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Careers at Life Skills Manor

Careers Vision

To deliver a double-stranded curriculum that is essentially skills based with the inclusion of core academic subjects.’ The double-stranded curriculum at Life Skills Manor is designed with careers and destinations in mind.

All students receive career-based interventions and are taught vital skills that contribute towards a successful future. A bespoke offering to meet each individual student's career path is available through guided one to one mentoring and meetings with specific organisations within the students sector of interest.

Students are also exposed to a wide range of career options to ensure they are open to new ideas and potential pathways. This is set up with the external support of The Education Business Partnership and local organisations who offer taster sessions and workshops for the students.

The school will base its careers provision around the Gatsby Benchmarks. A summary of these can be seen in Appendix 1.

Careers Road Map

TERM GATSBY INTENT MERCURY MARS NEPTUNE SATURN JUPITER
1 2,3,8 Grow Throughout Life
Grow throughout life by learning and reflecting on yourself, your background, and your strengths.
Who am I? What are my interests? What are my skills? Reflecting on my career journey, past, present and future. What are my employability skills?
2 2,7 Explore Possibilities
Explore the full range of possibilities open to you and learn about recruitment processes and the culture of different workplaces.
Exploring possibilities: dream jobs. Job applications: superhero CVs. What comes after school: the main learning pathways. Exploring employer profiles. Post 16 – Choices.
3 2,7,8 Manage Career
Manage your career actively, make the most of opportunities and learn from setbacks.
What is a career? Challenges and rewards of work. Decision making: choosing what to study at KS4. What type of career is best for me? Decision making: choosing your post-16 pathway.
4 2,6,7 Create Opportunities
Create opportunities by being proactive and building positive relationships with others.
What is an entrepreneur? Creating the life you want: making a vision board. Taking control of your career journey. Preparing to go on work experience. Researching volunteering and paid work.
5 2,3,6,7 Balance Life and Work
Balance your life as a worker and/or entrepreneur with your wellbeing, other interests and your involvement with your family and community
What is a work-life balance? What does success mean to me? Working and earning: managing your money. Well-being in the workplace. Money talks: apprenticeships vs higher education.
6 2,3,6 See the Big Picture
See the big picture by paying attention to how the economy, politics and society connect with your own life and career.
Careers and the future. Careers and the climate. What is the labour market and why is it important? In person, hybrid or remote. What works best? Is AI a threat to our jobs?
Image of Life Skills Manor Careers Learning Journey

Careers Objectives

  • To ensure that all students at the school receive a stable careers programme
  • The Careers programme should be individual and address the needs of each student
  • To link the curriculum learning to careers learning
  • To provide students with a series of encounters with employers and employees
  • To provide students with the opportunity to experience workplace(s)
  • To ensure that students have an opportunity to encounter with further and higher education
  • To provide each student with the opportunity to receive personal guidance

External Provider

Life Skills Manor use Education Business Partnership as their main external provider. This includes one careers session a month with EBP careers mentors where students take part in a variety of activities, workshops and tasks, a virtual platform students can access anytime and a vast range of exposure to a variety of employers.

Education Business Partnership Kent

Education Business Partnership Kent logo

EKC Group

EKC Group logo

National Careers Service

National Careers Service logo

CXK

CXK logo

The Education People

The Education People logo

Kent Choices

Kent Choices logo

Kent Supported Employment

Kent Supported Employment logo

Education for Young People with SEND

Kent County Council logo

Target Careers

Target Careers logo

The Gatsby Benchmarks Appendix 1

1. A stable careers programme Every school and college should have an embedded programme of career education and guidance that is known and understood by students, parents, teachers, governors and employers.
  • Every school should have a stable, structured careers programme that has the explicit backing of the senior management team, and has an identified and appropriately trained person responsible for it.
  • The careers programme should be published on the school’s website in a way that enables pupils, parents, teachers and employers to access and understand it.
  • The programme should be regularly evaluated with feedback from pupils, parents, teachers and employers as part of the evaluation process.
2.Learning from career and labour market information Every student, and their parents, should have access to good quality information about future study options and labour market opportunities. They will need the support of an informed adviser to make best use of available information.
  • By the age of 14, all pupils should have accessed and used information about career paths and the labour market to inform their own decisions on study options.
  • Parents should be encouraged to access and use information about labour markets and future study options to inform their support to their children.
Labour Market Information by CXK
3.Addressing the needs of each student Students have different career guidance needs at different stages. Opportunities for advice and support need to be tailored to the needs of each student. A school’s careers programme should embed equality and diversity considerations throughout.
  • A school’s careers programme should actively seek to challenge stereotypical thinking and raise aspirations.
  • Schools should keep systematic records of the individual advice given to each pupil, and subsequent agreed decisions.
  • All pupils should have access to these records to support their career development.
  • Schools should collect and maintain accurate data for each pupil on their education, training or employment destinations.
4.Linking curriculum learning to careers All teachers should link curriculum learning with careers. STEM subject teachers should highlight the relevance of STEM subjects for a wide range of future career paths.
  • By the age of 14, every pupil should have had the opportunity to learn how the different STEM subjects help people to gain entry to, and be more effective workers within, a wide range of careers.
5.Encounters with employers and employees Every student should have multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace. This can be through a range of enrichment activities including visiting speakers, mentoring and enterprise schemes.
  • Every year, from the age of 11, pupils should participate in at least one meaningful encounter* with an employer.

* A ‘meaningful encounter’ is one in which the student has an opportunity to learn about what work is like or what it takes to be successful in the workplace.

6.Experiences of workplaces Every student should have first-hand experiences of the workplace through work visits, work shadowing and/or work experience to help their exploration of career opportunities, and expand their networks.
  • By the age of 16, every pupil should have had at least one experience of a workplace, additional to any part-time jobs they may have.
  • By the age of 18, every pupil should have had one further such experience, additional to any part-time jobs they may have.
7.Encounters with further and higher education All students should understand the full range of learning opportunities that are available to them. This includes both academic and vocational routes and learning in schools, colleges, universities and in the workplace.
  • By the age of 16, every pupil should have had a meaningful encounter* with providers of the full range of learning opportunities, including Sixth Forms, colleges, universities and apprenticeship providers. This should include the opportunity to meet both staff and pupils.
  • By the age of 18, all pupils who are considering applying for university should have had at least two visits to universities to meet staff and pupils.

* A ‘meaningful encounter’ is one in which the student has an opportunity to explore what it is like to learn in that environment.

8.Personal guidance Every student should have opportunities for guidance interviews with a career adviser, who could be internal (a member of school staff) or external, provided they are trained to an appropriate level. These should be available whenever significant study or career choices are being made.
  • Every pupil should have at least one such interview by the age of 16, and the opportunity for a further interview by the age of 18.

Labour Market Information from CXK