‘The core Careers programme is planned out and communicated and can be considered stable. Staff, through working closely with the pupils who join and leave mid-year, deliberately seek to utilize their ambitions and aspirations as a lever for engagement.  Staff members prioritise getting to know them, uncovering their barriers and seeking to tackle these.  This flexibility to adapt to the needs of the pupil whilst working within a planned and stable programme is a direct reflection of the school’s wider improvement aims and motto: Engage – Enjoy – Achieve. Staff use careers in a holistic sense to seek to engage from the very first encounter at induction.

Leaders have woven careers into all aspects of what they do – enabling it to be a vehicle for students’ engagement and support first, and in turn, a vehicle for wider school improvement.  The language of careers, destinations, pathways and personalized learning journeys is widespread, so students are engaged in discussing their motivation and aspirations frequently – this discussion is normalized as central to understanding the needs of the students and not treated as an add-on.

Leaders invest time and space for all staff to be trained and supported to fulfil their role in careers.  This is supported by clear process documentation and open-door support from the CL whenever it is needed.

Engage – Enjoy – Achieve places engagement at the heart of work with students.  Leaders have curated a culture in the school where the needs of the students are not defined using attainment data, but are sought through conversation with students about what matters to them.  This puts the needs, wishes and hopes of the students at the start of all discussions and these are used to inform personalization from the very start’

Victoria Merrick – Careers Impact Review Team
Careers & Enterprise Company (Impact Review Visit December 2023)

“With over 10 years experience in recruitment and a personal connection to The Heights, it just felt like a perfect opportunity to support the staff and pupils with their careers programme as an Enterprise Advisor. I am lucky enough to work with some truly amazing businesses in the Lancashire area who are always looking for creative, dynamic and enthusiastic employees to join their company. Being able to bridge the gap and introduce them to the pupil’s at The Heights fills me with a great sense of pride! These pupils really are the generation of tomorrow and I firmly believe they should be given the opportunity to showcase their skills, passions and expertises to the local employers!’’

Carol Ann Thompson
School Enterprise Advisor & Recruitment Consultant

“We absolutely love working with staff and pupils from The Heights, Blackburn. We have worked with them for many years and always look forward to building on what is already a fantastic partnership. We continue to work alongside staff and pupils to offer as many opportunities we have to offer and we look forward to that continuing in the years to come”.

Chris McGrail
Former NCS Programme Manager for Blackburn Rovers Community Trust

“The School Liaison Team at Burnley College have built a strong relationship with Ross, the careers lead at school over the past couple of years. Ross is very eager in giving The Heights students opportunities to take part in college experiences and session engagement.

We have supported with assemblies, drop-ins, college tours and careers fairs and the students are always polite and ambitious about their post-16 options. It is a pleasure to work so closely with Ross and the students and we look forward to working with them in the coming years.”

Grace Warburton
School Liaison Team Leader – Burnley College

“Blackburn College have built a close relationship with The Heights Blackburn. Ross is extremely keen to offer a variety of careers experiences for the pupils at The Heights, pupils engage well with all the events that Ross arranges and you can see how they benefit the pupils afterwards. We look forward to maintain our positive relationship in the coming years”.

Chloe Williams
Recruitment, Event & Marketing Manager – Blackburn College

“The careers provision at The Heights, Blackburn is excellent – it has a clear purpose, it is continually adapted to meet the needs of each pupil and it is embedded across the whole school. The provision is planned carefully to ensure that students are well-prepared and informed for their next steps. Ross is heavily involved with Lancashire Careers Hub and is always happy to collaborate with other career leaders, share best practice and support other schools in developing their provision. The school has a fantastic relationship with their new Enterprise Adviser and embraces the opportunity to be supported by an employer both strategically and operationally.”

Abigail Hough
Former School Enterprise Coordinator (Lancashire Careers Hub)

“As a small employer based in Blackburn and as a person with thirty years senior management experience I am really passionate and interested in people. I feel compelled to commend the positive work and the determination that Ross creates as the careers lead at The Heights in Blackburn. He is an invaluable source of knowledge and support for young people starting off on their career paths. Young people need to be encouraged and nurtured and my sole objective through my role as a Enterprise Ambassador is to give confidence and direction to all young people.”

Elaine Courland
Former Enterprise Advisor

“Education Business Partnership have worked in partnership with The Heights, Blackburn over the last 6 years and historically before this when we came under another umbrella.  We specialise in work experience programmes including the traditional one or two week blocks, through to placements which support alternative provision up to 3 days per week for the academic year. With our vast employer links across all sectors we are able to source placements, as well as provide full health, safety and welfare support through a structured assessment framework.  Work Experience placements allow students to develop new employability skills and qualities and develop industry and sector knowledge supporting their career pathways.

This provision supports Gatsby benchmarks 1, 5 and 6.”

Tracy Gardner
Director, Education Business Partnership, EBP