Careers Programme

Careers at Chiswick

The Careers team at Chiswick School is led by Mr Harry Gibbins, Assistant Headteacher for Personal Development. As a school, all staff including teachers, tutors, support staff, Learning Coordinators, Curriculum Team Leaders and the Senior Leadership Team are committed to supporting the vision.

NOTE: This page was updated in September 2025 and is reviewed annually.

For any enquiries relating to careers or work experience, or to offer to get involved in our careers programme in some way, please contact careers@chiswickschool.org.

To view our Careers related policies, please visit the Key Policies section of our website HERE.

Curriculum Intent

Here at Chiswick School, we seek to send our students out into the world of work feeling ambitious about their future, proud of the skills they have developed, knowledgeable about their options and confident in their abilities.

High-quality careers education is vital for our pupils’ futures, and our provision aims to:

• develop pupils’ awareness of the broad variety of education, training and careers opportunities available to them
• provide students with meaningful experiences of the working world to develop their understanding of what this looks like
• help pupils to prepare for further education, training and the workplace, by building a range of future skills, eg communication, self-reflection, teamwork, leadership, organisation, resilience, and problem-solving
• help pupils to understand routes to careers that they’re interested in, and to make informed choices about each next step they take in education or training
• promote a culture of high aspirations and equality of opportunity

Careers Programme

Our Careers Curriculum ensures that all pupils, from Year 7 to Year 13, are kept up to date with recent and relevant careers information, so that they can make well-informed decisions about their next steps. We deliver this through a broad range of speakers, workshops, trips, 1-1 guidance interviews and other careers-related activities. 

Our Careers Curriculum is designed to cater to students' specific needs at each stage of their education, and is developed to fulfil and go beyond the Gatsby benchmarks. As an integral part of students' holistic education, careers education and information is taught through all subject areas and departments at each key stage.

Pupils with SEND are further supported by staff in Learning Support; our school SENDCo liaises with our Careers Leader and additional outside agencies for pupils as necessary.

Supporting the Careers Programme at Chiswick School

If you or a family member or friend are a business or employer, education or training provider and could support Chiswick School with our careers programme (including Work Experience placements, brief careers talks, networking opportunities and attending our Careers Fair in March), please do contact us as we are always looking to expand our network of employers and education providers.

careers@chiswickschool.org

Careers Guidance in schools - Statutory Frameworks:

In December 2017, the Department for Education (DfE) published a new Careers Strategy for secondary schools followed by statutory guidance in January 2018. Schools must have an appointed Careers Leader and a Careers Information, Advice & Guidance (CIAG) Programme for each academic year. All schools should be meeting the eight Gatsby Benchmarks:

The Gatsby Benchmarks:

1. A stable careers programme
2. Learning from career and labour market information
3. Addressing the needs of each pupil
4. Linking curriculum learning to careers
5. Encounters with employers and employees
6. Experiences of workplaces
7. Encounters with further and higher education
8. Personal guidance

Quality Assurance within our Careers Programme

At Chiswick School, we strive to constantly review and reflect on all our processes ensuring that we provide the best experience for all students. Our Careers programme is no exception to this as we evaluate our provision using the Compass+ evaluation tool (arranged by the Careers & Enterprise Company) regularly, in conjunction with the local careers education hub and other relevant providers.

Work Experience

Work experience is an important stepping stone for Chiswick students as they explore the world of work and we aim to support as many Year 10 and Year 12 students as possible in obtaining placements which will help them to develop a more realistic view of adult working life and its responsibilities. We are always looking for new community partners. If you might be interested, please get in touch with us to discuss ideas by emailing careers@chiswickschool.org.

This academic year our Year 10 students will undertake work experience W/C 6th July and our Year 12 students will undertake work experience W/C 13th July. 

Students in Years 10-13 are free to organise their own ongoing work experience placements during school holidays, though we would encourage students in Years 11 and 13 to leave the Easter holidays free for exam revision. Students are welcome to ask Mr Gibbins for support with this.

Please click on the document links below to view our Careers Strategy and example Careers Year View.

Careers Strategy 2025-26

Careers Year View

Please click on the link below for information for employers.

Information for Employers

Please click on the expandable sections below for further information on careers programmes and guidance.