1. Introduction

This policy statement sets out the school’s arrangements for managing the access of providers to students at the school for the purpose of giving them information about the provider’s education, employment and / or training offer. This complies with the school’s legal obligations under Section42B of the Education Act 1997.

High quality careers education and guidance in school is critical to young people’s futures. It helps to prepare them for the workplace by providing a clear understanding of the world of work including the routes to jobs and careers that they might find engaging and rewarding. It supports them to acquire the self-development and career management skills they need to achieve positive employment destinations. This helps students to choose their pathways, improve their life opportunities and contribute to a productive and successful economy.

As the number of apprenticeships rises every year, it becomes increasingly important that all young people have a full understanding of all the options available to them post-16 and post-18 including wider technical education options such as T-Levels and Higher Technical Qualifications.

Poole Grammar School is committed to ensuring there is an opportunity for a range of education and training providers to access students, for the purpose of informing them about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. Poole Grammar School is fully aware of the responsibility to set students on the path that will secure the best outcome which will enable them to progress in education and work and give employers the highly skilled people they need. That means acting impartially, in line with the statutory duty, and not showing bias towards any route, be that academic or technical.

Poole Grammar School endeavours to ensure that all students are aware of all routes to higher skills and are able to access information on technical options and apprenticeships (The Department of Education, July 2021: “Baker Clause”: supporting students to understand the full range of education and training options, and the Provider Access Legislation, January 2023).

Poole Grammar School policy for Access to other education and training providers has the following aims:

• To develop the knowledge and awareness of our students of all career pathways available to them, including technical qualifications and apprenticeships.
• To support young people to be able to learn more about opportunities for education and training outside of school before making crucial choices about their future options.
• To reduce drop out from courses and avoid the risk of students becoming NEET (Young people not in Education, Employment or Training).

2. Student entitlement

Poole Grammar School fully supports the statutory requirement for students to have direct access to other providers of further education training, technical training and apprenticeships. The school complies with the new legal requirement to put on at least six encounters with providers of approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships. This is done in assemblies throughout the school academic year.

All students in Years 8-13 are entitled:

• to find out about technical education qualifications and apprenticeship opportunities, as part of a careers programme which provides information on the full range of education and training options available at each transition point;
• to hear from a range of local providers about the opportunities they offer, including technical education and apprenticeships – through options events, assemblies and group discussions and taster events;
• to understand how to make applications for the full range of academic and technical courses. 

Students receive a minimum of two encounters for students during the ‘first key phase’ (Years 8 & 9) and two encounters for students during the ‘second key phase’ (Years 10 & 11). For students in the ‘third key phase’ (Years 12 & 13), particularly those that have not yet decided on their next steps, there are two more provider encounters.

These provider encounters will be scheduled during the main school hours and the provider will be given a reasonable amount of time to, as a minimum:

• share information about both the provider and the approved technical education qualification and apprenticeships that the provider offers;
• explain what career routes those options could lead to;
• provide insights into what it might be like to learn or train with that provider (including the opportunity to meet staff and students from the provider); and,
• answer questions from students.

3. Management of provider access requests

3.1 Procedure
A provider wishing to request access should contact Mark Hannington, Careers and Higher Education Advisor on telephone: 01202 692132 x269 or 01202 606504, email: careers@poolegrammar.com .

3.2 Opportunities for access
A number of events, integrated into the school careers programme, will offer providers an opportunity to come into school to speak to students and / or their parents / carers:

Year group	Autumn term	Spring term	Summer term
Years 7 & 8	*Bi-annual careers convention with opportunities available at Parkstone Grammar School every year; Life skills / PSHE lessons, assemblies and tutor group talk opportunities.	Life Skills lessons, assembly and tutor group talk opportunities.	Life Skills lessons, assemblies and tutor group talk opportunities. Presentations on Higher Education.
Year 9		Assemblies and Year 9 options talk.	Life Skills lessons, assemblies and tutor group talk opportunities. Presentations on Higher Education and student life.
Years 10 & 11		Life Skills lessons, assemblies and tutor group talk opportunities.	Life Skills lessons, assemblies and tutor group talk opportunities. Presentations on Higher Education and why study at university (Year 10 only)
Year 12		Post Year 13 options evening. Life Skills lessons, assemblies, Enrichment lessons and tutor group talk opportunities.	Post Year 13 Options programme, Life Skills lessons, assemblies, Enrichment lessons and tutor group talk opportunities.
Year 13		Life Skills lessons, assemblies, Enrichment lessons and tutor group talk opportunities.

* Subject to availability with the new build taking place at Poole Grammar 2022-23.

3.3 Development
This policy has been developed and is reviewed annually by the Careers Leader and Assistant Headteacher with responsibility for careers (Mr E C Gibbs) based on current good practice guidelines by the Department for Education.

3.4 Links with other policies
It supports and is underpinned by key school policies including those for Careers, Child Protection, Equality and Diversity, and SEND.

3.5 Equality and Diversity
Access to other providers is available and promoted to allow all students to access information about other providers of further education and apprenticeships. Poole Grammar School is committed to encouraging all students to make decisions about their future based on impartial information.

4. Premises and facilities

The school will make a suitable venue available for discussions between the provider and students, as appropriate to the activity, and where reasonably viable and possible. The school will also make available AV and other specialist equipment as reasonably required to support provider presentations, and where reasonably viable and possible. This will all be discussed and agreed in advance of the visit with the Careers and Higher Education advisor or a member of the pastoral or support staff teams.

Providers are welcome to leave a copy of their prospectus or other relevant course literature in The Futures Hub and / or the school library, which is accessible to students before school, at break time, at lunchtime and after school.

4.1 Details of premises or facilities to be provided to a person who is given access Poole Grammar School will provide an appropriate room or assembly hall to be agreed. All rooms have computers, projectors and screens provided. Computer rooms can also be arranged. The
Careers Leader or Careers Adviser will organise this, working closely with the provider to ensure the facilities are appropriate to the audience. Appropriate safeguarding checks will be carried out. Providers will be met and supervised by a member of the school team, who will facilitate.

4.2 Live / virtual encounters
Poole Grammar School will consider live online encounters with providers where requested, and these may be broadcast into classrooms or the school assembly hall. Technology checks in advance will be required to ensure compatibility of systems.

4.3 Parents and carers
Parental involvement is encouraged, and parents may be invited to attend events to meet the providers.

5 General

5.1 Complaints
Any complaints about this policy should be raised to Mark Hannington, Careers Leader, email: hanningtonm@poolegrammar.com .
Mark Hannington will raise the complaint to Mr E C Gibbs, Assistant Headteacher.

5.2 Monitoring and review
The Policy is monitored and evaluated bi-annually via the Senior Leadership Team through the Careers Leader.
Policy Coordinator: Mark Hannington, Careers Leader
Policy Reviewed: March 2023

5.3 Providers who have been invited into Poole Grammar School to date include (examples):

• Brockenhurst College
• Bournemouth and Poole College
• Cardiff University
• Ferndown Upper School
• Kingston Maurward College
• Rockley Watersports College
• University of Exeter 
• University of Surrey

Note: this list is indicative only and not exhaustive or comprehensive.

5.4 Destinations of previous students from Poole Grammar School include:

• Bournemouth Grammar School
• Bryanston School
• Brockenhurst College
• Bournemouth and Poole College
• Canford School
• Cardiff University
• Ferndown Upper School
• Kingston Maurward College
• Millfield School
• Poole High School
• RNLI apprenticeship
• Sunseeker apprenticeship
• QE School
• University of Exeter 
• University of Surrey

Note: this list is indicative only and not exhaustive or comprehensive.