Gatsby Benchmark 6

Experiences of Workplaces

Every learner should have first-hand experiences of workplaces to help their exploration of career opportunities and expand their networks.

What Benchmark 6 means in practice

Unlike Benchmark 5 (which covers encounters with employers), Benchmark 6 requires students to experience a real workplace first-hand. By the age of 16 every pupil should have had meaningful experiences of workplaces, and at least one further meaningful experience by the age of 18. Note the plural at 16 - the updated wording asks for experiences, not a single placement, though it names no number.

What evidence is required

  • Meaningful workplace experiences by age 16, and at least one further by age 18
  • Work experience placement records with employer details
  • Evidence the student met a range of different people from the workplace
  • A task set by the employer or a piece of work produced
  • Employer feedback on student performance
  • Student reflections on the insights, knowledge or skills gained

Activities that satisfy Benchmark 6

  • Year 10 or Year 12 work experience weeks
  • Workplace visit days to local employers
  • Job shadowing programmes
  • Virtual workplace tours (as supplement, not replacement)

How Chapter tracks it

Benchmark 6 evidence, without the data entry

Chapter's Work Experience manager runs placements end-to-end - setup, year-group enrolment, the student diary and employer feedback - mapping each one to Benchmark 6 with per-pupil completion evidence stored against the profile.

In Chapter Schools

  • Work ExperienceEvidences it

    The programme that runs the whole journey - enrolment, matching, consent, compliance and completion.

  • PlacementsEvidences it

    The placement bank and employer pipeline every experience is drawn from.

  • Placement logbookEvidences it

    Captures the pupil's diary, the tasks completed and the employer's feedback - three of the six required criteria.

In the Chapter game

  • In-game 'day in the life'

    Day-in-the-life experiences in the game write BM6 evidence, and prepare pupils for a real placement.

See the platform view for Benchmark 6

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Gatsby Benchmark 5 and Benchmark 6?
Benchmark 5 covers encounters with employers - speakers, fairs, Q&As - and now carries an annual minimum of at least one meaningful encounter a year from age 11. Benchmark 6 requires actual workplace experiences: first-hand time in a real employer's premises, with a task set, employer feedback, and reflection afterwards. Both are needed, and they are counted separately.
Does virtual work experience count for Gatsby Benchmark 6?
Virtual work experience can supplement but typically should not replace physical workplace experience for Benchmark 6. The benchmark specifically references 'first-hand experiences of workplaces', and expects the young person to meet a range of people there, perform a task and receive employer feedback - which is hard to evidence virtually. Ofsted inspectors will look for evidence of genuine workplace exposure.
What year should schools run work experience for Benchmark 6?
Most schools run formal work experience in Year 10 (pre-GCSE) or Year 12 (post-A-level results). The updated Benchmark 6 asks for meaningful experiences of workplaces by the age of 16 - worded in the plural - and at least one further meaningful experience by 18, so a single Year 10 placement is unlikely to be enough on its own.

Related Gatsby Benchmarks

Employer EncountersFE and HE EncountersPersonal Guidance

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