Careers Education, Information Advice and Guidance
Careers Education, Information Advice and Guidance
Portland Academy is committed to ensuring that the statutory duties related to careers education are fulfilled.
Our Careers Leader here at Hope Wood Academy is Martin Hope, and you can contact him on 0333 999 1455.
Incorporated in our Careers Education programme we will ensure that independent guidance:
- Is presented in an impartial manner.
- includes information on the range of education and option choices.
- is given in the best interests of the young person.
The Careers programme includes discrete careers lessons, mini enterprise, careers days, careers fair, work experience, work related learning, further education visits and celebration events.
We work with the North East Local Enterprise Partnership to support employers to provide meaningful opportunities to young people.
To find out more about the work of the NELEP please follow the link below:
North East Local Enterprise Partnership
Our Careers curriculum forms a key aspect of ensuring young people are fully aware of the opportunities available to them and have high aspirations. Please click on the drop downs below for more information about what we do.
Engaging with Employers and Preparing for Work
In July 2023 Portland was awarded the Quality in Careers Standard for careers education, information, advice and guidance provision.
Right from starting at Portland students are set on their journey, preparing for adulthood.
Our curriculum and wider achievement goals are based around the outcomes Employment, Independent Living, Good Health and Friends, Relationships and Community. We strive for good partnerships and co-ordination between services and effective participation by children, young people and their families.
Sunderland’s Preparing for Adulthood Pathway and Protocol | Sunderland Information Point
Whatever a young person’s destination we want to equip them with the knowledge and skills that will best ensure they are at the centre of all decision-making that affects their life into adulthood.
For students for whom work based learning is appropriate, we have an ambitious work experience programme. This includes participation in activities such as taking care of the academy recycling, acting as a lunchtime waiter, being a sports leader and working in Café @ Portland. We also have vocational areas on site, including a pamper pod for hair and beauty practice and Port Mall, Portland’s own clothes department store. These opportunities support the development and mastery of skills such as communication and interaction, organisation, teamwork and taking pride in holding a responsibility.
Our sixth form learners undertake off site work experience across a range of sectors. Organisations we currently work with:
- Grundfos
- Flower Mill
- Mill Hill Nursery
- Doxford Park Community Centre
- Grace House
Careers Programme
Our Careers programme includes careers education and enterprise sessions, National Careers Week, career guidance activities (group work and individual interviews), work experience, work related learning, further education visits and celebration events, all with student voice at the centre.
The Careers curriculum follows the core aims of the Careers Development Institute (CDI)
- Developing yourself through careers, employability and enterprise education
- Learning about careers and the world of work
- Developing your career management, employability and enterprise skills.
The curriculum is pathway appropriate and is personalised to the young person’s needs and aspirations.
Gatsby Benchmarks
In 2013, Gatsby commissioned Sir John Holman to set out what career guidance in England would be like if it were good by international standards, resulting in the Good Career Guidance report. The eight Gatsby Benchmarks defined in the report serve as a framework for world-class careers provision and have been adopted as part of the Government’s Careers Strategy, statutory guidance for schools and guidance for colleges.
We are compliant in the Gatsby Benchmarks.
The eight Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance are:
1. A stable careers programme
2. Learning from career and labour market information
3. Addressing the needs of each pupil
4. Linking curriculum learning to careers
5. Encounters with employers and employees
6. Experiences of workplaces
7. Encounters with further and higher education
8. Personal guidance
We work hard as a school to ensure all Gatsby Benchmarks are achieved.
To find out more about about the Gatsby Benchmarks please visit:
Life after Portland Academy
Our young people progress to a range of different destinations following their time at Portland, through independent advice and guidance young people are supported to ensure they are fully prepared for their next steps. This includes our two annual careers fairs where young people and their families can visit stalls from a range of providers to understand what opportunities are available.
We want all young people to be well prepared for life after Portland. With appropriate independent advice and guidance young people may leave the academy after the end of year 11, with the vast majority moving into our Sixth Form provision. Next steps are discussed in all transition year EHCP reviews: years 9, 11, 13 and confirmed in year 14.
We work with a range of organisations to ensure all young people are engaged in Education, Employment and Training following Portland.
Destinations:
- Portland Academy Sixth Form
- Sunderland College (Bede Campus)
- ESPA College
- Percy Hedley Foundation
- Dilston College
- East Durham College (Hougall)
- Springboard Futures
- Washington Mind
- Into employment
We love to keep in touch with leavers and have a growing Alumni.