Careers Intent

Stone Hill School understands the importance of providing all our pupils with the skills and knowledge required to make effective decisions; especially in relation to future education, training and employment options. At Stone Hill, we have high aspirations for all our pupils. We believe that a well-structured and highly effective programme of Careers, Employability and Enterprise Education will play a key role in how we prepare our young people for a safe, independent life.

The key aim of the curriculum is for pupils to develop a real understanding of careers and work-related information that develops their sense of enquiry, not only about careers and further education, but also of how the skills developed in school are applicable and integral ingredients in the modern workplace. The Careers, Employability and Enterprise Education curriculum at Stone Hill School is aligned with the eight Gatsby Benchmarks, a framework of excellence, based on national and international research defining all the elements of very best practice.

Careers, Employability and Enterprise Education at Key Stages 1 and 2 will broaden pupils’ horizons and raise aspirations, giving them a wide range of experiences of the world of work. This curriculum seeks to introduce children to ideas about the work they might want to do in the future and encourage a first-hand understanding of the world of work. It is about opening doors, showing pupils the vast range of possibilities open to them and helping to keep their options open for as long as possible. This curriculum encourages a range of attributes, skills, and behaviours that can be encouraged in this early stage of a child’s life that will leave them in the best possible position as they begin their transitions to secondary education and to future life.

The Key Stage 3 Careers, Employability and Enterprise curriculum has been designed to enable children to further explore careers and future aspirations, whilst also providing them with a solid basis of knowledge of how to access labour market information. The curriculum intends to raise aspirations, promote discussion, as well as introduce them to a wide range of different pathways. Pupils will study the future job market, how role models affect aspirations, how skills relate to different careers and will also explore how life skills can support success.

At Key Stage 4 we want every child to feel inspired and prepared for the world of work. The Careers, Employability and Education curriculum supports pupils to overcome the challenges in progressing from school to further learning and the workplace. Pupils will be given opportunities to engage with external ambassadors through employer interactions, external and internal competitions and events, and through work experience to ensure that the needs of all pupils are met and to encourage them to start thinking about their future, in post-16. This curriculum provides pupils with an opportunity to achieve The Prince’s Trust Award, Certificate and Diploma in Personal Development and Employability Skills (PDE), which recognises a breadth of personal skills, qualities and attitudes required by employers across a range of sectors.

Enterprise is about trying new things, working with others, using initiative and having ambition. At Stone Hill School, Enterprise is about ‘Making Ideas Happen!’ The intent of the Enterprise curriculum across Key Stages 1 and 2 is to support the development of four core competencies, identified as critical components of what it means to ‘be enterprising’. These are: problem solving, communication, teamwork and resilience. Throughout Key Stages 1 and 2, pupils are taught important Enterprise competencies through every day curriculum activities and Enterprise projects, developing links with local Enterprise education providers wherever possible.

The intent of the Enterprise curriculum across Key Stage 3 is to support the development of eight core competencies, identified as critical components of what it means to ‘be enterprising’. These are: problem solving, communication, teamwork, resilience, confidence, initiative, organisation and creativity. Throughout KS3, children are taught important Enterprise competencies through every day curriculum activities and one off events, developing links with local Enterprise education providers wherever possible.

The intent of the Enterprise curriculum across Years 10 and 11 is to support the development of nine core competencies, identified as critical components of what it means to ‘be enterprising’. These are: problem solving, communication, teamwork, resilience, confidence, initiative, organisation, creativity and financial capability.

Employability and Enterprise skills are embedded across all aspects of the curriculum, and leaders of all subjects contribute to the assessment of pupil’s progress and experiences linked to the Gatsby Benchmarks, Skills Builder and Learning Behaviours. We also plan multiple opportunities for our pupils to use their employability and enterprise skills in real world situations, through for example, role play, enterprise projects, encounters with employers and visits out of school.