Careers Education

Careers Education at Jarrow School

At Jarrow School, we are committed to preparing our students for life beyond the classroom through a carefully designed and inclusive careers programme. The careers programme is shaped by the aspirations of our students, feedback from our key stakeholders, and an understanding of our local context. This ensures that our provision remains relevant, inclusive, and responsive to the evolving needs of our learners. Our approach ensures that every student receives meaningful exposure to the world of work, experience of the workplace, tailored guidance, and the opportunity to develop essential employability skills. Our goal is to inspire every learner to make informed decisions about their future and to thrive in whichever path they choose.

Careers provision is thoughtfully embedded across the curriculum, from career-themed lessons and projects, embedded regular careers related activities, dedicated focus weeks within each curriculum area and more. We aim to promote ambition and equip students with the careers knowledge and skills they need to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

We work in close partnership with a range of external providers, including local employers, colleges, universities, and careers professionals, to deliver high-quality experiences and advice. These collaborations enrich our programme and ensure students gain real-world insights into various career pathways.

You can see our careers programme* via the links below:

*Please note: Our careers programme is published annually and reviewed termly to ensure it remains current and responsive to student needs. While we aim to keep all planned activities updated and visible, additional opportunities may arise throughout the year that are not listed in the published overview.

GATSBY Benchmarks

Jarrow School continues to fully meet all eight Gatsby Benchmarks, demonstrating our commitment to delivering high-quality careers education. We evaluate our progress on a termly basis using the Compass+ self-evaluation tool provided by the Careers and Enterprise Company. You can view our most recent evaluation here: Term 3 Compass Evaluation.

Quality in Careers Standard

We have proudly held the Quality in Careers Standard since June 2022, recognising our commitment to delivering high-quality careers education, information, advice, and guidance. This national award is the benchmark for excellence across secondary schools, colleges, and independent training providers. Our initial report can be found here. We are currently preparing for re-accreditation and aim to successfully renew our status during the Autumn Term of the 2025/26 academic year.

Careers & Enterprise Company Peer to Peer Review

We recently took part in a peer-to-peer review facilitated by the Careers and Enterprise Company, as part of our ongoing commitment to delivering the highest quality careers provision for our students. This process helps us reflect on our current practice and identify areas for further development. These areas will be visible within our updated careers strategy.

Careers Related Documents & Policies*

Careers Strategy - Our careers strategy is reviewed and updated annually. This is currently under review and will be made available soon.
Careers Policy - Our careers policy is reviewed and updated annually and can be found here.
Provider Access Statement - Our provider access statement is reviewed and updated annually and can be found here. You can also find further information about this on our employer’s page.

*Please note: All careers-related documents and policies are currently under review following the completion of our internal leadership review and the peer-to-peer review process. Further updates will be made following the outcome of our re-accreditation for the Quality in Careers Standard (QICS), expected during the Autumn Term of the 2025/26 academic year.

Monitoring Our Careers Provision

We regularly monitor and evaluate our careers education provision to ensure it remains effective, inclusive and responsive to student needs, whilst also meeting national benchmarks.

We do this through several frameworks and feedback tools as shown below:

Compass+ Termly Evaluation - Helps schools assess their careers programme against the Gatsby Benchmarks. Provides termly self-evaluation reports and tracks progress over time.
Quality in Careers Standard (QICS) - A national accreditation that includes a rigorous evaluation of careers provision. Offers structured guidance and external validation of quality and impact.
Student Voice & Stakeholder Feedback - Feedback, evaluations and surveys from students, parents, staff, and employers.
Careers Programme Audits - Audits aligned with Gatsby Benchmarks or DfE statutory guidance, or external reviews and peer-to-peer evaluations.
Destination Data Tracking Tools – Use of Unifrog and Compass+ to track student destinations post-16.
Curriculum area audits - Used to assess how careers education is embedded across the curriculum. This helps evaluate the quality and consistency of delivery.