At The Catholic High School, Chester, careers education is fully embedded within our PSHE curriculum and wider school experiences. Our aim is to ensure all students develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to make informed decisions about their future pathways.
Careers education is delivered through a structured PSHE programme, assemblies, employer encounters, and strong partnerships with external providers. This is further enhanced by whole-school initiatives such as our ‘Career of the Week’, displayed across school, which introduces students to a wide range of careers, including key labour market information, skills, and pathways.
We work closely with further education providers, universities, and employers to ensure students have access to accurate, up-to-date information about post-16 and post-18 opportunities.
Our careers provision is designed to:
We work in partnership with the Careers & Enterprise Company and the Cheshire & Warrington Pledge to continually develop and strengthen our careers programme. Our provision is regularly reviewed using the Compass+ evaluation tool to ensure alignment with the Gatsby Benchmarks and to drive continuous improvement.
Our careers programme is aligned with the eight Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance. Our most recent Compass+ evaluation (March 2026) shows strong performance across all areas:
Our careers provision is implemented through:
Our Careers Information Hub, located within the Careers Office, provides students with open access to up-to-date information on:
Students are encouraged to access this space independently at any time, allowing them to explore opportunities, develop their understanding of the local labour market, and take ownership of their future planning.
This supports:
Our ‘Career of the Week’ initiative is displayed across school and highlights a different career each week.
Each feature includes:
This initiative ensures all students are regularly exposed to a wide range of careers, including those they may not have previously considered. It helps to challenge stereotypes, raise aspirations, and build awareness of current labour market trends.
This supports:
We run a weekly Careers Lunch drop-in every Tuesday, providing students with an informal opportunity to seek advice and guidance.
During these sessions, students can:
This accessible, student-led support allows us to respond to individual needs and provide timely guidance outside of formal careers interviews.
This supports:
Students have access to independent and impartial careers advice from our specialist Careers Advisor:
Martin Folan – Careers Advisor (Changing Education)
Martin works in partnership with the school and visits weekly to provide one-to-one guidance interviews. These sessions support students in making informed, realistic decisions about their future.
Students receive personalised action plans and guidance on:
My name is Martin Folan and I work as a careers adviser for an organisation called Changing Education and we work in partnership with schools and 6th forms across Cheshire.
I will be visiting school every Thursday delivering careers advice and guidance meetings and producing individualised action plans for the students I meet. These meetings are not to tell students what to do but help them reach an informed choice of their own.
I can also provide information about subject choices in year 9, post 16 and 18 options, A level choices, apprenticeships and University courses.
I have been a qualified Careers Adviser for 17 years and worked with all age groups providing guidance and advice.
Our careers programme is led and supported by:
We have strong and developing links with:
These partnerships ensure students benefit from meaningful encounters with employers and exposure to a wide range of career pathways.
At The Catholic High School, Chester, we are committed to ensuring students have access to a wide range of education and training providers.
All students are given at least two opportunities during each key stage to meet providers of:
Providers wishing to request access should refer to our Provider Access Policy or contact the school directly.
Students, parents, and staff can access high-quality, up-to-date labour market information through:
These resources support informed decision-making by providing:
We support students in exploring a full range of pathways, including:
We support students in exploring a full range of pathways, including:
Key resources include:
Students benefit from a range of experiences, including:
We work with organisations such as:
Our careers programme is regularly reviewed and developed through:
Student voice is gathered through surveys and school council discussions, ensuring continuous improvement.
Our careers programme ensures that students:
