This nationally recognised achievement reflects the school's unwavering commitment to ensuring every student is prepared for adulthood through meaningful experiences, personalised support and ambitious opportunities. It is a testament to the passion and dedication of the careers team, teaching staff, employer partners and, of course, our students.

For us, the Gatsby Benchmarks provide a national framework for high-quality careers education, helping schools deliver programmes that inspire young people and prepare them for their futures.

At Isebrook School, however, this achievement is about much more than meeting a framework. It reflects a culture where future readiness is woven into everyday learning, empowering students to discover their strengths, build confidence and explore the many opportunities available to them.

Every experience is designed with one question in mind:

How can this help prepare our students for adulthood?

What does it mean to this individual student?

One of Isebrook's greatest strengths is its commitment to meaningful, high-quality work experience.

The school believes that work experience should not be viewed as a one or two-week event, but as an ongoing journey that allows students to develop confidence, independence and employability skills over time.

Throughout the year, students have enjoyed a wide range of experiences that reflect their interests and aspirations. From supporting local charities and community organisations to gaining insight into manufacturing, construction, retail and hospitality, every placement is carefully planned to ensure it is beneficial for both students and employers.

Recent examples include students:

• Supporting The Lewis Foundation through fundraising and volunteering.
• Writing published historical articles through work experience at Rushden Museum.
• Visiting Foundry Education to help shape the future design of inclusive learning spaces.
• Exploring careers in construction through Build UK's Open Doors programme.
• Developing enterprise skills through the school's hugely successful Enterprise Fayre.
• Embedding and onboarding the wider staff team through the school's strong Talentino curriculum programme.

Each opportunity has enabled students to develop practical skills while making genuine contributions to their local community.

This achievement has also been made possible through the school's growing network of employer and community partnerships.

Over the past year, Isebrook has worked alongside organisations from a wide range of industries, creating opportunities that extend far beyond traditional careers talks.

Students have met professionals, visited workplaces, co-designed learning environments, explored new sectors, completed real-life industry projects and developed relationships with employers who are passionate about supporting young people with SEND.

These partnerships are built on collaboration, ensuring experiences are meaningful, accessible and beneficial for everyone involved. They have helped challenge perceptions, demonstrating the valuable skills and talents that young people with SEND bring to the workplace.

Learning Beyond the Classroom

Careers education at Isebrook extends far beyond preparing students for employment.

It is about helping young people develop communication, teamwork, resilience, independence and self-belief.

Whether students are presenting ideas to professionals, volunteering within their community, taking part in enterprise projects or visiting local businesses, every experience contributes towards developing the confidence and life skills needed for adulthood.

The school is passionate about ensuring students understand not only the opportunities available to them, but also the important role they can play within their communities.

Working Together Across Creating Tomorrow

Isebrook's success is also a wonderful example of collaboration across Creating Tomorrow Trust.

Many of the opportunities available to students have been developed through trust-wide partnerships, allowing schools to share employer relationships, community connections and examples of best practice.

Celebrating an Incredible Achievement

Achieving 100% of the Gatsby Benchmarks is something the whole school community should be incredibly proud of.

It reflects a vision that places students at the centre of every decision, values meaningful employer engagement and recognises that preparing young people for adulthood requires creativity, collaboration and ambition.

A huge congratulations goes to the dedicated careers team, led by Ryan Storey and Lesley Chattaway, alongside every member of staff who contributes to creating these opportunities. Their commitment, alongside the support of employers, families and community partners, ensures students continue to access experiences that inspire confidence, broaden aspirations and prepare them for successful futures.

We are extremely lucky to be part of the wonderful South Midlands Careers Hub, with the support of SEND Careers Consultant Sarah Latimer, who has been instrumental in helping us achieve this success.

Most importantly, congratulations to our fantastic students, who continue to embrace every opportunity with enthusiasm, curiosity and determination.

We look forward to building on this success and continuing to create even more opportunities that empower our students, strengthen our communities and prepare every young person for a bright and fulfilling future.

The passionate team are still on the lookout for more opportunities to suit the varying interests and needs of our students, so if you would like to get involved, please do get in touch. We would love to hear from you.