
Intended destination information is collected through an online survey that Year 11 complete, following open evenings and the opportunity for independent carers advice and guidance to go over their post 16 options. This information will help us to inform actual destinations.
Destination Questionnaires and Feedback
We are very keen to get the views of learners on the Careers, Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) they received during their time at RMGS.
We encourage verbal feedback, and ask all learners to complete questionnaires, following careers activities to find out their views on individual elements of the CEIAG programme and their overall assessment of the programme. Some student feedback will be displayed on the career’s pages of the school website and included in the staff and volunteer’s newsletter.
In addition, our Enterprise Adviser (business volunteer who support the school to develop its careers provision), and Careers Governor attend careers events and meet representative groups to find out more about what they liked and disliked about the careers programme and ways they believe it can be improved.
For SEN and vulnerable learners we may involve parents, heads of department, form tutors heads of year, SEN tutors, school counsellor and SENCO to track and support learners as they progress and move towards further education, employment or training.
For SEN learners with an EHCP plan, we use transition meetings and offer independent careers advice to members of the cohort.
Parent/Carer feedback
We value the views of parents/carers on how well we have helped them to support their child or children make rational informed career decisions. Our school careers advisor is available to offer advice and guidance to parents and students at face to face parents for transition year groups. Parents are informed of the careers programme on the school website and student planners. Further destination data, careers information, and careers events are shared via In Touch. The school website displays the school careers advisor contact details to be able to contact school careers advisor if they wish to make an appointment on behalf of their son/daughter or be involved in careers meeting.
For SEN learners with EHCP plan’s our school Careers Advisor will meet or make contact with parents as part of their child’s transitional review which is used to ask questions and monitor thoughts on their child’s progression through their time with the school and what could be better. Individualised Careers Action plans for all students taking up offer of Personalised guidance are posted and/or emailed and encouraged to be shared with parents.
Feedback from Enterprise Co-ordinators, Volunteers and Employers
We will ask our school Enterprise Adviser and Careers Academy Committee member and careers event volunteers - that include our Alumni - for their feedback on each individual careers event that they take part in. In addition, the school’s Careers Advisor and Careers Academy Committee member routinely evaluate the careers programme.
Compass Evaluations
We use ‘Compass’ to manage, evaluate and track our career provision against Gatsby benchmarks. We submit a three-monthly evaluation to assess our progress and to see what improvement are to be made. The school Careers Governor and school Careers Advisor will review the benchmarks together and they are discussed in meeting involving the school's enterprise advisor and enterprise coordinator.
Involvement of the Alumni in the Careers Programme
On leaving, students are given the opportunity to join our Alumni. They are contacted regarding school careers events and invited to share with current students their experiences.
Where possible, Alumni may volunteer to return to RMGS to support careers events, or take up virtual opportunities to share their experiences with current students. This often happens, with Alumni talks being some of the most popular amongst our students. Alumni success stories are added to the career’s pages of the school website and virtual careers videos to the school YouTube channel. Alumni are involved in offering feedback on events they are involved in.