A Compass evaluation enables educational settings to quickly and easily evaluate their careers activity against the eight Gatsby Benchmarks.
The Compass evaluation feature was built in partnership with the Gatsby Charitable Foundation to help practitioners easily discover their educational setting's strengths and find areas for improvement.
Completing a Compass evaluation is simple: just answer the questions in the evaluation and Compass+/Compass will calculate the evaluation results for you.
- Systematically monitor your educational setting's progress towards achieving the eight Gatsby Benchmarks
- Quickly and easily identify gaps in your careers provision
- Identify areas of strength in your careers provision
- Use results to support Internal leadership reviews
- Compare your progress against previous Compass evaluations
A Compass evaluation takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.
If you start an evaluation but need to stop half way through, you can save your progress anytime and come back to it later to finish answering the questions.
There are three types of Compass evaluation. Click on the links below to view and download:
- Compass evaluation for schools
- Compass evaluation for specialist settings
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Compass evaluation for FE and ITPs
(Added here for reference only as FE and ITPs cannot access Compass+)
Compass evaluation data can be used in a variety of different ways to support the delivery of an effective careers programme. (If you use Compass and work in FE or for an ITP, please visit the Compass Help Centre for more information on this as usage differs slightly in FE and ITPs.)
- Incorporate Compass evaluation results in reporting processes for key careers stakeholders i,e SLT/Governors
Use Data visualisations to quickly analyse the data and provide a summary overview of your results. Include actions and activities you intend to deliver to improve or maintain results. Share Compass evaluation results with key stakeholders involved in the delivery of careers within your educational setting.
- Use Compass evaluation results to support Internal leadership reviews
Complete a Compass evaluation every term, then use this data to inform your annual Internal leadership review (further guidance on this can be found here > Careers Impact System.)
- Compass evaluations contribute towards effective Impact Evaluation
Effective impact evaluation identifies what difference the careers programme makes to young people. Understanding the link between careers activities and outcomes for young people helps to ensure that careers programmes are high quality, effective and responsive. Often what makes a difference is not just what the activity is, but how it is delivered. Find out more about impact evaluation on the Resource Directory.
- Communicate results and progress to key stakeholders
Help to increase engagement in and awareness of careers to make improvements that ensure every young person is able to find their best next step.
You could publish Compass evaluation results on the Careers page of your educational setting's website, share progress towards achieving the Gatsby Benchmarks with staff at CPD events/staff training, send information home to parents/carers about what you plan to do as a result of your Compass evaluation and how it links to the support provided to their children.
- Use Compass evaluation data to inform your careers strategy and inform future planning
Compass evaluation results help to quickly identify key areas for future activity and enable staff to have a clear and up-to-date picture of performance.