At Bedminster Down School, we believe that every student should be encouraged to achieve their potential in life. Our desire to provide a first-rate careers programme comes from our whole school vision of Belief, Determination and Success.

Careers education has a clear role to play in producing young people who are ready for the challenges and opportunities they will face when they leave school. Working with parents, carers and the wider community, our Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance will support them in making the best decisions for their future careers.

By encouraging high standards and by offering a wide range of opportunities, we give our students hope and aspiration for the future. Our aim is to produce students who are well rounded and are suitably prepared for their place in life when they leave Bedminster Down School and enter the fast-changing world of work or continue in education.

Our careers program is based on the Gatsby Benchmarks and is taught, starting in year 7. Our programme helps students to improve their decision making and to gain confidence in organising their own lives and to develop skills for their futures.

We have access to a careers advisor who is able to offer individual advice to students about career pathways, help them to organise their work experience, and select the most appropriate post-16 education opportunities.

• Careers programme
• Post 16 open events
• Post 16 timeline – what to do in Year 11
• Apprenticeship parents and carers pack

Labour Market Information for Parents and Guardians

Children and young people often turn to their parents and guardians for advice on jobs, careers, and education. You might find yourself answering questions like:

• How to choose a job or career they will enjoy.
• What people do in different jobs.
• How easy it is to find certain jobs.
• The future outlook for various careers.
• How to get the qualifications and skills needed for a job.

To help you provide the best guidance, it’s essential to have clear and accessible information about the local job market. Labour Market Information (LMI) is a valuable resource that can boost your confidence in offering advice. Here are some useful tools to get you started:

Labour market information – career pack

• Discover useful information about different careers, jobs, and sectors within our region
• Labour market information pack

Career Pilot – Careerpilot: Parent Zone

• This fantastic website serves as a “one-stop shop” for information about careers and post-16 options.
• Careerpilot: Parent zone

Labour Market Additional Information

See our frequently asked questions for parents about LMI: FAQs

If you have any further questions, please contact Mr. Harris in the Careers Team.

The Careers Team

• Careers Strategic Lead: Mr Van Eker, Assistant Principal: Aspirations
• Careers Leader – Mr Harris, email sharris@bedminsterdown.org.uk, T: 0117 353 2800
• Careers Advisor – Rebecca Dennis is in school two days per week. Appointments are allocated based on priority but can also be booked by emailing rdennis@bedminsterdown.org.uk or sharris@bedminsterdown.org.uk

Training provider access

Our Training Provider Access Policy sets out the school’s arrangements for managing the access of providers to pupils at the school for the purpose of giving them information about the provider’s education or training offer. This complies with the school’s legal obligations under Section 42B of the Education Act 1997.

A provider wishing to request access should contact: sharris@bedminsterdown.org.uk

Providers are welcome to leave a copy of their prospectus or other relevant course literature with the Careers Advisor so that they can be displayed in our Careers Zone.

• Provider access policy 2025-26
• Careers education, information and guidance policy

The schools careers programme is reviewed bi-termly in conjunction with representatives from the West of England Careers Hub and Enterprise advisors from the private sector. The Careers programme is measured and assessed by a variety of methods including bi-termly measurement of the school’s progress against the Gatsby Benchmarks, Destination Data, evaluation feedback from pupils, parents/carers, staff and employers where applicable.