CAREERS AND HIGHER EDUCATION GUIDANCE AND ADVICE POLICY

Date of Policy:	For Academic Year 2022-23
Date for Review:	August 2023
Lead for Review:	Assistant Head (PPPD)

Contents

Contents	2

Preface	3

Aim	3

Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC) Certificate	3

Quality Standards	3

Statement of Student Entitlement Principles	4

Support of Students’ university applications	4

What happens if agents wish to handle a student’s application?	4

Parents, Guardians and Agents	5

Equal Opportunities	5

Resources and Careers Information	5

Staff Development	7

Confidentiality	7

Requests for Academic Transcripts	7

Additional Resources	7

Preface

Guildhouse School London is committed to promoting the delivery and development of high-quality education and careers advice that enables students to make informed and effective choices about their future.

Aim

The Progression Team, Personal Tutors (PTs) and Pastoral Directors are the students’ key points of contact for Higher Education and careers advice and guidance.

All staff are committed to offering comprehensive and impartial information, advice and guidance for current students throughout the duration of their course. We are aware that the school specifically offers pre-university courses and our students come from overseas in order primarily to obtain entry to a UK university. However, we do support and help students to consider alternative futures on those occasions where progression to a university is no longer appropriate, or if they decide on alternative career plans.

Impartial advice and guidance will take place through a variety of means, such as specific timetabled sessions, drop-in sessions, self-assessment tools, counselling interviews, online resources such as the UNIFROG platform, sessions with PTs, university subject talks, signposting of university events, etc.

Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC) Certificate

This qualification can be taken is in addition to a student’s existing studies at Guildhouse and will help demonstrate transferable and desirable skills required by universities and businesses.

Students will develop technical skills, problem-solving ability, resilience and work ethic, confidence and self- esteem, team working skills, employability skills and critical thinking.

Quality Standards

Appointments can be made with staff in the school for individual advice and PTs offer support and guidance as part of the school’s provision for Personal Development.

E-mail support is always provided for students while they are in the UK or overseas, and the school can provide appointments for face-to-face interviews. Emails will be responded to within 72 hours.

We are committed to continuous improvement. Regular team meetings are held to monitor performance and evaluate good practice. Quality standards are met, and strengths and weaknesses are addressed.

Statement of Student Entitlement Principles

All students are entitled to careers, education and university information guidance which adheres to the following principles it is:

Impartial, client-centred and free from institutional bias

Accessible, available and visible

Provided by appropriately qualified, knowledgeable and experienced staff

Respectful of confidentiality

Supporting of achievement and enabling of progression

Students completing Pre-Programme and AEM courses have guidance sessions on the options open to them. These sessions are delivered in an impartial manner about progression onto the school’s A-Level or UFP programmes and also alternative career options, taking into account parental wishes.

We also support students in applications to other schools if they feel they would like to change schools.

Advice and support are provided by senior staff who will liaise with educational agents overseas, parents, other providers and local provision as needed.

Support of Students’ university applications

It is the position of Guildhouse school that our students are best supported to apply to university by staff in the school.

These staff will at all times act in the best interests of the student, guiding them to find the best university and course for them based on their personal preferences of course, university location, university characteristics and likely attainment grades at the end of the course. Staff have no reason to advise students towards any particular universities, other than based on the student’s preferences and academic profile. Advice and time from staff is provided at no extra charge. School staff are happy to keep agents informed of the progress of a student’s application on request.

In the event of a disagreement between school staff and the student about which universities to apply to, the student’s preference will take precedence, although advice regarding choices will still be given, including if school staff feel that the student is unlikely to be successful in their application and that they should reconsider. The student will apply at their own risk and the school will make it clear on the application that the student has applied against the school’s advice.

What happens if agents wish to handle a student’s application?

If a student or agent informs school staff that they are considering their agent handling their university application the matter will be passed to the member of the Student Recruitment Team responsible for the student. The student will be asked to complete the ‘Application to be removed from Higher Education Support’ form.

After the form has been completed and discussion with the student has taken place, should the student choose to have their agent handle their university application no further support can be provided by school staff. UCAS allows only one Nominated Person to be associated with a student’s university application and UK universities will only correspond with that person and the student. Students will, however, still be able to attend any Higher Education events hosted by the school.

Once withdrawn from HE support, the Higher Education Counsellor will upload a reference, including predicted grades, on to the UCAS website. The school will not be able to provide any other references or give any further advice. The reference will make clear that the application is being made independently of the school.

We expect that the agent will inform the school of the students' destination for the purposes of compiling destination statistics.

Guildhouse’s position is that if a student’s application is supported by school staff any commission paid by a university will not be payable to any external party. Details of commission paid by universities are not shared with school staff.

Parents, Guardians and Agents

Students under 18 years of age can request their parents’, agents’ or guardians’ presence at meetings where possible or appropriate and bespoke meetings are always offered to parents if they wish to discuss future career plans for their child.

Parents of students at the school can access information and discuss job opportunities as they relate to their son/daughter, with school staff.

Equal Opportunities

All staff will promote career choice based on interests and potential and will challenge stereotyping or discrimination whenever encountered.

Higher Education information and guidance is part of a structured programme of activities, which is a compulsory element of the programme for all students. Higher Education advice is also provided directly at the school by regular visits from universities offering group talks, one-to-one discussions with students, as well as seminars and workshops.

Resources and Careers Information

Career guidance and supporting students with the UCAS application process are addressed as part of the Personal Development Curriculum and through timetabled lessons.

Resources are also available from the school via PTs and the Progression Team.

Resources include university prospectuses, UCAS material, university guidance books and other relevant careers material.

Staff Development

Staff development is available to staff within the school on a range of careers/higher education related activities, including such topics as “Applying to Universities”, the Universities’ and Colleges’ Admissions Service’s (UCAS) application platform, “APPLY” and “How to Write CVs” and “How to Write UCAS References”.

The Progression Team also produce and manage a number of supporting resources to aid teachers and PTs, as well as offer bespoke training opportunities.

Confidentiality

The Progression Team is committed to respecting the privacy of students.

Requests for Academic Transcripts

Requests for academic transcripts must be made in writing and will incur an additional cost. Requests should be made to Student Services in the first instance via e-mail.

The academic transcript may take up to three weeks to complete.

Additional Resources

The details outlined in this document should be read in conjunction with:

DFES/0163/2003 Careers Education and Guidance in England ‘A National Framework 11-19’.

National IAG Board Code of Principles for Information, Advice and Guidance.

DFE Careers guidance and access for education and training providers Statutory guidance for schools and guidance for further education colleges and sixth form colleges July 2021

This policy has regard to any advice issued by the Department for Education.