Richmond School and Sixth Form College, as part of the Areté Learning Trust, has been recognised as one of the region’s leading providers of high-quality careers support. For the third consecutive year, it has achieved the prestigious ‘Quality in Careers Standard’, which acknowledges the exceptional support and advice that is available to students both in the School and the Sixth Form College.
One of the first providers in the country to be awarded the Quality in Careers Standard in 2018, the standard demands meeting rigorous criteria, which is fulfilled through delivering a wide range of careers initiatives and programmes designed to reach and engage all students.
Under the leadership of Liz Mannion, students receive unrivalled opportunities from Year 7 through to Year 13. These include visits to universities and other further education providers, guest speakers sharing their experience and knowledge in specific employment areas, work placements, learning from career and labour market information and personal guidance to address the needs of each student.
Work experience is a valuable and key strength of the in-depth careers programme. The school organises a week-long placement for all Year 10 students. Working closely with companies and organisations in the area, the students are matched with roles that they are interested in. Richmond is one of very few Sixth Form Colleges that offers and arranges work experience for all Year 12 students. There is also enormous support for those students who wish to pursue apprenticeship opportunities.
Graeme Newton, Managing Director at Randall Orchard Construction and an alumnus of Richmond Sixth Form College, said: “Richmond School always support its students through work experience programmes and careers advice to ensure they are ready for the world of work. The quality of their provision ensures the students have the right mind set and work ethic, and this has led to us employing students as apprentices. Delivering such a high standard of careers support in school helps future-proof the skilled workforce in years to come.”
To achieve the national standard, providers must produce sufficient current evidence to demonstrate to external specialist assessors that they meet all of the national accreditation criteria in their careers provision. As England’s dedicated national quality award, this is the only assessment force of its kind, devoted to the accreditation of the highest quality careers provision. The standard complies with the Department for Education’s statutory guidance and is fully aligned with highly regarded Gatsby benchmarks, uniquely accrediting four key components in Careers support; education, information, advice and guidance.
Ms Mannion, Careers Leader said “We are immensely proud of Careers at Richmond School. It is very much a team effort and could not be achieved without every member of staff contributing, either through linking academic subjects to jobs, organising visits to universities or employers, or through inspiring careers conversations with students.
“Good career guidance has never been more important. Changes in technology and in the labour market mean that guidance and support for students is a top priority. Our partnerships are also key to success, working with the University of York and York St John University has been crucial in helping us give our students opportunities to explore higher education.”
Due to the Covid-19 situation, this year’s assessment was carried out remotely and assessors were very impressed with the remote careers support that students are being offered during the school closure, with a constant stream of guidance and resources.
Further information about the accreditation can be found here – https://www.qualityincareers.org.uk/what-is-the-quality-in-careers-standard/