Final Assessment Report - 10th February 2000.
Context:Plymstock School is a large and successful co-educational comprehensive, with a sixth form of around 250, serving a rural and residential catchment area in the east of the Plymouth Travel to Work area. The careers co-ordinator is a long established member of the staff who also oversees work experience and Post 16 NVQ vocational education and training.
COMMITMENT
1. School makes commitment public
There was clear, communicated support for the award from the Headteacher and Governors and for continuous improvement. Staff had received a full briefing on a Baker Day, the school bulletin was used to inform the school community, and letters were sent out to a good range of external organisations associated with the school.
2. School has careers education and guidance policy
The school has a current and clear Careers Education and Guidance Policy linked to the school aims. However, there could be more explicit links with the school's development plan.
There is very strong support from the Deputy Head who line manages the Careers Coordinator. They meet together regularly and worked closely on the Investor in Careers initial assessment and on the action plan following on from the interim assessment.
The year teams (composed of all the tutors in the year who deliver careers through the PSE programme) have regular opportunities to contribute to policy and influence delivery, as do the students who complete a questionnaire each year on their PSE programme at Key Stages 3/4/5.
3. Pupil entitlement to careers education and guidance is publicised
A student entitlement to careers education and guidance is available and worked through with students by their tutors in year 9. Staff have access to the entitlement and the policy, but the policy, particularly, could be more widely publicised to parents.
ORGANISATION
4. School makes effective plans to become an Investor in Careers
There is clear evidence that the school has both measured itself against the Investor in Careers criteria and taken action to plug the gaps identified at interim assessment.
5. Appropriate training is offered to those involved with careers education and guidance.
The careers co-ordinator has taken full advantage of external training opportunities,
including training on the evaluation of careers education policies and programmes. He
has also through Baker Days and other mechanisms started to tackle the training needs of
the year tutorial teams with regard to the delivery of the Careers element in the PSE
programme. This needs continued development.
There is strong support for the in-service needs of the careers librarian, Vicky Trenerry, though it has been difficult to find good, external inset.
6. School has current written partnership agreement with local careers
guidance provider
The partnership with Cornwall and Devon Careers is current and positive. The Deputy
Head, who line manages the Careers Co-ordinator, negotiates and reviews the annual
agreement. A particularly important development has been the introduction of the Job
Club, which has had a sound impact on the less academically gifted student.
DELIVERY
7. Careers education and guidance programme is delivered for all pupils
Careers is delivered by year tutors through the PSE programme and there are detailed
work booklets available at each key stage. There are learning outcomes for each key
stage and all students have the opportunity to use Career Quest to match their dispositions
and abilities against possible careers and to use the Careers Library which is staffed and
accessible.
8. School provides information on destinations of former pupils
The information on student destinations and labour market intelligence has been improved since the interim assessment and students clearly have access to information about the full range of post 16 provision. The sixth form is an academic one, with a small number of students on the Tamar Valley Consortium one year vocational provision. The school encourages students to seek the most appropriate provision and around 50 students each year take programmes at the local College of Further Education, whose prospectus is easily available in the careers library.
9. School has.documented support system to help pupils make informed choices
and successful transitions
Students are monitored at each transition stage and there is a strong programme of
interviewing in year 11 to identify the under-achieving or those at risk. There is a
programme of group activity, in year 11, with the careers advisers, for those undecided
about their future progression.
10. Careers education and guidance is enhanced through practical involvement
of employers/training providers
There is a solid and substantial programme of work experience at the end of year 10,
which is organised by Project Trident, which feeds into individual Record of
Achievement work in year 11, and which conforms to the Tec's quality standards on
work experience.
EVALUATION
11. School evaluates performance against criteria for Investor in Careers
The school has evaluated itself against the Investor in Careers criteria and can already
see the potential for continuous improvement-particularly in terms of future tutor staff
development.
12. Careers education and guidance programme relates to needs of pupils
There is considerable formative evaluation taking place through the year meetings, the
regular meetings between Deputy Head and Careers Co-ordinator, and the opportunities
for students to evaluate their PSE programme. However, there needs to be a stronger
focus on learning outcomes and on a link between annual summative evaluation and the
school development plan.
13. School co-operates with external assessor and Investor in Careers panel
I interviewed the Headteacher, Andy Parsons; the Deputy Headteacher, Sean Cormac; the Careers Co-ordinator, Paul Steward; the Careers Adviser, Fred Jenkins; the Head of Year 11, Anita Hemsi; the Head of Year 10, Sue Davies; Cheryl Uren, Deputy Head of Year 12/13, and the following students from years 10/11/12/13 : Christina Nott, Lizzie Noel, Matt Gallagher, David Goodman, Jolinny Fraser, Aaron Waters, Alison Plant, Rory Cormac, and Hannah Knight.
General Comments
The school co-operated fully with the external assessor and made him most welcome. The interviews with the students from years 10/11/12/13 were a very enjoyable experience. The students - from a variety of backgrounds and on a good range of courses and progression routes - were articulate, ffiendly and open. They all were obviously fully aware of the careers education and guidance programme and of the impact that the Careers Library, Career Quest, Work Experience, Post 16 Opportunities Programme had on them. There was strong appreciation from one of them as to the value of the Job Club. None of them felt undue pressure had been put on them to stay post 16 - indeed two of them were about to follow the Modem Apprenticeship route.
Assessor's Recommendations
In my opinion the school should be recommended for the Investor in Careers Award. The programme in action is very sound and rewarding for the students.
There are minor weaknesses in the organisation of the portfolio of evidence. There needs to be a stronger emphasis on the evaluation of student learning outcomes and of a direct link from evaluation to the school development plan.
The identification and expansion of training opportunities for tutors should be encouraged. There is considerable community involvement in this area, but more explicit opportunities to comment on policy and practice should be arranged.
However, there is enough evidence to justify the award - particularly in terms of the positive responses of the students, the strong management support, the experience and enthusiasm of the co-ordinator, and the management of the transition from key stage 4 to post 16 in a way that meets individual need. The weaknesses in emphasis outlined above can easily be addressed by a short-term action plan and can form part of the process of continuous improvement towards re-accreditation.
Trevor Hamilton
Independent Investor in Careers Assessor
10th February 2000