Policy Reviewing  

1. Aims

At The Blandford School we aim to provide all pupils from year 8 to 13 with meaningful opportunities to explore a wide range of future options. 
This policy statement aims to set out our school’s arrangements for managing the access of education and training providers to pupils for the purpose of giving them information about their offer. It sets out:

• Procedures in relation to requests for access
• The grounds for granting and refusing requests for access
• Details of premises or facilities to be provided to a provider who is given access

As a school we aim to:

• Develop knowledge and awareness among our pupils of all career pathways available to them, including technical qualifications and apprenticeships
• Support pupils in learning more about opportunities for education and training outside of school, before they make crucial choices about their future options
• Reduce drop-out from courses and avoid the risk of pupils becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training)

2 Statutory requirements

Schools must give a range of education and training providers access to pupils in Years 8 to 13 to inform them about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

Schools must arrange at least six provider encounters across Years 8 to 13: two in each of the three key phases described in section 3. The school must offer the two sixth-form encounters, but attendance is optional for pupils in Years 12 and 13.

Schools must also have a policy statement that outlines the circumstances in which education and training providers will be given access to these pupils.

The principal provider access duty is section 42B of the Education Act 1997, as amended by section 14 of the Skills and Post-16 Education Act 2022. This policy has also been reviewed against the DfE statutory guidance Careers guidance and access for education and training providers, updated 23 June 2026.

The wider careers framework includes section 42A of the Education Act 1997, section 72 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 and Schedule 4 paragraph 15 of the School Information (England) Regulations 2008.

The following arrangements set out how the school will meet these requirements.

3 Pupil entitlement

All pupils in years 8 to 13 at The Blandford School are entitled to:

· Find out about further education, approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships through a careers programme covering the full range of education and training options at each transition point.

· Hear from a range of providers through assemblies, visits, careers fairs and dedicated sessions, with opportunities to ask questions.

· Understand how to make applications for the full range of academic and technical courses

· Be offered at least six qualifying encounters with providers of approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships, as set out below.

These encounters must happen for a reasonable period of time during the standard school day.

As a school we can provide complementary experiences but encounters outside of school hours won't count towards these requirements.

Access to providers is available and promoted to allow all pupils to access information about other providers of further education and apprenticeships. We are committed to encouraging all pupils to make decisions about their future based on impartial information.

Within each key phase the two required encounters must involve two different providers. The same provider may contribute in a later key phase. Reasonable adjustments and appropriate support will enable pupils with SEND and other additional needs to participate meaningfully.

Pupils in Years 8 and 9

All pupils in this key phase are offered, as a minimum:

· Two encounters with different providers of approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships.

· All pupils must attend

· Encounters can take place any time during year 8, and between 1 September and 28 February during year 9

Year 7 pupils also receive introductory careers education and may meet providers. These additional opportunities do not replace the statutory encounters in Years 8 and 9.

Pupils in Years 10 and 11

All pupils in this key phase are offered, as a minimum:

· Two encounters with different providers of approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships.

· All pupils must attend

· Encounters can take place any time during year 10, and between 1 September and 28 February during year 11

Pupils in Years 12 and 13

All pupils in this key phase are offered, as a minimum:

· Two encounters with different providers of approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships.

· The school must arrange these encounters; pupils may choose to attend and will be encouraged to do so.

· Encounters can take place any time during year 12, and between 1 September and 28 February during year 13

3.1 Meaningful encounters with providers

Our school is committed to providing meaningful encounters for all pupils.

A meaningful encounter:

· Is where the pupil can explore what it is like to learn, develop and succeed in that environment

· Offers opportunities to meet staff and, where possible, current learners or trainees.

· Has a clear purpose

· Is underpinned by learning outcomes that are appropriate to the needs of the pupil

· Involves a 2-way interaction between the pupil and the provider

· Includes information about the provider, such as their recruitment and selection processes, the qualifications that provider offers and the careers these could lead to

· Describes what learning or training with the provider is like

· Is followed by opportunities for the pupil to reflect on the insights, knowledge or skills gained through the encounter

4 Management of provider access requests

4.1 Procedure

A provider wishing to request access should contact Paul Gilson, Careers Leader, who coordinates visits, or Duncan Smith, Deputy Headteacher and Strategic Careers Lead.

Telephone: 01258 451121

Careers Leader: pgilson@blandfordschool.org.uk

Strategic Careers Lead: dsmith@blandfordschool.org.uk

Requests should outline the provider, the approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships to be discussed, the intended year group, proposed dates, session length, format and any facilities or accessibility requirements. Providers are encouraged to make contact as early as possible so that arrangements can be agreed.

4.2 Information we ask from providers

For each qualifying encounter, the school will ask the provider to give pupils:

· Information about the provider and the approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships it offers.

· Information about what careers those qualifications and apprenticeships can lead to

· What learning or training with you is like

· Answers to any questions from pupils

4.3 Opportunities for access

There are a number of events, integrated into our careers programme, that offer providers an opportunity to come into school to speak to pupils and/or their parents/carers.

Please contact the Careers Leader to identify the most suitable opportunity. School assemblies normally run from 8.45 to 9.15 am; other sessions can be arranged during the school day.

The school will arrange the following minimum provider encounters in 2026–27. The delivery windows below are planned provision; individual provider bookings and dates will be confirmed by the Careers Leader. For pupils in Years 9, 11 and 13, any outstanding encounters must take place by 28 February 2027.

The Careers Leader will check individual participation records so that every pupil receives the required entitlement within each key phase. Missed compulsory encounters will be followed up with an equivalent qualifying encounter within the applicable deadline.

The wider careers programme also offers the following opportunities. These support the programme but count towards the six required encounters only when the provider, content, access and timing requirements are met.

General employer talks, university visits, personal guidance and targeted workshops do not automatically satisfy the provider access duty. A selected-pupil activity, such as the Year 11 Lego workshop, cannot replace a qualifying encounter for the whole cohort. Further careers activity may continue after 28 February in Years 9, 11 and 13; the deadline applies to the required encounters.

4.4 Live online encounters

We will consider requests for live online encounters with providers, which may be broadcast into classrooms or the school assembly hall. We will need to carry out technology checks in advance to make sure systems are compatible.

An online encounter must be live, meet the same information requirements as an in-person encounter and allow pupils to ask questions and receive answers. A prerecorded presentation alone does not fulfil a required provider encounter.

4.5 Granting and refusing provider access requests

Each access request will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Requests will be considered fairly and impartially, taking account of the relevance of the provision, the proposed content, pupils’ needs, safeguarding, available facilities and timetable arrangements.

Access may be declined or an alternative date or format offered if the proposed session cannot meet safeguarding requirements, lacks relevant education or training content, duplicates provision without adding value, or cannot be accommodated at the requested time. Reasons will be explained and an alternative considered wherever practicable.

The school will not refuse access because a provider offers a pathway that competes with its own sixth form. Scheduling decisions will not be used to prevent pupils receiving their statutory entitlement.

4.6 Safeguarding

Our safeguarding/child protection policy outlines the school’s procedure for checking the identity and suitability of visitors. You can find the policy on our school website.

Education and training providers will be expected to adhere to this policy.

Visitors must follow the school’s signing-in and identification procedures and will be supervised by an appropriate member of staff. Safeguarding and supervision arrangements will be agreed before the visit. A DBS check will not be required solely because a provider is making a one-off supervised visit.

4.7 Premises and facilities

We will provide an appropriate room or assembly hall, with the necessary equipment providers require to carry out their visit effectively – details will be agreed with the provider.

Facilities can include the assembly hall, classrooms, a PC, projector or interactive whiteboard, sound system, lectern and tables for group activities, subject to availability. Technology and accessibility requirements will be agreed in advance.

Providers are welcome to leave a copy of their prospectus or other relevant course literature with our Careers Leader.

Providers will be met and supervised by a member of staff who will facilitate their visit.

5 Working with parents and carers

We aim to involve parents and carers in the careers programme and welcome attendance at suitable provider events. Families will receive information through school communications and the school website. Events outside the school day complement the programme but do not count towards the six required provider encounters.

Parents and carers wishing to discuss provider encounters or give feedback should contact Paul Gilson, Careers Leader, or Duncan Smith, Deputy Headteacher, using the details in section 4.1.

Feedback from parents and carers will help us improve the relevance, accessibility and quality of the careers programme.

6 Previous providers and careers contributors

Recent examples of education and training providers involved in the school’s careers programme during 2025–26 include Bournemouth & Poole College, Coastland College and the University of Bath. The July 2026 careers fair brought together more than 35 employers, universities, colleges, charities, public services and training providers.

Other recent careers contributors include Eaton Aerospace, the Royal Air Force, Futures For All, the Chartered Institute of Building and Cats Protection. These employers and organisations support wider careers learning; their involvement is not automatically a qualifying technical education or apprenticeship encounter.

Earlier examples recorded in the previous policy include Bournemouth University, Exeter Scholars, ASK Apprenticeships, Cefas, J.P. Morgan and Merck Life Science Curiosity Labs. Previous North Dorset Careers Fair contacts included Yeovil College, Kingston Maurward College (now part of Coastland College), SWRAC, Arts University Bournemouth, Paragon Skills and Lynwood School of Veterinary Nursing, alongside a wide range of employers and public services.

Previous Work Related Learning contributors also represented construction, the armed forces, healthcare, finance, childcare, law, engineering and creative industries. The Careers Leader retains the detailed partner and activity records. Historical contacts are examples of past involvement and are not confirmed bookings for 2026–27.

7 Pupil destinations

Examples recorded in the previous policy of destinations taken by Year 11 leavers include:

The Blandford School Sixth Form; other Dorset sixth forms; Bournemouth & Poole College; Salisbury College; Shrewsbury College; Exeter College; AFC Bournemouth; Lynwood School of Veterinary Nursing; Champion Sports College; Army Foundation College Harrogate; and a range of apprenticeships.

These are historical examples, rather than a verified list for the 2026 leaving cohort. The school maintains destination records and updates published examples when the relevant cohort and destinations have been confirmed.

The school website identifies the following examples for the 2025 Year 13 leaving cohort:

Bath Spa University; Birmingham City University; Bournemouth University; the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol); Cardiff Metropolitan University; Edge Hill University; Loughborough University; Oxford Brookes University; Swansea University; the University of Edinburgh; and the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Dundee, Exeter, Southampton, Warwick and Winchester. It also records a higher apprenticeship in cyber security with Telesoft Computers.

These examples demonstrate progression to higher education and apprenticeships; the full published list includes additional destinations. Intended and confirmed destinations are reviewed to identify pupils who need further transition support.

8 Complaints

Complaints about provider access should be raised through the school’s published complaints procedure, available on the school website or from reception. Providers can also seek support with provider access concerns from the Careers & Enterprise Company via its provider access legislation webpage.

9 Links to other policies

This statement should be read alongside the school’s published safeguarding and child protection, complaints and SEND policies, and its careers programme and Careers Plan 2026–27. Relevant curriculum, teaching and learning, work experience and visiting-speaker procedures also apply.

10 Monitoring arrangements

Our school’s arrangements for managing the access of education and training providers to pupils are monitored by The Governing Board.

The Deputy Headteacher and Careers Leader will review this policy annually and submit it to the Governing Board for agreement. The next scheduled review is October 2027; an earlier review will take place if statutory guidance or school arrangements change.

Monitoring will include the range and quality of providers, dates and content of qualifying encounters, access for all eligible pupils, attendance and follow-up, reasonable adjustments, feedback and destinations. Records will distinguish planned activity from completed encounters and be reviewed termly through the school’s careers monitoring arrangements. The approved policy will be published on the school website.