Policy statement on provider access 2023-24

Policy details

Date created - September 2023

Date reviewed and updated -

Date approved by governors - 4th September 2023

Next review date - October 2024

1. Aims

This policy statement aims to set out our academy’s arrangements for managing the access of education and training providers to students 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 person who is given access

2. Statutory requirements

Academies are required to ensure that there is an opportunity for a range of education and training providers to access students in years 8 to 13 for the purposes of informing them about approved technical education, qualifications or apprenticeships. This complies with the school’s legal obligations under Section 42B of the Education Act 1997.

In addition, the Baker Clause, an amendment to the above, stipulates that schools must allow colleges and training providers access to every student in years 8-14 to discuss non-academic routes that are available to them. It is expected that by doing so this will help address the UK’s productivity challenges and address skills shortages experienced across several sectors of the economy.

3. Rationale and pupil entitlement

At Co-op Academy Brierley we will use Gatsby Benchmarks as a framework of best practice  to develop and improve our careers provision to ensure that we not only fulfil legal duties of providing opportunities for a range of education and training providers to access all students in year 8 to year 11 but to also have  CEIAG programs that meet the needs of an ever changing cohort. All of our students are entitled:

1. To find out about technical education qualifications and apprenticeships opportunities, as part of a careers programme which provides information on the full range of education and training options available at each transition point;
2. To hear from a range of local providers about the opportunities they offer, including technical education and apprenticeships – through options events, assemblies and group discussions and taster events;
3. To understand how to make applications for the full range of academic and technical courses.

Further detail of our CEIAG programme is available on our website.

4. Management of provider access requests

4.1 Procedure

A provider wishing to request access should contact:

📞  0113 323 0073

✉️  info.brierley@coopacademies.co.uk

4.2 Opportunities for access

A number of events, integrated into our careers programme, will offer providers an opportunity to come into our academy to speak to students and/or their parents/carers:  

• Transition Evening
• Transition visits to FE settings
• Transition lessons throughout year with open invitation to providers (providers are actively communicated with)
• Open coffee afternoons with parents and carers with a focus on careers/transition
• Annual review meetings
• Assemblies (including virtual)
• Workshops

4.3 Safeguarding

Our policy on safeguarding, which can be found on our website, sets out our approach to allowing providers into our academy as visitors to talk to our students.

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

4.4 Premises and facilities

Our academy will make the assembly areas, classrooms or private meeting rooms available for discussions between the provider and students, as appropriate to the activity.

The academy will also make available AV and other specialist equipment to support provider presentations. This will all be discussed and agreed in advance of the visit with the Careers Leader or a member of their team.

Providers are welcome to leave a copy of their prospectus or other relevant course literature at reception, from here they will be delivered to the school library. This facility is available to all students at lunch and break times.

5. Monitoring arrangements

Co-op Academy Brierley arrangements for managing the access of education and training providers to our students is monitored by the senior leadership team.

This policy will be reviewed by the senior leadership team. At every review, the policy will be approved by the governing board and the headteacher.