At Bright Minds Creative Academy, our careers programme is designed to inform, engage, and equip all students with the tools, guidance, and opportunities necessary to pursue future pathways that are right for them, as individuals. Through platforms like Morrisby and Skills Builder, and ongoing support from a qualified careers advisor, students begin their career journey in Year 7 and are supported throughout their time with us. Students reflect on their interests, build essential life skills, and explore the world of work through employer encounters, work experience, and engagement with FE/HE providers.

The careers curriculum key focuses are:

• Personalised Careers Guidance: All learners receive initial careers advisor meetings in Year 7, followed by regular check-ins to refine their aspirations and track progress.


• Morrisby Careers Platform: Learners access this dynamic tool to explore labour market trends, record skills development, and create personalised career action plans.


• Skills Builder Framework: Embedded across all year groups, this programme helps learners identify and develop essential transferable skills, such as teamwork and problem-solving, critical for future employability.

Work Skills and Preparing for Adulthood Lessons

At Bright Minds Creative Academy, our Work Skills curriculum is designed to equip students with the practical knowledge, essential employability skills, and character development necessary for success in modern life and the world of work. Rooted in our commitment to personal development and guided by the Gatsby Benchmarks, the programme prepares learners to transition confidently into further education, training, or employment.

We recognise that many of our students face unique barriers, and our intent is to provide a highly structured, trauma-informed, and accessible curriculum that:

• Develops core employability skills: including communication, teamwork, problem-solving, time management, and digital literacy.


• Promotes self-awareness: and resilience, empowering students to identify their strengths, aspirations, and areas for growth.


• Builds career confidence: helping students explore pathways, develop CVs, complete applications, and prepare for interviews.


• Fosters financial capability: and independence, including budgeting, saving, and understanding personal finance.


• Embeds British Values and SMSC: preparing students to be active, responsible citizens in the workplace and beyond.


• Supports real-world readiness: through employer encounters, work experience, enterprise activities, and role-play simulations.

Our curriculum is differentiated and scaffolded to ensure all learners, including those with SEND or SEMH needs, develop the confidence, understanding, and competencies required to succeed in their chosen future pathways.

At Bright Minds, we understand how important parents and carers are in helping young people make informed decisions about their future.You know your child best, and your support plays a key role in shaping their confidence, aspirations, and career choices.

Our careers programme is designed to provide students with the information, skills, and experiences they need to take their next steps, whether that’s in further education, training, apprenticeships, or employment. But we also want to make sure you feel informed and confident in supporting them too.

How We Collaborate with Parents & Carers:

Understanding the Evolving Labour Market: Today’s world of work is constantly changing. We help students explore the jobs of the future and develop transferable skills that will serve them well, whatever career they choose. We encourage parents to stay informed too, by accessing up-to-date labour market information (LMI) and talking regularly with their child about how the world of work is evolving.

Who to Contact for Careers Support: If you have any questions about your child’s options or need help navigating next steps, our Careers Leader is available to support you. Whether it’s about GCSE choices, post-16 planning, university applications, or alternatives like apprenticeships, we’re happy to help. You can contact Jeffery Angwa on the button above.

Supporting Career Aspirations at Home: Conversations at home make a big difference. We encourage you to talk with your child about their interests, strengths, and ideas for the future, even if those ideas change along the way. Ask them what they’ve been learning in careers lessons, help them research options, and share your own experiences or contacts where relevant. Your encouragement can help them feel more confident and motivated.

Exploring Local Opportunities: We regularly share information about local career events, work experience opportunities, open days, and employer partnerships. Where possible, we also arrange visits to local businesses, colleges, and universities, and invite families to join us for information evenings and careers fairs. These real-world insights help students and their families see what’s possible and start planning ahead.

We believe that career planning is a shared journey between school, student, and home. Together, we can help your child take informed, positive steps toward a future they’re excited about.
If you’d like further support or would like to speak with someone, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

At Bright Minds, we are always looking to build strong partnerships with employers who want to inspire and support the next generation of talent. By working with us, you can make a real difference to young people’s futures while helping to develop the future workforce with the skills and values your industry needs.

Why Partner With Us?
We’re committed to preparing our students for the world beyond school, and employer engagement is a vital part of that journey. As an employer, you can help students gain a real understanding of the workplace, raise aspirations, and explore what different careers actually look like in practice.

Our students are developing a wide range of employability skills such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, resilience and digital literacy. Through your involvement, they can see how these skills are used in real jobs and industries.

Ways Employers Can Get Involved:

• Deliver a Talk or Workshop: Share your career journey, industry insights, or day-to-day experiences in your field.


• Offer Workplace Visits or Tours: Allow students to experience your working environment and ask questions about roles, pathways, and expectations.


• Host a Work Experience Placement: Give students a chance to gain hands-on experience and an understanding of workplace culture and expectations.


• Support Careers Events: Take part in careers fairs, mock interviews, or skills sessions to help students prepare for the next stage of their journey.


• Contribute to Projects or Challenges: Collaborate on real-world problem-solving tasks or enterprise events that simulate workplace scenarios.

Our Commitment to Quality and Statutory Requirements

We work in line with the Gatsby Benchmarks, the national standard for high-quality careers education. Our careers curriculum is centered around the CDI framework outcomes.

We also meet the requirements of the Provider Access Legislation (PALs), which gives training providers, employers, colleges and universities access to speak to students in Years 8–13 about technical education and apprenticeships.

By engaging with Bright Minds, you’ll be helping to support students in the workplace. Whether you’re a small business, a national company, or a sector-specific training provider, we’d love to hear from you.

If you're interested in working with us or would like to explore how you can get involved, please contact using the button above.

At Bright Minds, we believe that meaningful work experience is one of the most valuable ways students can prepare for life beyond school. It gives them a real insight into the world of work, helps build confidence, and develops the skills employers value.

Why Work Experience Matters

Work experience allows students to:

• Explore potential career paths and industries


• Understand what a professional environment is like


• Develop key employability skills such as time management, communication, teamwork, and problem-solving


• Make more informed choices about their future education, training, or employment


• It also helps employers identify young people who are enthusiastic, capable, and eager to learn, potentially opening future recruitment opportunities.

When It Happens

All students at Bright Minds take part in a dedicated work experience programme, usually in Years 10 and 11, though some may undertake additional placements in other years based on their interests or pathways.

We ensure that work experience is bespoke to the student. This means that placements will take place throughout the school year and we work closely with students and families to help find placements to individual interests, skills, and future goals. It is important for us that work experience is meaningful and supports students toward their future aspirations.

We are also committed to supporting students in years 7-9 start their work experience journey, This is usually delivered through workshops with employers, trips and visits to workplaces and activities which allow students to explore the skills they need for the workplace.


How Employers Can Support

We’re always looking to expand our network of supportive employers who can offer placements ranging from a half a day through to longer term placements.
If you're able to host a student, we’ll support you throughout the process, including:

• Providing clear guidance and expectations


• Ensuring risk assessments and safeguarding checks are completed


• Matching students to your organisation based on interest and suitability

Even if you’ve never hosted a student before, we’ll guide you through it and make it a smooth, rewarding experience for both you and the young person.

If you're interested in offering a work experience placement or would like to find out more, please get in touch with our Careers Leader, Jeffery using the button above.

Together, we can give students a valuable step towards their future success.

At Bright Minds, we are committed to delivering a high-quality careers programme that genuinely prepares our students for their next steps. To ensure we’re making a meaningful impact, we regularly assess and review our provision using a range of measures.

We monitor student destination data to track where our learners go after leaving school, whether that’s further education, apprenticeships, employment, or training. This helps us identify patterns, address gaps, and adapt our support to meet the needs of all students. We also collect regular feedback from students, parents, carers, employers, and external providers, ensuring all voices are heard in shaping and improving our careers offer.

The full careers programme is reviewed annually by the Careers Leader in collaboration with school leadership. This includes an analysis of feedback, outcomes, and progress against the Gatsby Benchmarks. We also use tools such as the Compass+ self-evaluation framework to assess the effectiveness of our careers education and to plan strategically for the year ahead.