Careers and Education at Elemore Hall School
At Elemore Hall school, we are developing a careers programme that supports every individual to fulfil their potential. In an intricate and evolving world, all young individuals, especially pupils in our school, require access to high-quality, comprehensive, and unbiased information, advice, and guidance. Such support aids them in making informed learning and career decisions, enabling success in their endeavours, and helping with personal challenges.
The significance of career guidance for young people, particularly for pupils with special needs, has never been greater than it is today. We have a pivotal role in preparing pupils for their upcoming educational or training phases and beyond. Our pupils will navigate a career journey that is more intricate and demanding than that of previous generations. With global opportunities and advancing technology, young individuals, including our pupils, may expect to engage in multiple careers during their professional lives, potentially in fields that do not yet exist.
Try our new Career-o-meter!
Our objective is to equip pupils with the skills to navigate these evolving opportunities, responsibilities, and experiences successfully.
A structured and progressive program of activities is essential for all young individuals, including our pupils, to make informed decisions and plan their careers, both during their time in school and after they graduate. The 2011 Education Act mandates schools, to provide pupils with impartial access to careers education, information, advice, and guidance.
Pathways and Progress
Every pupil has the opportunity for guidance meetings with a careers adviser, who could be internal (a member of school staff) or external, provided they are trained to an appropriate level. These meetings should be available for all pupils whenever significant study or career choices are being made. They should be expected for all pupils but should be scheduled to meet their individual needs. The careers leader should work closely with the careers adviser, SEND coordinator (SENDCO) and other key staff to ensure personal guidance is effective and embedded in the careers programme.
More information for pupils, parents and carers:
Local Providers
We’ve got a new interactive quiz that you can use below which can help you research your career path. Simply rate how you feel about the different topics and see what careers you might enjoy:
This link will give you all the up-to-date job market information for the north-east. If you have any questions- please reach out to one of the team.
https://evidencehub.northeast-ca.gov.uk/report/regional-labour-market-latest
Want more info on careers? The national careers service will give you up-date options: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/
The National Apprenticeship Service website offers guidance on how to apply for an apprenticeship as well as listing current local apprenticeship opportunities.
Careers Advice for Parents aims to give parents an easy-to-read overview of all the essential facts on finding jobs and apprenticeships or choosing further and higher education courses which could make a real difference to their child’s future career prospects.
The Careers Team
At Elemore Hall School, we have a whole school approach to careers with all staff supporting the delivery of careers within curriculum areas, the culture programme and through the pastoral system.
We have a designated careers team who co-ordinate and monitor the delivery of careers, and designated admin support.
D. Lord (Deputy Headteacher for Personal Development / Level 7 careers lead)
G. Rowntree (Culture Co-ordinator / Level 7 careers lead) R. Perriss (careers support)
You can contact any of the above by emailing elemore@durhamlearning.net marked for the attention of the individual concerned.
The careers programme is delivered through our Culture programme, the tutorial programme, within curriculum areas as well as through an extensive range of enrichment opportunities and activities. Our monitoring and evaluation strategies encompass all of these aspects of delivery and are used to inform decision making about the future development of our careers programme.
Monitoring activities used to ensure that the careers programme is being implemented as planned include:
- Learning walks
- Lesson observations
- Questionnaires – pupils, staff, parents and carers, external partners
- Focus groups – pupils and staff
- Career participation trackers (PAT + Compass + )
- Work scrutiny
- Curriculum plans
- Destination data
Destination Data
Leavers Activity Survey 2023-2025
The Activity Survey is produced annually and shows the destination of Pupils in the October after they left Elemore Hall. For the 2025 cohort, the destinations were as follows:
| Destinations (%) | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 (Intended Destination) |
| Further Education | 56.4 | 47 | 45 | 76 |
| Training | 10.2 | 11.8 | 8 | 16 |
| Employment (with & without training) | 10.3 | 6 | 0 | 8 |
| Working in re-engagement | 5.1 | 2 | 15 | |
| NEET | 17.9 | 29.4 | 32 | |
| Other | 0 | 3.8 | 0 |
The Gatsby Benchmarks
The Gatsby Benchmarks : The school careers strategy focuses on the eight Gatsby benchmarks:
Benchmark 1: A Stable Careers Programme
Elemore Hall has an embedded programme of careers education and guidance that is known and understood by pupils, parents and carers, staff, governors, employers and other agencies.
Benchmark 2: Learning from Career and Labour Market Information
Elemore Hall ensures all pupils, parents and carers have access to good-quality, up-to-date information about future pathways, study options and labour market opportunities. All pupils have the support of an informed adviser to make the best use of available information.
Benchmark 3: Addressing the Needs of Each Young Person
Pupils have different careers guidance needs at different stages. At Elemore Hall our Careers programmes help pupils navigate their concerns about any barriers to career progression. In addition, opportunities are tailored to the needs of each pupil.
Benchmark 4: Linking Curriculum Learning to Careers
As part of Elemore Hall’s programme of careers education, all teachers link curriculum learning with careers. Subject teachers highlight the progression routes for their subject and the relevance of the knowledge and skills developed in their subject for a wide range of career pathways.
Benchmark 5: Encounters with Employers and Employees
Every pupil has multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace. This is through a range of enrichment opportunities, including visiting speakers, mentoring and enterprise schemes, and includes pupils’ own part-time employment where applicable.
Benchmark 6: Experiences of Workplaces
Every pupil has first-hand experiences of workplaces to help their exploration of career opportunities and expand their networks. Workplace visits and experiences are wide and varied and meet with the interests and skills of all pupils.
Benchmark 7: Encounters with Further and Higher Education
All pupils at Elemore Hall understand the full range of learning opportunities that are available to them, including academic, technical and vocational routes. This incorporates learning in schools, colleges, independent training providers (ITPs), universities and in the workplace.
Benchmark 8: Personal Guidance
Every pupil has the opportunity to engage in guidance meetings with a careers mentor (internal member of staff) and advisor (external support agenc). Meetings are available for all pupils whenever significant study or career choices are being made. They are scheduled to meet their individual needs. The careers leader works closely with the careers adviser, SEND coordinator (SENCO) and other key staff to ensure personal guidance is effective and embedded in the careers programme.