Careers information, education, advice and guidance forms a pivotal part of ensuring pupils leave school with the right tools and values needed to help build their futures. At Red Balloon Norwich, we encourage students to consider their future options.

We want them to realise their potential and decide how their skills and experiences can fit in the job market. We engage our students hobbies and vocational interests through our vocational learning offer and young apprenticeship scheme which equips students to build confidence and develop tools to use in the workplace.

All students are interviewed by our independent careers guidance practitioner Siobhan Whiddett across all year groups from Year 9 to Year 11 throughout the academic year. Siobhan is a registered professional with the CDI and highly experienced.

Our careers strategy is broadly influenced by our PSHE delivery and is also integrated across all subjects across the curriculum. The Red Balloon Norwich provider access policy and careers policy can be downloaded in the policy section of our website.

Red Balloon Norwich work alongside Norfolk County Council Education Health and Care Plan coordinators, to ensure that the correct support and transition package is in place for our pupils. We believe all young people with special education needs and disabilities are capable of attaining employment and further education with the right preparation and support.

To measure and assess our careers programme, we use the compass evaluation toolkit and SEND Gatsby benchmarks We review the information on this page every September. The 8 Gatsby benchmarks are:

• A stable careers programme
• Learning from career and labour market information
• Addressing the needs of each pupil
• Linking curriculum learning to careers
• Encounters with Employees and employers
• Experience of workplaces
• Encounters with further and higher education
• Personal guidance

We encourage students to follow their preferred destination. This could be to continue with education or employment, training or living independently. We are committed to our strategic obligation to provide a holistic careers service to all Red Balloon Norwich students and to highlight all vocational and academic routes available to their preferred careers path.

We are pleased that the majority of our graduates from the 2023/2024 academic year have found work, further education or achieved independent living with 83% of students sustaining positive destinations after 6 months.

We have helped our 2023/2024 students find placements at range of colleges and training providers including: Sir Isaac Newton Sixth Form, City College Norwich, Easton College and Action Community Enterprises. Some of our students have also gone onto apprenticeships.

We continue to support all our students to find positive post 16 destinations. If you would like to book an appointment with the schools careers adviser please email: Siobhan.whiddett@rbnorwich.org.uk

We engage with a range of employers for work placements and provide a successful young apprenticeships transition plan for those interested in progressing directly into paid employment Post 16.