At St Bartholomew’s School, careers education is not viewed as a standalone programme but as an integral part of every student’s learning journey. Recognising that young people make stronger connections between education and their future aspirations when careers are embedded across the curriculum, the school set out to strengthen Gatsby Benchmark 4 by creating a more coordinated, whole-school approach.
To strengthen careers education across the school and ensure a more strategic approach to meeting Gatsby Benchmarks, a Gatsby Curriculum Spreadsheet was introduced. The purpose of the spreadsheet was to enable every subject area to record and map careers-related activities within their curriculum, helping students understand the links between learning and future employment opportunities.
The Challenge
Initially, not all departments were consistently embedding careers education within their schemes of work. There was a need to:
• Increase engagement from all subject areas.
• Ensure careers activities were planned across all year groups.
• Develop a coordinated whole-school approach to careers education.
• Meet the requirements of the new Equalex Framework through meaningful employer and workplace-related experiences.
Actions Taken
A BM4 Work Party was established, bringing together representatives from different departments each term. These meetings provided a forum to:
• Share careers-related practice across subjects.
• Review and update the Gatsby Curriculum Spreadsheet.
• Identify gaps in provision across year groups.
• Plan a more strategic and coherent careers programme throughout the school.
As part of this work, departments collaborated to develop new opportunities for students. One key initiative was the introduction of Curriculum Days for Key Stage 3 students. Geography and History took a leading role in designing these experiences, incorporating:
• Planned educational visits and trips.
• Encounters linked to real employer engagement.
• Activities that connected curriculum learning to future career pathways.
• Meaningful experiences that supported the requirements of the Equalex Framework.
Impact
The Gatsby Curriculum Spreadsheet has provided a clear overview of careers provision across the curriculum and has improved collaboration between departments.
Key outcomes include:
• Careers education is now embedded across the majority of curriculum areas.
• A strategic overview of careers activities exists for all year groups.
• Departments are working together more effectively through regular BM4 Work Party meetings.
• Key Stage 3 students have access to enhanced curriculum-linked careers experiences through planned Curriculum Days and visits.
• Most year groups are now covered with appropriate careers-related activities and experiences.
Next Steps
While significant progress has been made, a small number of subjects still need to upload and map their careers activities within the Gatsby Curriculum Spreadsheet. The next phase will focus on:
• Securing full participation from all departments.
• Continuing to monitor and review provision through termly BM4 Work Party meetings.
• Expanding curriculum-linked employer encounters and workplace experiences.
• Ensuring all activities align with Gatsby Benchmark 4 and the Equalex Framework.
Through the introduction of a Gatsby Curriculum Mapping Spreadsheet and the establishment of a cross-departmental BM4 Work Party, careers education has become more visible, collaborative and strategic. What began as a process to map existing activity has evolved into a culture shift, bringing subject teams together to identify opportunities, share best practice and create meaningful employer-linked experiences that help students understand where their learning could take them.
As a result, students are now benefiting from richer curriculum-linked career experiences, including innovative Key Stage 3 Curriculum Days, employer encounters and educational visits that bring career pathways to life and strengthen connections between the classroom and the world of work.
