Support & Tools

Specialist Support For The Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) Sector

Good career guidance ensures that all young people, whatever their needs, background or ambitions, know the options open to them and can make the informed choices needed to fulfil their potential. This is particularly important for the more than one million young people in England recognised as having SEND. Far too often, these young people can be held back by negative stereotypes and assumptions about their limitations.

The Gatsby Benchmarks define what world-class career guidance looks like. During Gatsby’s pilot of the Benchmarks, experienced SEND practitioners and national advocates were brought together to form a SEND working group. Drawing on their expertise of developing careers programmes in different settings, in both special and mainstream schools and colleges, they gave the clear message that it would not be appropriate to define a separate set of Benchmarks for students with SEND.

But we recognise that some of the Benchmarks may be implemented in a different way in special schools and colleges, alternative provision, and for some students with SEND in the mainstream. We also recognise that the professionals who work with these young people every day are the experts and are best placed to adapt their career guidance activity to the different needs of their students.