Careers Education at Springwell Lincolnshire

Inspiring Futures, Building a Community of Success

At Springwell Lincolnshire, we are deeply committed to providing every student with the guidance, support, and opportunities they need to build a bright and successful future. Our approach to careers education is woven into the fabric of our school’s ethos of second chances, trauma-informed care, and unwavering belief in the potential of each individual.

We understand that for our students, the path to a fulfilling career may have unique challenges. That is why our careers programme is designed to be personalised, aspirational, and transformative. We aim to empower our students with the self-belief, skills, and knowledge to not only identify their career goals but to confidently pursue them.

Our careers education is underpinned by the government’s statutory guidance and the eight Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance, ensuring a comprehensive and effective programme for all.

Our Vision for Careers

Our vision is to equip every Springwell student with the ambition and resilience to thrive in the world of work. We strive to:

• Broaden Horizons: Introduce students to a wide range of career pathways and opportunities they may have never considered.
• Develop Essential Skills: Foster the development of key employability skills such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and financial literacy.
• Build Confidence and Self-Belief: Nurture a positive mindset and the confidence to overcome obstacles and pursue ambitious goals.
• Promote Lifelong Learning: Instil an understanding of the importance of continuous learning and adaptation in an ever-changing world of work.
• Ensure Meaningful Encounters: Provide every student with multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work, employment, and the skills that are valued in the workplace.

A Tailored Programme of Support

Our careers programme is delivered throughout a student’s time at Springwell Lincolnshire and is tailored to their individual needs and aspirations. Key components of our programme include:

• One-to-One Guidance: Personalised careers advice and guidance from our dedicated and trained careers team to help students explore their options and create a clear plan for their future.
• Engaging Curriculum Links: Integrating careers learning into all subject areas, helping students to understand the relevance of their studies to the world of work.
• Employer Encounters: A vibrant programme of guest speakers, workplace visits, and mentoring opportunities with local and national employers, providing real-world insights into different industries.
• Work Experience: Meaningful work experience placements that allow students to develop practical skills and gain a valuable understanding of a professional environment.
• Post-16 Transition Support: Comprehensive support for students as they transition to further education, apprenticeships, or employment, including college applications, CV writing, and interview preparation.
• Labour Market Information: Access to up-to-date information on the local and national job markets, ensuring students are aware of current and future opportunities.
• Trauma-Informed & Nurturing Guidance: Embedded within our trauma-informed framework and unconditional positive regard, our careers team creates a safe, supportive space where students feel empowered to discuss their future without fear of failure.
• Tailored Support for EHCP & SEND Learners: For students with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) or Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), our careers lead works directly alongside SENCo and Thrive practitioners to ensure transition planning is fully integrated, accessible, and supportive.
• Bespoke Work Encounters & Taster Experiences: We align workplace encounters, college visits, and vocational tasters with each student’s specific vocational interests and sensory/environmental needs, ensuring experiences are engaging and comfortable.
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Our Commitment to Partnership

We believe that a successful careers programme is built on strong partnerships. We work closely with:

• Parents and Carers: We value the role of parents and carers in their child’s career development and provide regular information and opportunities to be involved.
• Employers and Businesses: We are always looking to expand our network of employer partners. If you are a local business and would like to support our students, please get in touch. Your expertise and experience can make a real difference.
• Post-16 Providers: We have strong links with local colleges, sixth forms, and apprenticeship providers to ensure smooth transitions for our students.
• The Greater Lincolnshire Careers Hub: We actively engage with these organisations to enhance our careers provision and ensure we are following best practice.

Impact of our careers programme

• At SpringwellLincolnshire, the ultimate measure of our careers provision is the confidence, resilience, and independence our young people demonstrate as they move forward into, a new school, post-16 education, training, or employment.
• Because many of our pupils arrive with negative prior experiences of education, our careers programme is specifically designed to restore self-belief and convert personal interests into tangible, achievable future pathways. 

Key Areas of Impact:

1. Sustained Post-16 Destinations (NEET Reduction)
   1. Through early post-16 engagement, 1-to-1 application support, and accompanied college visits, we significantly reduce the rate of young people who become NEET.
   2. Our ongoing check-ins and close collaboration with local colleges and training providers ensure that pupils stay enrolled and supported through their crucial first term, first month, first two years post-16.
2. Increased Self-Efficacy and Engagement
   • • Seeing a clear link between classroom learning and future employment boosts pupil motivation, attendance, and general engagement in core subjects.
     • Unconditional positive regard and tailored work encounters help students overcome anxieties around interviews, social interactions, and new environments.
3. Broadened Horizons & Clear Aspirations
   • Exposure to diverse local industries, vocational fields, and apprenticeship pathways allows pupils to see possibilities beyond their previous boundaries or social expectations.
   • Every pupil leaves Springwell with a clear, realistic career roadmap tailored to their personal strengths, EHCP outcomes, and sensory needs.
4. Essential Life & Employability Skills 
5. • Pupils build practical skills in CV writing, interview technique, digital literacy, and professional communication through dedicated workshops and employer encounters.

How We Measure and Evaluate Impact

To ensure our careers strategy remains effective and responsive to pupil needs, we continuously evaluate our outcomes using:

• Compass+ Assessment: Benchmarking our performance directly against the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks.
• Destination Data Tracking: Monitoring post-16 destinations at 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month, 24-month intervals post-leaving.
• Pupil & Parent Feedback: Regular surveys evaluating pupils’ confidence levels, career clarity, and feelings of readiness for life after Springwell.
• Employer & Provider Insights: Reviewing feedback from external partners following taster days, visits, and work encounters.

Our careers programme transforms how pupils view themselves and their futures moving from disengagement to purposeful action, self-belief, and long-term success. 

Find Out More

We are proud of the careers education we provide at Springwell Lincolnshire and are committed to continuously developing our programme to meet the needs of our students.

Together, we can help every young person at Springwell Lincolnshire to build a future they can be proud of.

Career Leads for Springwell Lincoln are Miss L Wallis, Mr C Ward and Mrs E Jones; 01522 308310

lauren.wallis@springwell-lincs.co.uk

charlie.ward@springwell-lincs.co.uk

emma.jones@springwell-lincs.co.uk

Provider Access Statement

Please click here for Careers Policy and Provider Access Statements 2025-26

Independent Careers Advice

Careers guidance and support at Springwell Lincolnshire is provided by Complete Careers. Complete Careers provides a comprehensive and tailored support system for our young people, focusing on personalised career guidance, wellbeing, and practical pathways to employment and further education. Recognising the unique challenges and diverse needs of our students, Complete Careers delivers a suite of services designed to build confidence, resilience, and the skills necessary for a successful transition into their next steps.

At the core of Complete Careers’ approach is one-to-one and group careers information, advice, and guidance. This is delivered by experienced advisers who work closely with students, staff, parents, and carers to create personal action plans. This bespoke guidance is impartial and aims to align with each student’s individual goals and circumstances, ensuring they are well-informed to make crucial decisions about their future.

The schools’ contact from Complee Careers is Sue Johnson, sue.johnson@complete-careers.com

If you require any of this information in a different format please contact lincoln-enquiries@springwell-lincs.co.uk