Careers Education

At Chessbrook we deliver an outstanding career education. We offer information, advice, and guidance to our young people, in a meaningful and appropriate way according to their individual needs. Every student at Chessbrook will have a bespoke curriculum and an action plan of how they can achieve their long term career goals.

Careers Lead - Mrs G Pantelli

Chessbrook has a dedicated Careers Lead, Mrs G Pantelli, who oversees all aspects of careers education, advice and guidance at Chessbrook.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding post 16, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs. Pantelli by email gpantelli@chessbrook.herts.sch.uk or by phone 01923 212025. 

Services for Young People Advisor - Matt Penn

Matt is based at Chessbrook one day per week. This provides students with access to vital careers education and guidance on routes to employability and post-16 opportunities. Matt supports students in accessing information on apprenticeships and other work experience opportunities, as well as signposting locally run projects led by Services for Young People. 

Quality Mark for Careers and Education Guidance - The Gatsby Benchmark  

In 2014, Lord Sainsbury’s Gatsby Charitable Foundation published a report titled “Good Career Guidance.” The report identified eight benchmarks that are the core dimensions of good careers and enterprise provision in schools, and these are:

1. A stable careers programme
2. Learning from career and labour market information
3. Addressing the needs of each pupil
4. Linking curriculum learning to careers
5. Encounters with employers and employees
6. Experiences of workplaces
7. Encounters with further and higher education
8. Personal guidance

The Gatsby Benchmarks have a key role in:

• Raising young people’s aspirations and promoting access to all career pathways
• Enabling all young people to develop the skills and outlook they need to achieve career wellbeing including adaptability and resilience
• Underpinning the Department for Education guidance to schools on meeting their statutory responsibility for careers guidance

Chessbrook has achieved 100% against the Gatsby Benchmark. We monitor our compliance of the careers and education guidance with a termly audit, and in December 2024 maintained the Quality Mark at 100%.  To view the report, click here. The next audit will be at the end of the Summer Term in 2025.

Post 16 Support

Once our Year 11 students leave Chessbrook they will have a full range of continued support available. This will be tailored to meet individual needs but can include all or some of the following:

• Opportunity for a weekly drop in sessions at Chessbrook for support and guidance including access to resources (computers and printing facilities)
• Planned Personal Learning Mentor visits to support students at home, college or at work
• A monthly careers magazine.
• Services for Young People will also continue to provide support to our post 16 students
• Post year 11 certificate & celebration event
• Monthly planned drop in sessions at West Herts College for students to visit Services for Young People for additional advice and guidance
• Help and guidance with UCAS applications if appropriate