Gatsby Benchmark 7

Encounters with Further and Higher Education

All pupils should understand the full range of learning opportunities that are available to them, including academic, technical and vocational routes. This should incorporate learning in schools, colleges, independent training providers (ITPs), universities and in the workplace.

What Benchmark 7 means in practice

Students need exposure to the full range of post-school options - not just university. By the age of 16 every pupil should have had meaningful encounters with providers of the full range of learning opportunities, including sixth forms, colleges, universities and ITPs. By 18, every pupil considering higher education should have had at least two visits to HE providers to meet staff and learners. The updated wording adds 'technical' routes and names ITPs explicitly.

What evidence is required

  • Meaningful encounters with sixth forms, colleges, universities and ITPs by age 16
  • At least two HE provider visits by age 18 for pupils considering higher education
  • Evidence of apprenticeship and technical provider encounters, not just HE
  • Provider Access Legislation: six encounters across Years 8-13, two per phase
  • Post-16 option events (open evenings, transition days)

Activities that satisfy Benchmark 7

  • University open day visits or virtual tours
  • Apprenticeship provider talks
  • FE college taster days
  • Alumni panels covering diverse post-school routes
  • UCAS and apprenticeship application support sessions

How Chapter tracks it

Benchmark 7 evidence, without the data entry

Record university, college and apprenticeship encounters in Chapter's Provider CRM and Events - each with post-encounter feedback to prove value. The Provider Access ledger then reads those events back as a per-pupil statutory record: which of the six encounters each pupil has had, from which providers, and whether each fell inside the 1 September to 28 February window, with a Monday digest of the year groups running out of time. Destinations shows where those leavers actually went.

In Chapter Schools

  • Employers / ProvidersEvidences it

    The provider CRM behind Baker Clause encounters - who you have invited, who has been, and which routes they cover.

  • Open DaysEvidences it

    Tracks HE and FE visits per pupil, including the two HE visits that HE-bound pupils need by the end of Year 13.

  • EventsEvidences it

    Where provider encounters get recorded per pupil, which is what turns a delivered assembly into Baker Clause evidence.

  • Apprenticeships

    The technical and apprenticeship route the benchmark requires alongside academic providers.

  • Apprenticeships TrackerEvidences it

    Every live application a pupil holds with a training provider, mirrored from the Chapter app as it happens - a real encounter with the technical route, evidenced per pupil.

  • Provider Access ledger

    The Provider Access Legislation ledger: which of the six statutory encounters each year group has had, from which kind of provider, and what is still missing.

In the Chapter game

  • In-game university & course explorationEvidences it

    University searches, course shortlisting and virtual open days in the game write BM7 evidence per pupil.

See the platform view for Benchmark 7

Frequently asked questions

What does Gatsby Benchmark 7 require schools to provide?
Benchmark 7 requires schools to ensure every pupil understands the full range of post-school options - academic, technical and vocational - across sixth forms, colleges, universities, ITPs and the workplace. By age 16 every pupil should have had meaningful encounters with providers across that full range, and by 18 those considering higher education should have had at least two visits to HE providers to meet staff and learners.
How do you evidence Gatsby Benchmark 7?
Evidence includes records of HE and FE encounters (visits, talks, fairs), provider visit logs, student attendance records, and examples of guidance that covered multiple post-school routes. Balance between academic and vocational pathway exposure is important.
Do apprenticeship events count towards Gatsby Benchmark 7?
Yes - apprenticeship encounters are a core component of Benchmark 7. Schools that only provide university-focused encounters will not fully meet the benchmark. Equal coverage of apprenticeship and vocational routes alongside academic routes is expected.

Related Gatsby Benchmarks

Labour Market InformationEmployer EncountersPersonal Guidance

Stop reconstructing Benchmark 7 after the fact

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