The Gatsby Benchmarks
In 2014, Lord Sainsbury’s Gatsby Charitable Foundation published the report Good Career Guidance, which established the Gatsby Benchmarks. These benchmarks identify the eight key components of effective careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) in schools and colleges.
The Gatsby Benchmarks provide a nationally recognised framework that supports schools in developing, delivering and evaluating high-quality careers provision. They are designed to ensure that careers education is structured, inclusive, progressive and aligned with labour market needs, enabling all students to make informed decisions about learning and future employment.
Adopted by the Government as part of its Careers Strategy and statutory guidance, the benchmarks support continuous improvement by helping schools measure impact, identify strengths and address gaps in provision. At Hockerill, the Gatsby Benchmarks underpin the planning, delivery and review of our Careers Programme and ensure that careers education is a central and valued part of school life.
The Gatsby Benchmarks have a key role in:
- raising young people’s aspirations and promoting access to all career pathways
- enabling all young people to develop the skills and outlook they need to achieve career wellbeing including adaptability and resilience
- underpinning the Department for Education guidance to schools on meeting their statutory responsibility for careers guidance
The school has a clearly structured, published Careers Programme with defined student, parent and staff entitlements. The programme is reviewed annually to ensure it reflects labour market changes and student needs.
Students and parents are supported to understand current and future labour market trends through assemblies, resources and external guidance, including support from The Careers and Enterprise Company.
Careers guidance is personalised, inclusive and impartial. Students receive targeted support at key transition points, including GCSE, post-16 and post-18 choices, with additional guidance for competitive pathways.
Careers learning is embedded within PSHE, form time and subject teaching, supported by online platforms and structured activities.
Students engage with employers, alumni and professionals through careers fairs, talks, mock interviews and work-related learning opportunities.
Students are supported to access meaningful work experience, work shadowing and employer encounters to develop employability skills and career insight.
Students receive comprehensive guidance on universities (UK and overseas), apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships, with tailored support for Oxbridge and medicine-related pathways.
All students can access one-to-one careers guidance with a qualified Careers Adviser. In addition to the qualified Head of Careers, independent advisers from Hertfordshire Services for Young People attend school weekly to provide impartial advice.
We are signed up to The Careers and Enterprise Company – The Enterprise Advisor Network –programme. This is a free provision managed locally by Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership to support us to achieve all 8 Gatsby Benchmarks– a target set by the department for Education in their Careers Strategy (Dec 2017).
Further information about The Careers and Enterprise Company can be found here