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How ELATT Sixth Form Prepares Students for Their Career and Next Steps

Choosing the right sixth form is about more than exam results. It’s about knowing you, or your child, will get proper careers support, from real work experience to one-to-one guidance that actually helps you decide what’s next. At ELATT Sixth Form in Hackney, careers education sits right at the heart of what we do, and it’s built on a proven national framework, the Gatsby Benchmarks, so you know exactly what to expect.

What are the Gatsby Benchmarks (and why do they matter)?

The Gatsby Benchmarks are the national standard for high-quality careers education in England. There are eight of them, covering everything from stable, structured guidance to real encounters with employers and workplaces. Schools and colleges are measured against them, but at ELATT, we treat them as a starting point, not a tick-box exercise.

That means every learner at our sixth form gets a careers journey that’s personal, practical, and genuinely prepares them for life after ELATT.

The 8 Gatsby Benchmarks are:

  1. A stable careers programme
  2. Learning from career and labour market information
  3. Addressing the needs of each learner
  4. Linking curriculum learning to careers
  5. Encounters with employers and employees
  6. Experiences of workplaces
  7. Encounters with further and higher education
  8. Personal guidance

Here’s how each one plays out for our students.

1. A stable careers programme

Our learners follow a structured careers programme delivered through tutorials and in partnership with Prospects, the national careers guidance service, all the way through their time at ELATT.

Every student receives one-to-one guidance as standard, with extra support at key moments. For learners in their final year, that support steps up between September and March, the crucial window for securing a college place, apprenticeship, or job.

2. Learning from career and labour market information

It’s hard to plan for a career you don’t understand. That’s why our learners get up-to-date insight into different industries directly from the people working in them, through guidance sessions and employer-led workshops.

Sessions and visits with partners such as Mimecast (cybersecurity) and UBS (finance) give students a real understanding of roles, expectations, and how to actually get into those industries, not just what a job title means on paper.

3. Addressing the needs of each learner

No two students want the same future, so no two careers plans should look the same either. Every learner has a personalised plan that tracks their progress and shapes the support they get.

A student interested in fashion might be connected with Circle Collective, while a student focused on cybersecurity might work with Mimecast. Learners who need more support, including those with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities), get additional sessions built in as standard.

4. Linking curriculum learning to careers

Study programmes at ELATT are designed to connect directly to real jobs. Learners on digital media pathways build skills relevant to film and marketing, while those on IT pathways, including software development and cybersecurity, build skills aligned to current industry roles.

The result: students can see exactly how what they’re learning today connects to where they want to be tomorrow.

From no qualifications to studying Aeronautical Engineering

When M joined ELATT in 2023 at 16, she had no qualifications and a history of school absence linked to anxiety and autism. With support from her key worker, ELSA, the Sixth Form team, and her mum, she found her balance and thrived.

M graduated with a distinction in her EPQ (on the International Space Station), an L3 Diploma in ICT Systems, L2 English and L1 Maths, and won the Mimecast Resilience Award for her personal journey.

She’s now in her first year at university, studying Aeronautical Engineering.

5. Encounters with employers and employees

Meeting people who actually do the job changes how students think about their future. Our learners regularly engage with employers across a wide range of sectors, including Opus 2 (audio visual), UBS (finance), Mimecast (cybersecurity), Circle Collective (fashion), and employers from the aviation industry.

These encounters give students direct insight into different roles and working environments, well before they have to make any big decisions.

6. Experiences of workplaces

Hearing about a job is one thing. Doing it, even briefly, is another. Learners get first-hand experience through work visits, job shadowing, and placements.

Some students have taken part in extended project work with employers such as Mimecast and UBS, contributing to real projects and experiencing genuine workplace culture and expectations along the way.

Four people sitting around a table and talking, with large screens on wall behind, largest visible text on screen stating: "WELCOME, elatt, mimecast experience hub".

7. Encounters with further and higher education

Careers education isn’t only about the first job. It’s about understanding every route open to you. We support learners to explore all of their options, working with higher education providers such as Teesside University and with local organisations like Project Hackney to connect students with apprenticeships and supported internships.

We also track where our students go after they leave ELATT, so we can keep learning and improving how we support the next group.

8. Personal guidance

Every ELATT Sixth Form student receives one-to-one careers guidance from a qualified adviser through Prospects. This isn’t a single meeting, it’s scheduled guidance interviews throughout the year, with additional sessions available for anyone who needs more tailored or intensive support, particularly learners with SEND.

Two people talking to each other at a table.

Strengthening careers education, year on year

In response to updated guidance from 2026, we’re continuing to strengthen our approach to “meaningful” employer encounters and workplace experiences, making sure every visit or placement includes proper preparation beforehand, purposeful engagement with employers, and structured reflection afterwards.

This is a sustained commitment, centred on giving every learner the structured, tailored support they need to move forward with confidence.

Start your journey at ELATT Sixth Form

Careers education shouldn’t be an afterthought, it should be built into every part of a student’s journey. If you’re a young person aged 16 to 18 (or 19 to 24 with an active EHCP) looking for a sixth form that takes your future seriously, or a parent wanting real reassurance about what “careers support” actually means, we’d love to show you around.

Get in touch with our Sixth Form team to find out more or arrange a visit.

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