Shrewsbury School Awarded Career Mark Gold

Shrewsbury retains the Quality in Careers Standard fully incorporating the Gatsby benchmarks provided by the Licensed Awarding Body, Complete-Careers Career Mark, using the Career Mark approach.

As it is the third successful assessment, the award is Career Mark Gold. 

The Summer Term of 2026 was one of the busiest I can recall from a Futures Department perspective. A two-day Futures Festival, a new Cambridge accredited AI Literacy course for 5^th Form, Enterprising Futures, Careers Fair and Future Leaders Event are a few examples of many highlights, but the one which loomed large in my diary was our third ‘Career Mark’ visit, taking place on the penultimate day of the academic year.

 For context, biannually the Futures Department undertakes an accreditation process, to ensure that our delivery and practice is in line with national expectations and relevant guidelines. Evidence is requested in advance (forty-four separate documents were sent prior to the visit, for example), pupils are interviewed on the day and, quite rightly, we must explain almost every aspect of our programme and evidence its’ impact.

 As you can see from the top of the page, the outcome was very positive. There were various complimentary statements in the final report, but it is perhaps the one below which I was most pleased to see recognised:

"The department has built effective relationships with parents, alumni, feeder schools and external organisations, all of which enhance the reach and impact of the programme. Outreach events involving local schools further strengthen community engagement and extend the school’s contribution."

Without the support of the Salopian Community, the impact of our programme would be far less measurable and far less useful. I continue to be grateful for the tremendous involvement that Salopians offer, and I would like to place on record my gratitude for the contributions made to the Futures programme in recent years.

 We will continue to build on this achievement, and as always, look at how we can enhance our provision. We are always keen to get more people involved in what we do, and if you are reading this and feel you would like to contribute, we would be delighted if you would register your interest via this link: Futures Department Survey  – Fill in form

Mr Chris Wain, Head of Futures