Educational Diversity has formed a partnership with Right to Succeed to improve the outcomes for our school leavers. A team of Engagement Coaches (ECs) will work alongside the Careers Lead to build relationships with our Year 11s to encourage and support planning the transition to future education, employment or training. This can be an uncertain time for our students and we want to make this transition as smooth and possible.

The team will link to careers delivery within school and have extensive knowledge of the post 16 offer in Blackpool and across Lancashire. They will see Year 11s within school on a 1:1 basis to build these relationships, offering guidance and action planning whilst completing any application requirements. The ECs will also link with parents and carers as knowing this to be effective for long-term success. This wrap around support continues into the Summer and when accessing the chosen education, employment or training option.

Sometimes, due to the nature of our young people, they can often become anxious and unsettled when they move into a new environment and so we want to make sure they settle in well. The ECs will help professionals to understand how best to engage the student, along with any additional support they might need to help them learn and enjoy the new challenges. We are committed to increasing the number of our young people who successfully complete their courses once they leave us as we know this will give them the best chance of securing employment and positive futures for themselves.

In the first fully operational year Pathways for All has made a significant impact on transition for our Year 11 leavers. By engaging with the young people, the parents/carers and key professionals in post 16 providers of education/training the ECs have been able to support next steps including enrolment and engagement. The result of this ongoing support is that 80% of our cohort secured a positive destination and as they are caseloaded to an EC they have ongoing contact should issues arise. Destinations are no longer a snapshot in time, they are a work in progress. The other leavers in the cohort still receive EC contact and therefore have access to alternative agencies and providers when the young person is ready.

By initiating the Pathways For All Programme we know the destinations for 99% of our leavers. This is a 15% improvement on the previous year and we strive to reach 100% in the next year.