Gatsby deadline, one year to go. Are you ready?
The Gatsby benchmarks were originally introduced in a report by The Gatsby Foundation in 2013 with the deadline of the end of 2020 for schools to meet the requirements for each benchmark.
The careers and enterprise company published its State of the Nation Report in September 2019, which reported on the progress schools were making towards meeting the benchmarks. The report shows an increase in schools and colleges meeting the benchmarks, achieving a mean average of 3.2 out of the 8 benchmarks.
With a year to go until the deadline for schools and colleges to meet the benchmarks, we look at ways to meet the 3 benchmarks which the least number of schools and colleges are achieving and talk through top tips to help you achieve them.
Benchmark 1 – A stable careers programme
(24% of schools are achieving this)
- Identify your careers leader in school or college
- Identify your aims as a school of college for your careers programme
- Include in your programme activities that will help you meet these aims
- Publish careers programme on website
- Record the students attending the activities in your careers programme and evaluate activities as they happen
Benchmark 3 – Addressing the needs of each pupil
(22% of schools are achieving this)
- Make sure pupils have access to information on the full range of options open to them
- Keep records of all activities that young people take part in
- A short questionnaire can be useful way to survey students areas of interest and potential future career routes
- Using student alumni can be a great way for students to gain first-hand experience of their possible progression routes
Benchmark 7 – Encounters with further and higher education
(24% of schools are achieving this)
- Activities through Hepp and HeppSY will include encounters with higher education such as activities in school and colleges and campus visits
- Careers fairs in school can be a good opportunity to invite further education providers including colleges and training providers to meet young people
- For young people to gain the most from events there should be opportunities for them to ask questions. An activity where they need to find out information from different providers can help them to do this
- If students have completed a careers questionnaire with possible future destinations this can be used to invite in providers tailored to student’s interests
- Keep records of all activities that take place and which students take part in each one
Useful information:
The Careers and Enterprise Company have produced the Gatsby toolkit containing useful information and tips on how to achieve the benchmarks. You can find it here.
