The importance of excellent careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) lies at the heart of our vision to “create tomorrow’s citizens today”. It is vital that all human beings have the skills and knowledge to be able to contribute positively to society, make wise choices and feel a sense of achievement and self worth. As an all through school, our deep emphasis upon character building, the development of personal and community values, alongside knowledge and skills, is critical to creating a culture which promotes a relevant and first class CEIAG programme. This is our driver when working with our youngest students when aged 4+ as they join our school until they leave as young adults, aged 18+ years.
Our aims are:
- To develop students academic and soft employability skills to ensure they are employment ready. For example, problem solving collaboration and adaptability.
- To develop students so that they can use career management and employability skills.
- To create a stable careers programme to prepare students for opportunities, responsibilities and experiences in later life, and promote inspiring careers and enterprise activities.
- Preparing them for the choices to be made at the transition ages of 13, 16 and 18.
- To help students make informed decisions, thus helping them cope with a challenging labour market.
- To create a sense of self worth leading to economic and mental wellbeing leading to improved motivation, aspirations, attendance and attainment.
- To promote social mobility for the benefit of students, their families, their communities and our wider society.
- To challenge gender stereotypes, promoting the whole range of options which includes apprenticeships, T-Levels, degree apprenticeships, university, trainee roles etc.
The skills, knowledge and experiences that they have gained throughout their time at Simon Balle All-through School will enable our students to go out into the globally competitive world with the skills, attributes and behaviours equipped for the twenty-first century. They will discover what they find interesting and be passionate about. They will leave school with the information they need to make their next best step and the life skills for the remainder of their careers journey. They will possess confidence and have a sense of self worth, being empowered to make decisions and resilient to be a lifelong learner.
Careers Education is led by Ciaran Prendergast (01992 410400) prendergastc@simonballe.herts.sch.uk
Simon Balle All-through School is proud to announce that we have successfully achieved the Quality in Careers Standard through Investor in Careers, effective July 2024. This prestigious recognition reaffirms our commitment to delivering exceptional careers education, information, advice, and guidance (CEIAG) to our students. As holders of this award for the next three years, we continue to strive for excellence in preparing our students for their future careers.
Our comprehensive CEIAG program has been highly commended for its strong structure, effective delivery, and positive impact on students, including:
Strong Governance and Oversight: “The careers department has a strong link with the governing body, with a governor responsible for overseeing CEIAG.’’
Student and Parent Involvement: “Students and parents have been consulted on the careers entitlement, and the school has strengthened the flow of information.”
Effective Use of Labour Market Information (LMI): “Increasing student knowledge of LMI has been a priority for the careers team this academic year. There is an excellent LMI section on the school website “
Targeted Support for Vulnerable Students: “The school identifies those students that may need additional support, and these students are prioritised for guidance interviews.’’
Engaging Career Events and Employer Encounters: “Numerous examples of well-planned and evaluated encounters with employers. An example of particularly good practice was the Year 10 ESLA day where students attended sessions from five different employers and participated in a mock interview session.”
Comprehensive Work Experience Programmes: “The school offers a week-long work experience programme for Year 12 students, linked to their post-18 career/course options.”
Expanding Higher Education Exposure: “Students have increased exposure to higher education opportunities, such as the Year 9 visit to the University of Hertfordshire’s Festival of Ideas and the establishment of a Scholars Group for more able students in the Sixth Form.”
Student Opportunities: Students also have the opportunity to engage in many one-off events, programmes and projects which are designed to enhance career knowledge
Mapping: The whole CEAIG programme has been mapped against the CDI Framework for Careers Development and all learning outcomes have been met for all key stages.
Dedicated Careers Adviser and Guidance: “The school contracts a Careers Adviser from the Matrix accredited local authority Services for Young People team.”
Robust Monitoring and Evaluation: “The careers programme is monitored, evaluated, and reviewed in several ways, including formal annual reports to governors, feedback from parents and students, and achieving 100% on seven of the eight sections of the Compass report.”
These key highlights reflect our commitment to providing a robust, well-rounded, and impactful careers education programme. Achieving the Quality in Careers Standard is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our careers team, students, parents, and the wider school community.
We look forward to building on this success and continuing to support our students in achieving their career aspirations.
We are proud to announce our recent recognition on the Amazing Apprenticeships’ platform, Officially Amazing, celebrating our exceptional work in careers education. This national platform spotlights schools that go above and beyond in promoting apprenticeships and technical education, and in supporting students to explore different career pathways.
Simon Balle’s case study highlights our commitment to preparing students for the future through a strong focus on apprenticeship opportunities. The feature showcases our outstanding efforts in raising awareness of vocational routes and empowering students to make informed decisions about their futures.
Amazing Apprenticeships are a leading organisation in careers education within England. Officially Amazing is a national initiative that supports schools and colleges in delivering high-quality apprenticeship information and guidance. Being featured in the Officially Amazing campaign places Simon Balle among a select group of institutions leading the way in careers education.
To view the case study and learn more about the campaign, visit amazingapprenticeships.