Ifield School
Careers Advice and Guidance
Key Personnel Contact details
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Headteacher: |
Mrs Madeleine Arnold-Jones |
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Sixth Form Lead: |
Mrs Sam Hargood |
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Careers Lead: |
Mrs Suzann Mason |
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Key Stage 2 Teaching and Learning Lead: |
Mrs Ruth Fahey |
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Key Stage 3 Teaching and Learning Lead: |
Mrs Victoria Butler |
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Key Stage 4 Teaching and Learning Lead: |
Mr Richard Skiving |
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Chair of Governors: |
Mr Andrew Sparks |
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Governor with responsibility for Careers: |
Dot Marshall-Gent |
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School Postal Address:
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Ifield School Cedar Avenue Gravesend Kent DA12 5JT |
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School telephone number: |
01474 365485 |
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School e-mail address: |
office@ifield.kent.sch.uk |
Careers Education at Ifield School and Sixth Form
At Ifield, we are committed to providing our pupils with the best possible opportunities to develop independence, gain transferable skills, and prepare for life beyond school. Our Careers Programme, known as "iFutures," is designed to support and guide our students throughout their educational journey, from Early Years to Post-16, ensuring they are well-prepared for the next stage of their lives.
Key Principles of iFutures:
- Personalised Approach: We recognise that each pupil is unique, and our approach is tailored to their abilities and needs. We aim to help every student achieve their best possible outcomes, regardless of their individual circumstances.
- Early Engagement: We believe in starting early, and career and employment opportunities are integrated into the curriculum from the earliest stages of education.
Key Stages Overview:
Key Stage 1: Developing Responsibility and Independence
Key Stage 1 students embark on exciting offsite educational visits, learning about various workplaces. They explore different roles within the community through play-based activities and engaging with visitors to the school. Recent activities included visits to Larkin Farm, interaction with visiting musicians, and participation in circus workshops during Arts Week.
Key Stage 2: Building on Career Encounters
Employee encounters and career opportunities continue to evolve in Key Stage 2. Visitors, Careers week, and offsite educational visits expand students' understanding of the world of work. Innovate and Discover pathway students also have the chance to take on roles like School Council representative and Computing ambassador.
Key Stage 3: Developing Skills and Aspirations
Key Stage 3 students focus on developing aspirations, confidence, and skills to achieve success. Weekly Life Skills lessons help them develop essential independent living skills. Community-Based Learning opportunities prepare students for practical life skills such as shopping, dining out, and road safety. Discover and Innovate pathway students also have dedicated weekly Careers lessons to explore different professions, workplaces, and alumni experiences.
Key Stage 4: Transitioning to Post-16
In Key Stage 4 students start considering career opportunities in the local area and options for post-16 education. They identify their skills, areas for development, and how they connect to various job opportunities. Students complete accreditations tailored to their interests, abilities, and needs, including options like Music and Theatre, Computing, Sports and Fitness, and Art. Alongside this, the My Employment Passport program helps students identify their skills and career aspirations. Also, in Year 10 students gain valuable work experience placements both on-site and in the school's woodland.
Key Stage 5: Exploring Post-19 Options
In Key Stage 5 students explore various work opportunities and transferable skills. They begin considering their options beyond the age of 19, supported by 1:1 sessions with our Independent Careers Advisor and informative parent evenings. Accreditations continue in the Sixth Form, and students can choose from a range of career options.
We are dedicated to helping our students and their families fully prepare for adulthood. Our Independent Careers Advisor leads individual 1:1 sessions and conducts student and parent workshops to explore post-19 options. Career discussions are also integrated into Annual Review meetings, where EHCP outcomes and targets are co-produced to align with a young person's aspirations.
At Ifield, we believe that every student has the potential to thrive and succeed. We are here to support them on their journey toward a brighter future. Please explore the iFutures document to learn more about the opportunities and resources we offer to our students.
Click Here to download the iFutures SEND Careers Programme Brochure.
Inclusive Careers Education
The Cedar Federation will ensure that careers guidance for students is differentiated, based on high aspirations and a personalised approach. Every student, whatever their level or type of need, will be supported to achieve the best outcomes.
Advice given by our partners will be:
- Impartial – showing no favouritism towards a particular institution, education or work option
- Accurate and relevant
- Based on the student’s own aspirations, abilities and needs.
- Managed by trained people
- Easily accessible
- Non-stereotypical
- Inclusive of information on the range of education or training options, including apprenticeships and technical education routes
- Promote the best interests of the students to whom advice is given.
- Linked to the availability of the full range of relevant education, training and employment opportunities, such as traineeships and apprenticeships, supported internships or routes into higher education.
- Well-informed about ways in which adults who have SEND can be supported in the workplace (e.g. job coaching, supported employment, reasonable adjustments, Access to Work advice).
- Focussed on the student’s career aspirations, and the post-16 options which are most likely to give the young person a pathway into employment, or higher education and will not simply focus on meeting their immediate needs.
The Cedar Federation will ensure that there is an opportunity for a range of education and training providers to access all students in year 8 to year 13 for the purpose of informing them about approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships.
SEN and the Gatsby Benchmarks
Ifield School and The Cedar Federation use the Gatsby Benchmarks to develop and improve the careers provision. These are reviewed three times a year by the careers lead and our enterprise network advisor. We currently score between 80% and 100% on all benchmarks but strive to find ways to improve with every review. We build pupil voice into each element of our provision. Each careers project the pupils undertake is evaluated by them. This includes the input from employees. We use this feedback to ensure the projects, advice and guidance is tailored to their needs.
Careers guidance at Ifield School is designed to connect learning to the future and motivate young people by allowing them to develop a clearer idea of the routes to jobs and careers that they might find engaging and rewarding. Ifield School recognise that good careers guidance widens pupils’ horizons, challenges stereotypes and raises aspirations and provides pupils with the knowledge and skills necessary to make successful transitions to the next stage of their life. iFutures is a careers programme for life beyond Ifield.
Assessment of iFutures – The Ifield Careers Programme
Ifield school uses a range of techniques to measure and assess the impact of the Careers programme on pupils. These include lesson observations, learning walks, work experience reports and the annual review of EHCP outcomes.
Assessment within the area of Careers and work-related learning is usually in the form of student self-assessment supported by discussion with teachers and support staff. Each student will develop a portfolio of work to illustrate their individual achievements and learning journey.
The outcome of Careers and work-related learning study programmes will form a part of the students EHCP from which the Careers Advisor working with the student will use the outcome and aspirations detailed in the EHCP to focus their discussion with the student.
If you require further information about careers advice and guidance available at Ifield School, please contact Mrs Suzann Mason, Assistant Headteacher and Ifield School careers lead, office@ifield.kent.sch.uk
