Provider Access Statement
The Springfields Academy: Provider Access Policy Statement
Ownership: The Springfields Academy/Reach South Multi academy Trust
Date updated: October 2023
Rationale
High quality careers education and guidance in school or college is critical to young people’s futures. It helps to prepare them for the workplace by providing a clear understanding of the world of work including the routes to jobs and careers that they might find engaging and rewarding. It supports them to acquire the self-development and career management skills they need to achieve positive employment/volunteer destinations. This helps students to choose their pathways, improve their life opportunities and contribute to their local community.
As the number of apprenticeships rises every year, it becomes increasingly important that all young people have a full understanding of all the options available to them post-16 and post-18 including wider technical education options such as T-Levels and Higher Technical Qualifications.
At Springfields, we make sure we have a broad range of education providers and employers involved in our careers programme to offer our pupils different routes to a potential career.
Commitment
The Springfields Academy is committed to ensuring there is an opportunity for a range of education and training providers to access students, for the purpose of informing them about different types of qualifications, apprenticeships, traineeships, and ways into potential employment. The Springfields Academy is fully aware of the responsibility to set students on the path that will secure the best outcome which will enable them to progress in education. That means acting impartially, in line with the statutory duty, and not showing bias towards any route, be that academic or technical.
Our pupils need concrete experiences of careers or pathways to enable them to make informed choices. We complete this by;
- - Having external visitors come to talk about their career
- - Have college visits from year 9 to enable their transition smoothly and begin conversations of the next step
- - Begin careers advice in year 8
The Springfields Academy endeavours to ensure that all students are aware of all routes to higher skills and are able to access information on technical options and apprenticeships (The Department of Education, July 2021: “Baker Clause”: supporting students to understand the full range of education and training options, and the Provider Access Legislation, January 2023).
We liaise with all local colleges to ensure they provide options and guidance to our pupils to enable them the opportunity to look at different educational options such as pre 16 courses within the college
Aims
The Springfields Academy policy for Access to other education and training providers has the following aims:
- - To develop the knowledge and awareness of our students of all educational and career pathways available to them, including technical qualifications and apprenticeships.
- - To support young people to be able to learn more about opportunities for education and training outside of school before making crucial choices about their future options.
To reduce drop out from courses and avoid the risk of students becoming NEET (Young people not in education, employment or training).
Student Entitlement
The Springfields Academy fully supports the statutory requirement for students to have direct access to other providers of further education training, technical training, and apprenticeships. The school will comply with the new legal requirement to put on at least six encounters with providers of approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships. This will be done in assemblies in National Apprenticeship Week and National Careers Week, in addition to providers attending careers events at school or at each Trust school. Please amend to be reflective of your own Careers programme activities.
Development
This policy has been developed and is reviewed annually by the Careers Leader Lee Davidson and Line manager Nicola Whitcombe, Springfields Academy Deputy Headteacher based on current good practice guidelines by the Department for Education.
Links with other policies
It supports and is underpinned by key school policies including those for Careers, Child Protection, Equality and Diversity, and SEND.
Equality and Diversity
Access to other providers is available and promoted to allow all students to access information about other providers of further education and apprenticeships. The Springfields Academy is committed to encouraging all students to make decisions about their future based on impartial information.
Requests for access
Requests for access should be directed to Lee Davidson, Careers Leader. Who may be contacted by telephone on 01249814125 or email, ldavidson@springfields.wilts.sch.uk
Grounds for granting requests for access.
Access will be given for providers to attend during school assemblies, timetabled Careers or Life lessons, and Careers or Raising Aspirations events that The Springfields Academy is arranging. Students may also travel to visit another provider as part of the trip.
Details of premises or facilities to be provided to a person who is given access
The Springfields Academy will provide an appropriate room which is to be agreed. All rooms have a computer and screen provided. Computer rooms can also be arranged. The Careers Leader or Careers Adviser will organise this, working closely with the provider to ensure the facilities are appropriate to the audience. Appropriate safeguarding checks will be carried out. Providers will be met and supervised by a member of the Careers Team who will facilitate.
Live/Virtual encounters
The Springfields Academy will consider live online encounters with providers where requested, and these may be broadcast into classrooms. Technology checks in advance will be required to ensure compatibility of systems.
Parents and Carers
Parental involvement is encouraged, and parents may be invited to attend the events to meet the providers.
We all recognise the importance of students taking ownership of their future plans but the caring adults in their life play an essential supporting role as well.
Parents offer a valuable way to reinforce the importance of exploring career options and provide a link to a ‘workforce’ that helps students connect with real-life after school. However, ensuring parents are engaged with upcoming student events and opportunities can sometimes be a challenge, with busy schedules and home-life responsibilities so we ensure that we have these conversations in annual reviews from year 9 onwards.
Management
The Careers Leader coordinates all provider requests and is responsible to his/her senior management line manager.
Complaints Procedure
Any complaints about this policy should be raised to Lee Davidson, email: ldavidson@springfields.wilts.sch.uk
If required, Lee Davidson will raise the complaint to Nicola Whitcombe, Deputy Headteacher of The Springfields Academy.
Monitoring review and evaluation
The Policy is monitored and evaluated annually via the Leadership Team.
Policy Coordinator: Lee Davidson
Policy Reviewed: October 2023
