Careers

Here at The Cornerstone Academy, our main aim is to arm students with the knowledge to inform decisions, the aspiration to achieve potential and essential guidance to propel students towards their goals.

Our careers programme is diverse and exciting, outward-looking and responsive. Much of our guidance is given through expert lectures, imparting knowledge of the labour market, mentoring on a small group and 1:1 basis, workplace visits, placements and independent advice and guidance. Each year the academy publishes the careers offer which includes work that stretches from Year 7 to 11.  The work experience programme plays a significant part of this offer to Year 10 students (please see the section below).

The academy monitors the effectiveness of the program annually using student, staff, parent and provider feedback, after events and at the end of each academic year.  This information is used to develop the CEIAG offer, with the program being reviewed on an annual basis.

On this section of our website you will find information aimed at students, staff, parents and employers. There are also a variety of links to useful websites and contacts for members of our careers team. You will find a copy of our careers plan and a report on our current status against the Gatsby benchmarks.

As a school, we use Compass + as the platform to record all careers data and reports, giving us clear and informed results as to how we need to adapt our careers plan and programme to meet student needs and all Gatsby benchmarks.

The Cornerstone Academy is using the Gatsby benchmarks, which reflect international best practice, to improve careers provision. Schools must meet all 8 benchmarks. Gatsby Benchmarks Explained:

• 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

At The Cornerstone Academy we organise and run an annual careers fair in which a large range of Employers and Higher Educational establishments attend. This is for our students to gain information on what options they have post year 11 and to raise aspirations for students across the academy.

At The Cornerstone Academy, work experience placements provide an invaluable opportunity for students to learn about the world of work. The School promotes the use of work experience as an extension to the curriculum and aims to enable students to undertake a placement at an appropriate time in their studies during Key Stage Four.  Work experience is usually completed by year 10 students during their last week of the school year in July.   

Work experience during the course of studies at the school aims to achieve: 

• The development of student’s employability and key skills, personal development, maturity and increase motivation to do well at school. 
• Careers education and guidance 
• Personal and social education 
• Enhancement and addition to the curriculum, including vocational courses where appropriate.   

Students also have two collapsed days during year 10 to enable them to prepare for work experience.