Careers Education & Post-16
Careers Programme Overview
At The Trafalgar School at Downton, careers education is an essential part in creating well-rounded students, with high aspirations to enable them to become the very best version of themselves.
We want to not only give students exposure to multiple different careers and industries in their time with us, but also help them to understand what it actually means to work and contribute to an organisation's success.
We want to ensure that our students have the skills, knowledge and qualities to manage their career and that they are able to get real happiness and satisfaction from what they do.
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We have a dedicated team within the school and governing body driving our careers programme forward.
Meet the Team
Phil Sutton, Assistant Headteacher, has oversight of Post-16 engagement and Careers. Should you have any concerns or queries about our careers provision, you can email him here.
Our Trust's Careers Advisor. Amanda comes in to school every Thursday to provide 1:1 careers guidance appointments with students. This service is available to all students in school. Her diary is kept by Louisa Krzyzosiak and appointments are booked through her. To request an appointment please click on the link below.
Louisa Krzyzosiak is our Careers Coordinator and Librarian. Louisa organises all careers guidance (workshops and 1:1 appointments), careers events and careers related assemblies.
Careers information, prospectuses for Post-16 Colleges and Sixth Forms, Universities and other further education establishments can all be found in the library for you to research any career choices you may be considering. We are very happy to loan resources to you, for you to take home and involve your parents in any options you are considering. As you would expect, the widest and most up-to-date information can be found online.
Sam Bennie is the governor with responsibility for monitoring careers provision. She is a regular visitor to the school, meeting Phil and Louisa as we strive to develop the careers programme to meet the needs of all students. Sam is especially keen to look at ways of developing adaptable skills and making students aware of the vast range of opportunities that may be open to them in the future. The school has been working hard to offer students opportunities to visit workplaces, meeting employers and employees; this is something we aim to develop more as time goes on. As a careers team we welcome the views of students, parents and other interested parties in relation to our careers programme.
We need to focus on developing adaptable skills and an agile mindset so that students are ready to take advantage of whatever opportunities life beyond Trafalgar holds for them...
Good careers guidance widens students' horizons, challenges stereotypes and raises aspirations.
Phil Sutton, Assistant Headteacher & Careers Lead
Careers at The Trafalgar School at Downton
There has never been a time when careers education has been as important for young people as it is today. The landscape of education, training and employment opportunities is more complex and more challenging than ever before.
Changes in the labour market, driven by technological development and increasing globalisation, means there are greater challenges and opportunities for young people entering the labour market. We want to challenge perceptions and raise aspirations, free from gender bias, so that students are able to look beyond their immediate environment to new and exciting possibilities, being inspired by new opportunities.
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Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEAIG) enables our students to progress through learning and in to work. All students have to make important choices during their time at school. We have therefore developed a varied careers and work-related programme that will allow our students to understand and develop the qualities, attitudes and skills needed for life and work.
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Students and their parents have access to a range of support allowing them to learn about the local labour market requirements and future career paths.
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We value the importance of excellent impartial careers advice and work with a variety of external agencies and local post-16 providers to share advice and guidance to support the future of each student.
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The school has a statutory duty to secure independent careers guidance for all Year 7 to 11 students (The Education Act 2011 / Careers Guidance and Access for Education and Training Providers May 2025).
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A range of opportunities are open to our students from Year 7 to 11, to help them develop their careers aspirations and challenge stereotypes. This includes:
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Information evenings and Learning Review Evenings
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A broad and balanced curriculum, including vocational and academic qualifications
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Personal, Social, Health, Citizenship and Economic Education in Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4
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Student leadership roles and responsibilities
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Visits to skills and employment fairs
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Visits to local further education schools, colleges and universities
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Targeted CEAIG and transition planning for students with Special Educational Needs
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Group independent careers sessions in Year 10 and individual independent careers appointments in Year 11
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Year 8 'Students in Business', visits to local businesses
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Year 9 'Meet the Employer' event (careers speed dating!)
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Year 10 & 11 'Take Your Child To Work Day', a modern take on work experience
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Year 11 'Post-16 Palooza', a 'meet the provider' event for further education establishments
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Year 11 Mock Interviews
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All students have access to an impartial careers advisor and a range of post-16 providers who inform students of the different pathways available to them. We support students in making well-informed decisions by providing access to differentiated, impartial and independent information and guidance about the range of options (including academic, vocational, apprenticeships) that are most likely to help them to achieve their ambitions. By helping students with decisions at key transition points, informing them of all their options and introducing them to the world of work and a wide range of careers, we aim to prepare them for their future, whichever pathway they choose.
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What students experience
Key Stage 3 students (Years 7 - 9), are aware of career stereotypes and of their own personal attributes. They have targetted assemblies, enterprise days, team-building activities and support and guidance when selecting GCSE options.
Key Stage 4 students (Year 10 & 11), have a clearer idea of possible pathways post-16 and develop their career management skills. They have opportunities to visit careers fairs, Higher Education establishments and encounters with a range of employers, as well as support with applications, interviews and planning. We also have visits from alumni, post-16 providers and employers. Students will have the opportunity to take part in 'Take Your Child To Work Day', which is a work experience day that can take place during any of the INSET days with a trusted adult. All students leave with the ability to make decisions about destinations and future pathways.
For more detail, click here.
The Gatsby Benchmarks:
Ensuring Quality Careers Provision
The government's Careers Strategy, published in 2017, and statutory guidance for school leaders and school staff, published 2025, set out the plan for building a high-quality careers system that will help young people to achieve.
Thanks to Sir John Holman and The Gatsby Charitable Foundation, we have a clear blueprint of what good careers provision looks like. The eight Gatsby Benchmarks are based on the best national and international research and define all the elements of an excellent careers programme. You can see the updated Gatsby Benchmarks, here.
"The Gatsby Benchmarks have now been put at the heart of the Careers Strategy, with an expectation that all schools will begin working towards the Benchmarks."
The Gatsby Benchmark Toolkit for Schools - The Careers and Enterprise Company.
At The Trafalgar School at Downton, we are very proud of the progress we have made towards completing the Gatsby Benchmarks. In our June 2025 Gatsby Benchmark Evaluation we achieved over 90% in every benchmark. This compares very favourably with the National average of benchmarks being achieved by schools.
Employers
We welcome involvement, engagement and contact from any local employers. If you think you can provide insight, work experience or support to our students, we would love to hear from you!
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Please reach out in the first instance to Louisa Krzyzosiak - Careers Coordinator, by clicking here.
Teachers
This page should give you all the information you need about our Careers programme, and what your students are learning alongside their subject curriculum to prepare them for their next step.
You can access teacher resources relating to Careers Education, to help you make links from your subject to the world of work. You can find specific guidance and resources for your subject on the My Learning My Future website from The Careers & Enterprise Company's resource directory.
Equality & Diversity
Careers education is provided to all students and provision is made to allow all students to access the curriculum. Students are encouraged to follow career paths that suit their interests, skills and strengths with the absence of stereotypes. All students are provided with the same opportunities and diversity is celebrated.
Careers - Quick Links
If you are a student you can find lots of information on the Careers section of RM Unify (our school intranet). Below are some links provided for quick access to careers information for students, parents and teachers.
