Delivering high quality Careers and Transitions guidance
Phoenix ND teaming up with Spark
SPARK+ is an innovative, app-enabled careers education, information, advice and guidance service designed specifically for students with SEND or those who are out of school through Elective Home Education, Education Other Than In Setting, Alternative provision or other means.
The SPARK+ Careers service for send
Supporting students to reach their maximum potential
SPARK+ goes beyond the traditional careers platforms to create a network of support for key transitions and future pathways for all SEND pupils. Virtual live delivery of teaching sessions and employer engagements and a array of recorded materials, ensures schools, parents and pupils have access to an exclusive careers service in the palm of their hand.
The SPARK+ app enables students to:
- access CEIAG (Careers Information, Advice and Guidance) delivered by a qualified SEND careers adviser.
- engage with live careers events featuring young people with SEND who are thriving in a variety of careers.
- search for SEND appropriate job opportunities, vacancies and apprenticeships.
- explore SEND FE opportunities, college and university courses, and
- have a direct, personal messaging link to their specialist careers advisor and tutor.
Our Mission
Within our Spark+ context, a ‘career’ is defined as a pathway through life. We believe that Careers guidance within SEND should integrate students’ understanding of post-school options, with support and advice through a creative careers education that highlights opportunities and helps to develop confidence with change and self-awareness.
Our mission is to promote the development of students’ self-advocacy and decision-making to ensure they are informed and prepared for transitions throughout their future.
We aim to support schools to provide opportunities within the curriculum to develop transferable life and social skills that support further education, careers and employability.
With years of experience in SEND teaching, consultancy and advocacy, we endeavour to promote pupil voice and the active involvement of young people in the decisions that affect their future.
Partnerships with parents and carers is at the forefront of our work. Many families are offered little information regarding the pathways available to their child, and quite often, the information that is available, is hard to find and difficult to navigate.
Our aim is to empower and inform parents and carers by ensuring key information is available in the palm of the hand and expert advice is only ever one message away.
Service Content
Spark+ Careers Service for SEND
Spark+ Careers Service for SEND
Spark+ Careers Service for SEND
The Spark+ Careers Service for SENDS delivers more than an app and careers information. Alongside our extensive list of educational provision, further education and work-based training, we provide a full online careers programme designed and delivered by SEND experts in careers and teaching.
Fortnightly tutorials
Spark+ Careers Service for SEND
Spark+ Careers Service for SEND
Fortnightly live, teacher-led tutorials provide a package of careers education that equips students from years 9 to 13 with real-life experiences, confidence, self-awareness and advocacy skills to successfully navigate their future. This equates to 16, 50-minute careers lessons over the year; covering topics such as Identifying strengths and abilities, the routes available to me, how to advertise myself, what jobs can I do?, creating a CV, completing application forms and Interview skills.
Termly live events
Spark+ Careers Service for SEND
Our events programme delivers meaningful, real-life online encounters in a safe and supported way, ensuring SEND students and remote learners, are able to access and engage with new and unfamiliar people in a way that suits them. Students are able to observe and interact with a wide range of education providers and employees who share the opportunities they offer, a tour of the placement and time to engage in Q and A sessions. Students will have access to approximately 5 online provider events per year.
Direct messaging
The Eight Gatsby Benchmarks
Our direct messaging service means pupils can access their dedicated careers advisor during allocated slots and throughout the school year.
In reverse, the advisor can contact students with details of appropriate opportunities such as open days, check-ins after important events and offer encouragement when needed.
The Eight Gatsby Benchmarks
The Eight Gatsby Benchmarks
The Eight Gatsby Benchmarks
The Spark+ Careers Service for SEND supports schools to achieve the eight Gatsby benchmarks for good career guidance. In the context of SEND we have interpreted the benchmarks to reflect what each should look like in practice for SEND students as per the SEND Gatsby Benchmark toolkit, meaning that activities and outcomes reflect the wide range of SEND students working towards achieving Level 2 qualifications and above/GCSE's, whilst delivering sessions suitable for students working at Entry Level and Pre-GCSE.
Qualified Careers Advisors
The Eight Gatsby Benchmarks
The Eight Gatsby Benchmarks
Our careers advisors are qualified to, or are working towards Level 6 and undertake continuous professional development to maintain their knowledge and skills. All of our advisors have worked in a range of settings with SEND students and have extensive experience of delivering CEIAG within a SEND appropriate curriculum.