Compass is a free online tool that helps special schools understand how their careers education and guidance compares to best practice. Completing a Compass evaluation can help schools identify strengths and discover areas for improvement within their careers provision.
Compass enables schools to quickly and easily evaluate their careers activity against eight benchmarks of best practice – known as the Gatsby Benchmarks.
For learners in special schools, the Careers Leader should consult with colleagues to identify the cohort for whom the Gatsby Benchmarks are most appropriate, and report on that cohort. However, we believe that all learners, including those with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) or highly complex needs, should benefit from your special school’s careers programme and transition activities.
The Gatsby Benchmark framework is at the heart of statutory guidance for careers education in England. More support and information about the framework, including how the Gatsby Benchmarks can be applied in your setting, can be found in Careers guidance and access for education and training providers.
Resources to support the successful implementation of the Gatsby Benchmarks can be found in the Gatsby Benchmark toolkit for SEND on the CEC Resource Directory.
Please note: Mainstream schools with a high SEND enrolment are encouraged to contact us. We can help you decide if the Compass evaluation for Special Schools is right for your institution.
Completing a Compass evaluation.
To evaluate your careers provision against the Gatsby Benchmarks, a special school can complete a Compass evaluation. This takes around 30 minutes to complete. We recommend completing a Compass evaluation once a term to effectively track and monitor your institution's progress. Please note: you will need to know details of learner numbers in your year groups before starting a Compass evaluation.
The following changes have been made to the Compass evaluation for Special Schools to make the evaluation more appropriate for learners in SEND settings:
- Special Schools will often educate learners up to the age of 25 and this is reflected in the age groups listed at the start of the evaluation
- The Compass evaluation for Special Schools indicates where further support is needed, for example from parents/families or carers
- The language used is inclusive and aligned with SEND settings, including the widest range of learner abilities, level of qualifications taken, and career destinations
- Higher Education encounters are not mandatory and will only be scored if relevant to your cohort.
Further guidance on creating a Compass account and completing a Compass evaluation can be found in the Help Centre articles listed below:
- How to create a Compass account for Special Schools
- How to complete a Compass evaluation for Special Schools
There is also a range of support available for Careers Leaders in SEND settings on the Resource Directory.