At the start of Year 8, your child will complete a comprehensive aspirations questionnaire, which will provide us with an insight into their future career plans, PSHRE topics that interest them, as well as an insight into their wellbeing. This information will be used to tailor our Work-Related Learning offering to suit the needs of your child.
Students will participate in skills development workshops focused on confidence building, resilience, personal branding, and growth mindset, with a focus on developing their employability and soft skills. These sessions will take place as part of our PHSRE programme during tutor time.
In Year 8 we offer a broad curriculum and encourage your child to start thinking about the careers or industries that interest them, in preparation for the GCSE options process in Year 9. We begin focusing on the skills needed to undertake different jobs, the subjects that link to different careers and how these skills will be developed through the subjects they wish to choose, as they progress academically. We will encourage and nurture you child’s curiosity about the different careers available to them in the future, by introducing information about apprenticeship and further education.
Your child will be introduced to the advantages of choosing English Baccalaureate (EBACC) subjects - subjects that are considered essential to many degrees and future career prospects, as they allow students to progress onto several courses and keeps their options open for the future.
EBACC subjects include:
- English literature and language*
- Maths*
- Science*
- Geography
- History
- Languages
*Compulsory subjects
Throughout Year 8, the work-related learning curriculum will encourage personal development, discovery and will support your child’s future career prospects by providing them with a wealth of invaluable knowledge that will help them in the future.
What should parent/carers be doing to support their child with their careers journey?
As a parent/carer, we understand that you have a vested interest in your child’s future, and you want to ensure they are making the right decisions.
Things that you can do to support your child include:
- Having regular discussions with them about their skills and interests, linking these to potential careers
- Encouraging your child to attend career talks and events focused on the careers that interest them
- Encourage family members and friends to discuss their careers with your child, so that your child can gain an understanding of the variety of careers available to them in the future
- Look for extra-curricular and wider career opportunities that your child can participate in to nurture their career aspirations
- Encourage your child to develop their employability skills
For more information about how you can support your child’s career journey, please click here for a parent and carers guide to helping your child begin their careers journey.
What should your child be doing to realise their future career aspirations?
- Be open to opportunities that allow them to find out about the careers that will be available to them in the future
- Identify their skills and interests, linking them to the careers that will utilise these skills
- Speak with family and family friends about the industries they work in and the job opportunities available within these industries
- Attend career fairs, career events and any other opportunities that will expose them to the world of work and the career opportunities available to them
What we offer students in Year 8:
- Aspirations questionnaire
- Access to a fully resourced careers library
- Be Ready employability, wellbeing, and soft skills sessions
- University visits
- Opportunity to participate in the Institute of Engineering and Technology Faraday project for students interested in STEM careers
- Invitation to The Big Bang UK Young Scientists and Engineers Fair for students with a keen interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) careers
- Speaker of the month – monthly after school careers talk, led by an industry professional
- WRL ambassador programme – cross-key stage enterprise and entrepreneurial skills-based program
- Speakers for Schools career talks
- Financial education tutor-led program