Careers Lead: Nicola Knights (n.knights@chattenfreeschool.co.uk)

Our Vision:

Our vision is to make a positive and tangible difference in the lives of our pupils both in their present and for their future. Our values for our pupils is happiness, independence and respect for all.

Our commitment

There has never been a time when careers guidance has been as important for young people as it is today. At Chatten Free School, we have a critical role to play in preparing our  pupils for the next stage of their lives.

Pupils within our school are statistically the least likely to gain any form of employment and face significant barriers to being included in the local community. We seek to change that.

We seek to understand what our pupils enjoy and their strengths and find opportunities for them in the local community and working world. We seek to ensure that our pupils have the skills and opportunities to have a life filled with happiness and meaningful activity, including the chance to experience employment and community-based opportunities. We also want to ensure that our pupils have their voice heard and have the skills to communicate their preferences as they transition into adulthood.

Our Values

Our key values at Chatten Free School are for each and every pupil are Happiness, Independence, and Respect.

• Happiness: We have created a safe, secure and happy learning environment in which all pupils can thrive. We acknowledge and celebrate their successes widely. We want to ensure that all pupils go onto have a meaningful and happy adult life.
• Independence: We strive to teach functional skills that will allow our pupils to live as independently as possible and to be able to independently express their preferences and make choices about their future.
• Respect : Respect is the foundation on which our school values are based. We promote care, trust and honesty with our pupils, their families/carers, and all other partners and stakeholders.

Our Careers Programme

Chatten Free School will ensure that our Careers Programme is highly individualised, and based on high aspirations. Due to the highly complex needs of our pupils, our Careers Programme will encompass a wide range of activities that will prepare each individual pupil for a life filled with happiness, independence and respect. Our Careers Programme will ensure it is accessible to every pupil and is preparing each pupil for their individual future plans. The Careers Programme formally begins in Key Stage 3, however, all pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2 will be working on the skills required to safely access the community and express their preferences about their future plans. In Key Stage 3, all pupils will access the Community Participation Pathway of the Careers Programme to ensure that every pupil leaves school as an integrated member of the community. For pupils working at the early stages of the curriculum, they will continue on this pathway into Key Stages 4 and 5. Pupils who are moving onto the higher stages of the curriculum will move onto the Vocational Pathway, accessing vocational learning and work experience opportunities within the school setting in Key Stage 4 and may move onto community based work experience opportunities in Key Stage 5. In Key Stage 5, all pupils will take part in the Transition Programme where they will have opportunity to experience different post-19 provisions that may be available to them so that their voice and preferences can be heard as they transition into adulthood. Each pupil’s Careers Programme will look different depending on their strengths and interests and it is possible that pupils may be accessing more than one pathway at a time. Vocational profiles indicating pupil preferences, individual programme data, pupil observations, and parent/carer discussions will all be used to determine the most appropriate pathway for each individual pupil.

Community Participation Pathway

Our Community Participation Pathway aims to provide pupils with access to meaningful activities that will open up their opportunities to be included in the local community and have encounters with a range of employers, employees and different workplaces. This pathway is focused on our most complex pupils who are working at the HRE and Must Have Skills stages of the curriculum. These pupils are still working on the prerequisite skills to access vocational opportunities and face significant barriers to accessing the local community. The pupils will likely require high levels of support and their own bespoke package when leaving school, as the complexity of their needs may not be met at local post-19 specialist education or social care provisions.

Some opportunities that may be available on this pathway include:

• Step into Dance
• Bounceability (SEN trampolining)
• Hydrotherapy
• Swimming
• Bowling
• Wheels for All (SEN cycling)
• Shopping
• Going to the gym

Vocational Pathway

Our Vocational Pathway gives our pupils the opportunity to experience work related learning and work experience, both in the school setting and in inclusive businesses with the right support they need to reach their full potential. Within this pathway, pupils will encounter a range of different employers, employees and places of work. Our Vocational Pathway starts within the school where pupils can gain the skills they require to go onto experience real life work experience and volunteering opportunities in the local community. The pupils on this pathway are likely to be attending a specialist college or a social care provision/work based training provider when leaving our school that can continue to provide specialist support to develop vocational skills and supported employment opportunities.

Some of the school based vocational opportunities may include:

• Catering and hospitality (kitchen porter)
• Administration (admin assistant)
• Horticulture (gardening assistant)
• Animal care (dog walker and groomer)

Some of the community based work experience placements may include:

• Animal care and ground maintenance (Rainbow Rural)
• Kitchen assistant (Level Best Enterprises)
• Allotment worker (Level Best Enterprises)

Transitions Programme

Our Transitions Programme aims to provide pupils with the opportunity to experience different post-19 provisions that will be available to them so that they can make informed decisions on their future plans. This programme is personalised to every pupil, but the aim is that every pupil will experience a minimum of two education/social care provisions placements before leaving our school. This programme will give pupils the opportunity to encounter further education and life-long learning provisions, as well as experiencing a range of different employers, employees, and places of work. This programme will be completely individualised to each pupil’s circumstances, strengths, interests and location.

Further Education

• Chelmsford College
• Colchester Institute
• West Suffolk College (Suffolk)

Social Care

• Bright Lives
• New Skill Centre (Suffolk)
• ECL
• Independence Project

Work Based Training

• Level Best
• Rainbow Rural
• Abberton Rural Training