At Corbridge Middle School we want all our young people to understand the full range of opportunities available to them in today’s world and help them to acquire the skills and qualifications they will need to succeed in the workplace today and in the future. We believe that every pupil should have multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace. We also aim to prepare our pupils for the opportunities in the next stage of their education, a time when they will make choices about their future study.
All of our pupils from Year 5 to Year 8 will have access to a planned careers education information and guidance (CEIAG) programme which supports us in achieving our aims. In Years 5 and 6 this will be delivered as part of PSHE curriculum and all teachers will support our whole-school approach to careers education information and guidance by making explicit links within their own subject areas/specialisms and sharing this with the children they teach. In Year 7 and Year 8 pupils study a discrete unit called ‘Ambition’ as part of their timetabled PSHE lessons as well as promoting the world of work through a weekly form time session (new for Spring 2026).
There may be additional opportunities added to the programme as they arise across the academic year.
The aims and priorities of Careers Education Information and Guidance at our school are to:
- Enable all pupils to develop self-awareness, ambition, and realistic aspirations.
- Provide pupils with accurate, up-to-date, and impartial careers information.
- Help pupils understand the link between learning, skills, and future opportunities.
- Raise awareness of a wide range of pathways, including academic, vocational, technical, and apprenticeship routes.
- Overcome potential barriers linked to local labour markets, socio-economic factors or limited access to opportunities.
You can find our Careers Information, Education & Guidance Policy on our Policies page
Careers Program Review
Careers Program last reviewed: December 2025
Careers Program next review: December 2026
How we measure and assess the impact of our Careers Programme
Corbridge Middle School works with a Careers Hub Facilitator from the North East Combined Authority. This is an external organisation that supports us to develop and strengthen our careers education strategy across the whole school.
At Corbridge Middle School we use the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks and the Careers Development Institute Framework as a foundation when planning our Careers Programme. The effectiveness of our provision is reviewed in conjunction with our Careers Hub Facilitator and the Careers and Enterprise Company using the Compass Plus Tool. This tool is used by schools and colleges in England to support the analysis and evaluation of careers activity against the eight benchmarks of best practice. We will benchmark our school against the Gatsby Benchmarks once a term. This ensures the development of our careers strategy is ongoing.
In line with the recommendations set out in Gatsby Benchmark 1, we as a school plan to review the published information on an annual basis, inviting feedback from key audiences and stakeholders. We gain student feedback via a Future Skills Questionnaire at the end of Year 8.
Why we evaluate
This careers programme is evaluated every year to assess its efficacy and areas for improvement. Key stakeholders (students, parents, teachers and employers) provide feedback on their participation in activities via questionnaires, surveys and focus groups throughout the year. We use the evidence collected to inform continuous improvement of the programme. We draw up a new Careers Programme Action Plan each year, again ensuring the development of our careers strategy is ongoing.
How we evaluate
Corbridge Middle School has a Careers Programme Governor who provides a well balanced view on the quality of the Career’s Programme we offer. Along with the Careers Hub Facilitator, they meet at least annually to review the evidence collected during the school year and consider their subjective experience and engagement with the programme. The school careers leader combines their own knowledge, evidence and information with that from the stakeholder group and provides a short report with recommendations forming the basis of a Careers Programme Action Plan for the forthcoming academic year.
What we evaluate
- Stakeholder Feedback: We review samples of stakeholder feedback collected using various methods after activities, events and experiences
- Implementation: We review what was actually delivered against the programme of planned activity and how well it went.
- Impact: We measure key performance indicators linked directly to our vision and desired outcomes for our scholars