Gatsby Benchmarks

What are the Gatsby Benchmarks?

Gatsby Benchmarks

Our Preparation for Adulthood programme is aligned with the Gatsby Benchmarks, a nationally recognised framework that sets out what high-quality career education should look like. The benchmarks ensure that all our pupils receive clear information, guidance and experiences to help them understand the world of work, explore career options and make informed choices about their future. This includes encounters with employers, preparation for further education or training and support to develop the skills needed for employment and adult life.

Gatsby Benchmarks – The Next Ten Years

The Gatsby Benchmarks have been updated to reflect changes in education, employment and society over the next ten years. The refreshed guidance strengthens the focus on inclusion, ensuring that careers education supports every young person, including those with SEND. It also places greater emphasis on strong leadership of careers, meaningful employer engagement, high-quality work experiences and involvement of parents and carers. From September 2025, the updated benchmarks are embedded within national careers guidance, ensuring that provision remains relevant, ambitious and focused on positive long-term outcomes for learners.

These guidelines are:

A stable career programme
Learning from career and labour market information
Addressing the needs of each pupil
Linking curriculum learning to careers
Encounters with employers and employees
Experiences of workplaces
Encounters with further and higher education
Personal guidance

As part of our commitment to informing our pupils of the full range of learning and training pathways on offer for them, we provide several opportunities throughout the pupils' journey to allow them to explore different career paths. We have a structured programme, which includes a variety of activities that focus on providing high quality information and guidance.

For more information on Gatsby Benchmarks The Next Ten Years, please click here.