Gatsby Benchmark Seven

Encounters with Further and Higher Education

All learners should understand the full range of learning opportunities that are available to them, including academic, technical and vocational routes. This should incorporate learning in schools, colleges, ITPs, universities and in the workplace.

Schools

• By the age of 16, every learner should have had meaningful encounters with providers of the full range of learning opportunities, including sixth forms, colleges, universities and ITPs.
• By the age of 18, all learners who are considering applying to higher education should have had at least 2 visits to higher education providers to meet staff and learners.

Colleges

• By the end of their programme of study, every learner should have had a meaningful encounter with a range of providers of learning and training that may form the next stage of their career. This should include, as appropriate, FE colleges, universities and ITPs. This should include the opportunity to meet both staff and learners.

Making it meaningful

A meaningful encounter gives the young person the opportunity to explore what it is like to learn, develop and succeed in that environment. This should include the opportunity to meet both staff and learners/trainees. Throughout a careers programme, encounters should be sequenced so that a young person can build up a clear picture of opportunities available to them. Experiences or encounters could be in person or a combination of in person and virtual, and could include providers delivering sessions in a school, college or ITP, as well as young people visiting the provider. Young people and providers should be supported to prepare for the encounter. Additional or different support may be needed for vulnerable and disadvantaged young people and for young people with SEND.

A meaningful encounter will:

• Have a clear purpose, which is shared with the provider and the young person.
• Be underpinned by learning outcomes that are appropriate to the needs of the young person.
• Involve a two-way interaction between the young person and the provider.
• Include information about the provider, such as their recruitment and selection processes, the qualifications that provider offers and the careers these could lead to.
• Describe what learning or training with the provider is like.
• Be followed by opportunities for the young person to reflect on the insights, knowledge or skills gained through the encounter.

Resources from the Careers and Enterprise Company

• Gatsby Benchmark 7 | CEC Resource Directory
• Understanding how to embed progressive encounters with further and higher education 
• Encounters with Higher and Further education – Practical ideas for achieving Gatsby Benchmark 7
• Provider Directory for Schools and Colleges

Local links

We’ve spent time gathering a list of local providers who may be able to support you in meeting Benchmark 7

Note, all links and resources provided are for general informational purposes only. Links to external websites and resources are provided for convenience and do not imply endorsement. Please investigate and judge independently whether appropriate for your institution.

Please note, there may be a cost attached to some of the offers listed.

Provider Access Legislation (PAL)

Schools must comply with the provider access legislation and ensure that every pupil, whatever their ambitions, has at least six opportunities to meet providers of technical education or apprenticeships during years 8 to 13. This gives pupils the opportunity to consider how studying or training in different ways, and in different environments, might suit their skills, interests and aptitudes. In schools, the governing body must make sure that learners in years 8 to 13 receive at least six encounters with a provider of technical education or apprenticeships.

As a minimum, schools must offer:

• Two encounters that are mandatory for all pupils to attend that take place any time during year 8 or between 1 September and 28 February during year 9.
• Two encounters that are mandatory for all pupils to attend that take place any time during year 10 or between 1 September and 28 February during year 11.
• Two encounters that are mandatory for the school to put on, but optional for pupils to attend, to take place any time during year 12 or between 1 September and 28 February during year 13.

These six meetings are timed to inform consideration of post-14, post-16 and post-18 options and progression to the next stage of education or training. Schools should encourage all pupils to attend the encounters. However, optional attendance for older pupils recognises that, while many 16 to 18 year olds will benefit from finding out more about post-18 technical options, some will already have made a firm decision to pursue their chosen pathway. All six encounters must happen for a reasonable period of time during the standard school day. Provider encounters that take place outside of school hours, for example parents evenings, do not count towards fulfilment of the legal requirement for six provider encounters, but schools are still encouraged to provide these complementary experiences for pupils and their parents. Schools must prepare and publish a policy statement setting out the circumstances in which education and training providers will be given access to pupils.  We have created a template you can use for your Provider Access Policy.

CEC resources to support PAL

• Summary for Provider Access Legislation
• PAL key information document
• Key PAL information for SEND settings
• Promoting all Pathways through PAL