The Haven School 6^th Form Curriculum- Pathway To Success

Our Sixth form provision offers students the opportunity to continue developing their academic qualifications through a personalised programme of study.  Students can work towards Level 2 Functional Skills in English and Mathematics, (if not already achieved), GCSE English Language, English Literature and Mathematics, as well as further qualifications such as GCSE Psychology, GCSE History, GCSE Geography, BTEC Level 2 Cooking skills.  We also offer a number of AS Level qualifications for those students who are ready to access these in English Literaure and Geography.  These courses enable students to strengthen their academic portfolio, broaden future pathways and build confidence in their abilities.

Alongside their qualifications, Sixth Form students are encouraged to play an active role in the wider school community through vocational learning and leadership opportunities.  Through BTEC Vocational Studies, whole school events, such as organising and running the Macmillan Coffee Morning, and participation in a range of school activities, students develop key transferable skills including communication, teamwork, problem-solving and independence.  We actively encourage students to access work experience placements in a variety of settings, helping them to explore career interests, develop employability skills and prepare successfully for adulthood.

The 5 strands of this course are:

• Independent Travel
• Social skills for the work place
• ICT for employment
• Looking at next steps
• Independent living skills
• Building resilience and self-belief

Careers and the Gatsby Benchmarks

Gatsby Benchmarks – What are They? 

At The Haven we have studied The Gatsby Benchmarks and their relevance to our 6th Form programme of study. The Gatsby Benchmarks are extremely topical at present having been explicitly referenced throughout the DfE’s Careers Strategy (December 2017) and the new Statutory Guidance for careers (January 2018). They have actually been around since 2013. Here we provide a summary of the benchmarks exploring what they are and how they affect schools. The Gatsby Benchmarks originated in a research report (Good Career Guidance) from the Gatsby Foundation in 2013.  The report was commissioned by Lord Sainsbury and Sir John Holman was appointed to lead a research team to focus on international evidence for ‘what works’ in career development.  The research provides a comprehensive study of career development exploring key elements of good career development, the cost per school for good career development and the economic benefit of career development to the economy.  Price Waterhouse Cooper were commissioned to provide the latter and summarised that the cost of every NEET individual to the government is the same amount required to provide the benchmarks to 280 pupils. The overall annual cost to the government for implementing a good careers guidance strategy is £207 million in the first year and £173 million per year thereafter.  The study explored international evidence from The Netherlands, Germany, Hong Kong, Ontario- Canada, Finland and Ireland. 

The report found 8 benchmarks of best practice, which are now more commonly known as ‘The Gatsby Benchmarks.’  They are: 

1. A stable careers programme 

2. Learning from career and labour market information 

3. Addressing the needs of each pupil 

4. Linking curriculum learning to careers 

5. Encounters with employers and employees 

6. Experiences of workplaces 

7. Encounters with further and higher education 

8. Personal guidance 

We aim to incorporate all 8 Gatsby Benchmarks in our 6th form pathway.