GATSBY BENCHMARK
At Aylesbury Vale Academy, we recognise the significance of the Gatsby benchmarks in assessing the quality of careers advice and guidance provided by schools. These benchmarks serve as a vital component of the government's career strategy, outlining the best practices for careers provision in educational institutions.
In the academic year 2020-21, we are proud to share that Aylesbury Vale Academy, alongside one other school in the county, achieved all eight benchmarks, demonstrating our commitment to delivering exceptional careers guidance.
We place great importance on regularly evaluating and assessing the impact of our careers guidance program. Utilising the Compass Plus online tracker, we are able to identify areas of strength and areas that may require improvement. This invaluable tool allows us to monitor and record our progress in aligning our careers education activities with the eight Gatsby benchmarks, which represent the benchmarks of best practice.
These benchmarks, which we use to measure our performance, encompass the following areas:
Benchmark 1: Establishing a stable careers program
Benchmark 2: Learning from career and labour market information
Benchmark 3: Addressing the individual needs of each student
Benchmark 4: Connecting curriculum learning to careers
Benchmark 5: Facilitating encounters with employers and employees
Benchmark 6: Providing experiences of workplaces
Benchmark 7: Encouraging encounters with further and higher education
Benchmark 8: Offering personalised guidance
How we assess Impact
The Compass Plus online tool is an interactive platform designed to support careers provision and planning in educational institutions. It is developed by the Careers & Enterprise Company, a government-backed organisation in the United Kingdom.
The tool is aligned with the Gatsby benchmarks, which are a set of eight guidelines that define good career guidance in schools and colleges. The benchmarks aim to ensure that young people receive effective careers education, gain inspiration from encounters with employers and employees, and make informed decisions about their future.
Compass Plus helps assess the impact of careers provision by providing a framework for schools to evaluate their progress against the Gatsby benchmarks. It allows educators to track their performance and identify areas for improvement. The tool offers a range of features and resources, including:
Benchmark tracking: Compass Plus enables schools to assess their progress against each of the eight Gatsby benchmarks. It provides a visual representation of how well the institution is meeting the benchmarks, allowing for easy identification of areas that require attention.
Data collection: The tool offers surveys and questionnaires to gather feedback and insights from students, teachers, and employers. These surveys can help evaluate the impact of careers provision, identify strengths and weaknesses, and inform future planning.
Reporting and analysis: Compass Plus generates reports based on the data collected, presenting the findings in a clear and concise format. These reports provide an overview of the institution's performance against the benchmarks, highlighting areas of success and areas that need improvement.
Resources and guidance: The platform provides a range of resources, including lesson plans, activities, and case studies, to support schools in delivering effective careers education. It also offers guidance on implementing the Gatsby benchmarks and best practices in career guidance.
Overall, Compass Plus serves as a valuable tool for assessing the impact of careers provision at the Aylesbury Vale Academy. By aligning with the Gatsby benchmarks and utilising student future skills questionnaires, the tool helps measure progress, collect feedback, and guide future planning and provision to enhance the career development of students.