Careers and Transition
"Outcomes for young people at Roman Fields are exceptional. All young people leaving Roman Fields have a clear destination which has been carefully considered and takes account of the needs of each of the young people" - Autism Accreditation March 2023
This section of the website is intended for pupils, parents/carers, teachers and employers, who are interested in learning more about our careers education programme and the personal development it offers.
Vision statement
Our careers education programme aims to develop and prepare our pupils to make important choices around their intended futures, as they aspire to fulfilling and economically active lives as adults. Our intention is pupils and parents should be supported to investigate all potential available options, at various stages in school life.
Key careers staff
- Our designated Careers Leader is Debra Waterfield and she can be contacted on 01442 256915.
- The Senior Leadership team member responsible for Careers is Emma Davis, Headteacher.
- The Trustee with responsibility for careers is Alan Clarke.
Our careers provision in context
The official statistics extracted and presented in graphs below relate to the employment of working-age (aged 16 to 64) disabled people in the UK. They provide context for the government’s long-term ambition to achieve an 80% employment rate.
The disability employment rate was 53.0% in the second quarter of 2024, compared to 81.6% for non-disabled people, making the disability employment gap 28.6 percentage points in the same time period.
For the full report, updated November 2024, please go to https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/the-employment-of-disabled-people-2024/the-employment-of-disabled-people-2024
The first graph below shows the proportion of people in employment by main or secondary health condition, (people aged 16 to 64 years, UK, 2023/24). Autism as a health condition reflects a lower employment rate.
This graph below shows how the likelihood of a health condition impacts day-to-day activities and being in employment (people aged 16 to 64, UK, 2023/24). It therefore further demonstrates that autism has an impact on employment status.
This third graph shows that one in three disabled workers are working part-time (aged 16 to 64 years, UK, 2023/24).
The fourth and final graph below shows the average wellbeing scores of disabled people by employment status, (people aged 16 to 64, UK, 2023/24). People in employment are less likely to be anxious and more likely to report happiness, satisfaction and feel like the things they do in their life are worthwhile.
These extracts prove why we need to be bespoke in what we offer and committed to doing all we can to support learners to help them face the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
Who we work with
The following are some of the external organisations which support our careers education programme:
Provides a qualified personal adviser to deliver
personalised individual careers interviews with learners in
Year 11, and any leavers not in those year groups
(educated out of year).
Attend some annual EHCP review meetings to ensure
parents know what transition involves and produce a
Preparing for Adulthood document for learners in Years 9
and 11, and any leavers not in those year groups
(educated out of year).
Impartially delivers annual technical and apprenticeship
training to all learners in Year 8 and above.Herts Regional College, Oaklands
and North Herts Colleges plus others not based in Hertfordshire, for example, Bucks College Group and Capel Manor
The colleges support our transition visits as part of our Year 11 programme and this may include taster sessions once applications have been made and colleges have
confirmed they can meet needs as detailed in the EHCP.
Colleges also liaise with parents and learners whilst they
are still on our roll.Provides individual support around transition and
workshops with parents and learners (NB if
learners/families are working with CAMHS this service
may not be appropriate).They support us by providing an enterprise co-ordinator, and adviser
Meetings take place termly to discuss progress and offer suggestions for ongoing development, if appropriate.
Deliver a range of work-related learning activities for leavers including CVs and mock interviews Tesco Plc and other local Employers Tesco plc provides us with an Enterprise Adviser who is
based at its head office in Welwyn Garden City and he
hosts visits for us there and is a regular visitor to school.
We also visit other large local employers.
HOP
We are using the Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal and would encourage all pupils, parents, carers and teachers to use this portal as a one-stop shop for a variety of up to date information about the Hertfordshire jobs market. This should provide both inspiration and information around the wide variety of careers on offer in the locality including current live job and apprenticeship vacancies.
Our Careers activity plan
We deliver a flexible careers education plan, which is individually tailored to meet the needs of our pupils, and this is reviewed on an annual basis. We use Compass Plus, the CDI's Career Development Framework and the Hertfordshire Skills Framework.
The key activities scheduled currently are:
Year Group
Activity
When
All year groups
Schemes of work relating to careers in
subjects including English, maths,
science, film studies, geography, history,
and PHSEE
Impartial annual technical and
apprenticeship trainingThroughout academic year
September to February
10 and 11+
Extended college visits and off site social
skills/team building initiatives (Tuesdays
or Fridays for a morning for a whole
term)
Work experience (weekly in Year 11 if
timetable permits, or otherwise a short
placement)
Workplace visit/s
Employer visit/s to school
Careers fair
Enterprise event/s
Individual travel training (if necessary
and if timetable permits)Throughout academic year
11 and leavers being educated out of year
Personal guidance interviews
Primarily in the Autumn term
Employer engagement
As statistics prove, employment prospects for the cohort we serve are still limited.
For this reason, we have formed strong working relationships with local employers,
some of which were first established many years ago, so our learners can taste the
world of work.
We would still welcome further support from any employer.
Destinations data and alumni
We keep destinations data, but have chosen not to publish this due to our small pupil numbers, as the consequence of this is the difficulty in anonymising the data.
However, according to Andrew Malcolm’s comprehensive survey (put in hyperlink)
(published in January 2022) around successful, sustained transition from
Alternative Providers, Roman Fields sits in the ‘best practice’ category recognised as
‘high performing’ and is often quoted. For those interested in exploring this
document further Roman Fields is listed in it as HP3.
We are proud of our alumni and what they have achieved. We have many case studies in school, detailing those who have gone onto colleges, apprenticeships, universities and more general workplaces. We have a school Instagram account so that current and past learners - and parents and other stakeholders can easily keep in touch with us. It is a private group called JMATRF11.
Careerometer
Please use the widget to research careers and labour market information.
Provider Access statement for Roman Fields and Forest House Education Centre (part of the James Marks Academy Trust)
This has been updated to include the Provider Access Legislation, January 2023
This statement sets out the James Marks Academy Trust’s arrangements for
managing the access of providers to the schools for the purpose of giving pupils
information about the provider’s education or training offer. This complies with the
trust’s legal obligations under Section 42B of the Education Act 1997.
Aims
The trust’s policy for access to other education and training providers has the following aims:
- To develop the knowledge and awareness of our pupils 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 pupils becoming NEET (young people not in education, employment or training).
Pupil Entitlement
All pupils in years 8 to 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;
- To understand how to make applications for the full range of academic and technical courses.
For pupils of compulsory school age, the trust offers six provider encounters, as required by law, and a number of additional events, integrated into the school careers programme. These encounters are mandatory and there will be a minimum of two encounters for pupils:
- During the ‘first key phase’ (year 8 to 9);
- During the ‘second key phase’ (year 10 to 11).
For pupils in the ‘third key phase’ (year 12 to 13), particularly those that have not yet decided on their next steps, there are two more provider encounters available during this period, which are optional for pupils to attend.
These provider encounters will be scheduled during the main school hours of the trust 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 pupils from the provider) and answer questions from pupils.
Pupils may also travel to visit another provider as part of a school-organised trip.
Meaningful Provider Encounters
One encounter is defined as one meeting/session between pupils and one provider.
We are committed to providing meaningful encounters to all pupils. Meaningful online engagement is also an option, and we are open to providers that are able to provide live online engagement with our pupils. The trust will make the training room, classrooms or other rooms available for discussions between the provider and pupils, as appropriate to the activity. The school will also make available AV and other specialist equipment to support provider presentations. This will all be discussed and agreed in advance of the visit with the Careers Leader.
Previous Providers
We have regularly invited the following providers from the local area to speak to our pupils:
In previous years the following providers have spoken to our pupils:
● Ask Apprenticeships (presentation delivered by Services for Young People);
● Jobs Centre Plus for Schools;
● Tesco PLC;
● Colleges.
Destinations of our pupils
● Typically, our pupils move to range of settings across the Hertfordshire area
after leaving, these are usually the provider closely to their home and include:
● Colleges (Bucks College Group, Capel Manor, Herts Regional College, North
Herts College (including Springboard), Oaklands, West Herts College);
● Sixth Forms and other specialist school provision;
● Apprenticeships;
● University.
Management of provider access requests
A provider wishing to request access should contact Debra Waterfield, Careers and
Transition Lead, by telephone on 01442 256915 or by email,
debra.waterfield@romanfields.herts.sch.uk. Alternatively please check on an
individual school’s website from within the trust for other named individuals.
Management of provider access requests
A provider wishing to request access should contact Debra Waterfield, Careers and Transition Lead, by telephone on 01442 256915 or by email, debra.waterfield@romanfields.herts.sch.uk
Finding out further information:
National Apprenticeship Service Allows you to search for live apprenticeship vacancies across the country Amazing Apprenticeships Find out about apprenticeships as well as live vacancies UCAS All you need to know about applying for university and the courses available for you. Hertfordshire Skills Framework https://www.hopinto.co.uk/explore-careers/resources/hertfordshire-skills-framework/
Produced by Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership this displays the skills most required by employers across the county Hertfordshire Labour Market Information An infographic video to explain the types of jobs available and skills required in Hertfordshire National Autistic Society https://www.autism.org.uk/
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