Careers
"Pupils get strong careers advice at the right time to help them to make informed choices...Sixth-form courses prepare students well for the next steps in education and employment through virtual work experience and university links..."
Ofsted, 2022
At DSTC we are committed to providing students with access to impartial careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) to help them make the right choices and develop skills to manage their future careers. Raising the participation age means the students now need to remain in a form of education or training until at least 18 years old. This provides students with the opportunity to acquire a range of employability skills and time to consider the variety of options open to them for the future.
Careers Guidance
DSTC recognises the importance of CEIAG for all students and the impact that positive and worthwhile careers experiences can have on a student’s aspirations and future pathways.
In light of the improved Government guidance on Careers and Employer Engagement, we have a coordinated programme of careers support designed around the Gatsby Benchmarks. DSTC is also proud to work in partnership with the Careers & Enterprise Company, EBP and The Education people to deliver a high standard of careers guidance for all students which is both measurable and impactful and meet the needs of individuals.
As part of these partnerships, all students from years 7 to 11 receive careers education, information and advice as part of the curriculum through enrichment activities and CEIAG is embedded in lessons across their other subjects. They are supported by their form tutors, subject teachers and Sixth Form Mentors. Students are also encouraged to develop their own understanding of the world of work through interaction with employers, universities, apprenticeship providers and alumni to develop employability skills.
Students in Years 10 to 13 have access to external and impartial careers advice through EBP, who visit the school every week to give 1-1 careers interviews for students.
Students can also access a wide range of careers resources from the School Library.
Measuring and assessing Impact
Our careers provision at DSTC begins in Year 7. This means that our students have the potential to draw upon 5 years of CEIAG, or even 7 years if they stay with us for Post 16. We use "Compass +", a tool from The Careers & Enterprise Company, to benchmark, manage, track and report on our careers programme. This then allows us to assess the impact of our provision and make enhancements where required. All our students keep careers records in their "ICE" folders that are update throughout the year.
For Employers:
Please remember to check out our KS3, KS4 and KS5 careers offer using the navigation bar on the right hand side of the page.
Please also read through our Provider Access Legislation document found <<< here >>>
Contact us about Careers:
Parents, students and employers can access details of our Careers programme through the KS3, KS4 and KS4 careers pages or by contacting our Careers Leader, Mr Matthew Allen, using the contact information below:
Email: matthew.allen@dstc.kent.sch.uk
Phone: 01322224309
The date of our next review of the information published above is July 2025