Careers

Every young person needs high quality careers guidance to make informed decisions about their future. Oakwood Academy strive to raise the aspirations of our students and take advantage of the opportunities available to them.

All students in Oakwood Academy will access a robust careers education programme that follows the Gatsby Benchmarks – a national standard of good practice - which was graded Outstanding by Ofsted in November 2017. The benchmarks are:

• A stable careers programme
• Learning from career and labour market information
• Addressing the needs of each pupil
• Linking curriculum learning to careers
• Encounters with employers and employees
• Experiences of workplaces
• Encounters with further and higher education
• Personal guidance

Career education is also taught through our Personal Development Curriculum. More information about what pupils study in each Year group can be found on our Personal Development Curriculum Map.

We aim to bring in employers and partners that support careers education with an annual Careers Convention for students and parents and Careers Enrichment activities throughout the year.

We aim to prepare all of our students to make a positive contribution to their community through paid work or long term, sustainable volunteering. Every student who attends Oakwood 6th Form will access work experience, with support if necessary, and many students will access their own independent weekly work placement while attending 6th Form. We have a large database of employers in childcare, administration, retail, sport, animal care, hospitality and leisure industries to support our students.

What is the Baker Clause?

The Baker Clause stipulates that schools must allow colleges and training providers access to every student in Years 8 to 13 to inform them about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. At Oakwood Academy, we actively encourage this and are fully compliant with the Statutory guidance for schools set by the Department for Education (DfE).

At Oakwood Academy we:

• Hold an annual careers fair attended by a range of local FE Colleges, Training Providers, Agencies, Youth Clubs and Charities that support our young people in to adult life.
• Provide a range of opportunities for providers to talk to all of our pupils.
• Ensure that pupils are aware of the different avenues of study beyond Oakwood Academy, including apprenticeships and other approved technical education
• Make every effort to improve our performance against the Gatsby Benchmarks by systematically reviewing our offer at a Senior and Governing Body level 

Students in their third year in 6th Form will have the option of moving on to our Supported Internship programme. They access work placements related to their career aims for 3 or 4 days per week with the aim to move in to paid employment at the end of their Internship.

If you would like more information regarding the school careers education programme, please email Mr O’Sullivan at dosullivan@oakwoodacademy.co.uk