The Gatsby Benchmarks, and how Trailstones helps you meet them.
Eight benchmarks that define world-class careers guidance in England. Trailstones is built around the two hardest to evidence at scale: Benchmarks 5 and 6.
All secondary schools, FE colleges, sixth form colleges, and independent training providers in England are now required to meet the updated Gatsby Benchmarks under government statutory guidance.
What are the Gatsby Benchmarks?
First published in 2014 by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, the eight benchmarks define what genuinely good careers guidance looks like, grounded in evidence from the UK and internationally. They've been central to government statutory guidance for secondary schools since 2018.
The benchmarks were extended to FE colleges, sixth form colleges, and independent training providers through the Skills and Post-16 Education Act 2022 — and Ofsted's Education Inspection Framework for FE now explicitly covers careers guidance against them.
The benchmarks were updated in 2024 and the revised criteria are required across all institution types from September 2025. Whether you're a secondary school or an FE college, the framework and the reporting requirement is the same.
The evidence base is strong: young people with four or more meaningful employer encounters are 86% less likely to end up NEET and can earn up to 18% more over their careers.
Read the full frameworkTHE 8 GATSBY BENCHMARKS
A stable careers programme
Learning from career and labour market information
Addressing the needs of each pupil
Linking curriculum learning to careers
Encounters with employers and employees
Trailstones helps with this
Experiences of workplaces
Trailstones helps with this
Encounters with further and higher education
Personal guidance
GATSBY BENCHMARK 5
Encounters with employers and employees
WHAT THE BENCHMARK REQUIRES
Every pupil should have multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace.
- Schools: at least one meaningful encounter with an employer every year from age 11
- FE colleges & sixth forms: at least two meaningful encounters per year, at least one delivered through the curriculum
- Each encounter must have a clear purpose, learning outcomes, genuine two-way interaction, and structured reflection time
- Encounters should span a range of employer types: size, sector, and including the third sector
HOW TRAILSTONES ADDRESSES THIS
Trailstones connects your students directly with real local charities. Before starting, students engage with the organisation: understanding their mission, their audience, and what good work looks like in that context. Charities brief students, answer questions, and provide direct feedback on completed work. The same model works for schools and FE colleges alike.
- A direct, two-way interaction with an employer (the charity)
- Learning outcomes tied to the work brief, documented and signed off
- Structured reflection built into the post-completion reference process
- Third-sector organisations count as part of a varied employer range
- Every encounter is logged, timestamped, and exportable as evidence
GATSBY BENCHMARK 6
Experiences of workplaces
WHAT THE BENCHMARK REQUIRES
Every pupil should have first-hand experiences of workplaces to help their exploration of career opportunities and expand their networks.
- Schools: meaningful workplace experience by age 16, and at least one further experience by age 18
- FE colleges & ITPs: at least one meaningful experience before the end of their programme of study
- The experience must include: clear learning outcomes, genuine two-way interaction, a task set by the employer, written employer feedback, and time to reflect
- The student must produce a piece of work relevant to that workplace
HOW TRAILSTONES ADDRESSES THIS
Benchmark 6 is the most demanding. It requires students to actually produce something for a real employer and receive written feedback. Trailstones is built around exactly this. Students take on scoped briefs from real charities, deliver a tangible output, and receive a verified reference that describes what they did and how they did it. The same model works whether your students are in Year 10 or on a T Level.
- A real brief from a real charity. Not a simulation.
- Student produces and submits a tangible deliverable
- Charity reviews the work and provides written feedback and a verified reference
- Student reflection is captured as part of the completion process
- Meets the definition of a 'meaningful experience' under the updated benchmarks for schools and colleges
EVIDENCE & REPORTING
One report. Everything Ofsted needs, already in it.
Every time a student completes a piece of work through Trailstones, a full evidence record is created automatically. At the end of the academic year, or on demand, your institution gets a single Gatsby Benchmark evidence report covering every student who participated.
The report works identically for secondary schools and FE colleges. The institution name, headteacher or principal, and year groups adapt to your setting. The evidence format and benchmark mapping are the same.
86%
less likely to be NEET, for young people with 4 or more employer encounters
18%
higher earnings over a career for young people with meaningful workplace experiences
4,700+
schools, colleges and ITPs now use the Gatsby Benchmarks across England
Source: Gatsby Benchmarks and Education and Employers Taskforce research
Want to see how this works for your school or college?
We work directly with careers leads, pastoral teams, and college curriculum departments. Drop us a note and we'll walk you through how Trailstones fits your existing provision.