Student Entitlement

The Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance are the bedrock of the CEIAG entitlement at St Mary’s.

Our Student Careers Entitlement explains the careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) you can expect throughout your time at St Mary’s. This helps ensure every pupil has the support they need to make informed and ambitious decisions about their future.

At St Mary’s, you are entitled to clear, helpful support as you explore your future pathways.

St Mary's endeavours to provide:

• A careers programme you can rely on. Our careers programme is a clear and important part of life at St Mary’s. Pupils, parents/carers, teachers and employers all understand how it works and how it supports you  throughout your time here.

• Learning from up-to-date careers information. You and your parents/carers can access reliable information about future study options and the job market. Tools like Unifrog help you explore courses, careers and training routes.

• Support that meets your individual needs. Everyone’s journey is different. You will receive careers advice and support at the times you need it most, and we make sure equality and inclusion are at the heart of everything we do. 

• Connecting your subjects to your future. Your teachers help you understand how what you learn in the classroom links to real careers. For example, STEM subjects can open doors to a wide range of exciting jobs.

• Meeting employers and employees. You will have several opportunities to learn directly from employers about the world of work, the skills they value, and the different routes into their industries. This may include talks, visits, workshops or mentoring.

• Experiencing real workplaces. You will have chances to experience real working environments through visits, work shadowing or work experience. These activities help you explore possible careers and build confidence.

• Understanding your post-16 and post-18 options. You will learn about the full range of academic, technical and vocational routes available to you, including options at colleges, universities and in the workplace.

• Personal careers guidance when you need it. You can request a one‑to‑one careers interview with a qualified Careers Adviser at any time. This impartial guidance helps you make choices that are right for you.

We also regularly check how well our programme is working.

  How we monitor and improve our careers programme

Once every term, we review our progress against the Gatsby Benchmarks and submit this to the Careers and Enterprise Company. Our work is guided by the Department for Education’s 2025 Statutory Careers Guidance, and we are working towards full alignment with the Updated 2025 Gatsby Benchmarks.

Table 1. Evaluation completed 27/03/2024