FUTURE TALENTED Autumn Term 2019 - Issue 4 | Seite 16

benchmark 5, and see what we can do, setting
up reporting structures around that. Now,
that day a week is tidying up and looking
at analysis.”
His focus on systems and sustainability also
extends to relationships with employers;
Armstrong wants such partnerships to last for
years. For instance, he has formed a
relationship with the Ernst and Young
Foundation over the next five years to run
employability workshops. The locally based
Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust is another
long-term partner.
“There are a lot of schools who go
to employers and take, take, take,”
notes Armstrong.
“But I try to say to employers, ‘if you have
any junior employees and you’d like to develop
their skill set in public speaking, we could invite
them in to the school, to talk in front of
120 kids. It’s great development for them.’
Otherwise you have these awful one-way
relationships.”
Barriers to delivering the careers leader role effectively (%)
Time
No matter how keen schools and colleges may
be to invest in young people’s employability
skills, austerity measures have hit all
public sector organisations hard in recent years,
with schools no exception. Around a third (31%)
of careers leaders say they do not have a
budget for careers.
“Budget was frequently cited as a barrier
to delivering the role effectively,” states
the report.
84
Staff resource
65
62
Budget
Engagement from teaching staff
Overcoming austerity
43
30
Parent/carer engagement
Clarity in roles & responsibilities 28
Training 27
Student engagement 17
Support from senior leadership 16
MOWBRAY SCHOOL, NORTH YORKSHIRE
Linking the curriculum to careers for children
with special educational needs.
15
Access to a network of other careers leaders
Support from governors
11
13
Other
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Source: Careers Leaders in Secondary Schools: The first year, The Careers & Enterprise Company, July 2019
16 // STRATEGY SPOTLIGHT
Being assistant head and a member of the
senior leadership team at Mowbray School in
North Yorkshire puts careers leader Nigel
Wilford at the heart of decision making.
His role as the school’s lead on ‘preparing
for adulthood’ (PfA) also helps him embed
careers guidance across departments, linking
it to the curriculum and gaining buy-in from
teaching staff. The Department for Education-
led PfA initiative supports the life chances of