VISION STATEMENT

Careers education and guidance at Somervale School enables all students to have high aspirations through supported and informed decision-making about their futures. A clear guidance programme, as well as embedding careers through the curriculum, is of vital importance in ensuring that students are successful, make positive contributions to society and feel fulfilled in their working lives. 

DfE guidance states that high-quality careers guidance helps:

• young people make informed choices about their futures, so they can develop their interests and potential, and follow the path that is right for them to progress into work

• break down barriers to opportunity

• improve skills needed for success in work

• improve national productivity and grow the economy

The Baker Clause stipulates that schools must allow colleges and training providers access to every student in years 7 - 13 to discuss all career routes that are available to them. DfE Guidance states “Schools and colleges have a responsibility to set students on the path that will secure the best outcome which will enable them to progress in education and work and give employers the highly skilled people they need. That means schools and colleges must act impartially, in line with their statutory duty or contractual requirement, and not show bias towards any route, be that academic or technical. They should promote a full range of technical options.” To demonstrate this good practice, Somervale School ensures that all students are provided with meaningful encounters and experiences in order to offer each of them a unique pathway towards their chosen career. There is also full coverage of the PAL, ensuring that there are opportunities for students to engage with establishments and businesses that offer both apprenticeships and technical qualifications. We also monitor students through On Track+ to ensure that there is identification of additional support that is needed with regards to future career choices.

Somervale School as part of the Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership has a comprehensive and inclusive careers programme, giving opportunities for all students to encounter a variety of experiences. 

This is delivered through:

• Careers Fair

• Careers Week

• Assemblies

• Visiting employers and workplaces

• STEM experiences

• Educational visits to Higher and Further Education establishments

• Curriculum linked career presentations

• Workshops that focus on skills based learning

• Mock interviews with external experienced business professionals

• Tutor mentoring

• Individual meetings with our independent careers advisor, Ros Windsor

• Alumni presentations

• SLT support through the Options process in Year 9

• PSHCE lessons

• Use of tutor times to investigate potential careers pathways and career sectors

• Writing a CV

Mrs S Davis                                              Mrs R Windsor
Head of Year and Careers Lead           Independent Careers Advice and Guidance

Somervale School has consistently met all 8 Gatsby Benchmarks since the introduction of these standards in 2017. In a recent COMPASS evaluation, we continue to make progress on all of the benchmarks with a view to embedding the already good practice we have within our careers curriculum. This allows for constant evaluation of our programme, allowing us to continue to ensure we are offering the best possible guidance for our students.

At Somervale School we assess the impact of the careers programme through student voice questionnaires, teacher voice questionnaires, parental feedback, employer feedback and progress data at the end of Key Stage Four. Evaluation is an indicator as to how we can make improvements to our programme, ensuring students are provided with the most appropriate support. There is also scrutiny of student destinations in Year 14, allowing for further analysis of our programme and long term outcomes.

Destinations for students post Year 11 are monitored, collated and updated regularly. These are then monitored again the September following leaving Year 11 as part of the required September Guarantee. NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) figures are consistently extremely low (2025 - 1.32%; three year average - 0.9%) and considerably below the national average (National data for 2025 ages 16-24: 13.3%).

Post-16, students attend one of the following:

• MSN Sixth Form (across all three sites)

• Bath College (both City Centre and Somer Valley campuses, dependent on course)

• Apprenticeships at Level 2 and Level 3

• Lackham College

• Stroud College

• Spasholt College

• SGS College

• Hayesfield Sixth Form

• St Brendan's Sixth Form College

• Traineeships to support entering the workplace

At KS3, the intention is to allow students opportunities to develop their skills, identify their interests and talents, linking these to careers that might be of interest to them. This also includes careers learning within the curriculum, with engaging activities that allow for discussions on their ambitions and aspirations.

At KS4, the intention is to build on the learning and knowledge of KS3, embedding skills and building on these to further improve their employability. This is implemented by raising aspirations, increasing relevant employer encounters, and further Post 16 and Post 18 pathway awareness.

The following table provides an overview of how different subjects contribute to the Careers in the Curriculum programme, with a focus on skills and activities undertaken.