Careers Programme 2025-26

All our Careers Activities are linked to the Gatsby benchmarks (see below) and have clearly identified learning objectives (these are included on documentation within school, but not on this published document).

Benchmarks (for reference)

A stable careers programme
Learning from Career and Labour Market Information
Addressing the needs of each young person
Linking curriculum learning to careers
Encounters with employers and employees
Experiences of workplaces
Encounters with further and higher education
Personal guidance

Activities involving employees/employers are in bold text; and those where the students gain an experience of the workplace are underlined.

In addition to the activities below, there are also the following opportunities for students that are promoted as we are notified: students are encouraged to tell us if they attend out of hours webinars (for recording on Compass+) and to record them on Unifrog for their personal records.

Alumni visits, both at lunchtime – Legends @ lunch and in assemblies
Employer visits
Online webinars out of school hours promoted by the Careers Lead and other staff

Several departments also run societies that aim to promote wider aspects of the subject beyond school and develop a greater awareness of the range of routes beyond school involving that subject. These include

Computing Society
Physics Society
Maths Society
Law Society
MedSoc
Fashion Society

From time to time, these societies will invite external speakers into school to talk about their roles.

Many subjects have a range of displays, books and/or regular newsletters which support Careers; these have not been included here to simplify this document.

Unless identified otherwise, these opportunities are open to the full cohort, where a number is included in brackets that indicate the expected number of participants.

This programme is correct at the time of writing, but it is unlikely to capture all the work that goes on in our classrooms on a regular basis.

Key Stage 3

Year	Term	Activity	Benchmarks
7	Autumn 1	Art – practising artist research Science – Technology to real applications	1,4,5,6 4
	Autumn 2
	Spring 1	English - author/physicist Femi Fadugba Art /Maths – Gallery Visit Music - Workshop with a local orchestra role PE - Sport Education Approach RS – St Martins Church visit	2,3,4,5,8 4,5,6 4,5 3,4,8 4,5
	Spring 2	STEM – Roadshow	3,5,7
	Summer 1
	Summer 2	PSHE – Condover Hall	5,6
8	Autumn 1	Art – practising artist research Comp - Aston university careers trip (cyber) (25) PE - Sport Education Approach Science – Technology to real applications STEM – Quadcopter challenge (10)	1, 4 2,4,5,6,7 3,4,8 4 3,5,8
	Autumn 2	English - Enrichment unit in English Language – links to English Language entails at university (e.g. speech therapy etc.) MFL - French Unit 2 - Moi et mon avenir STEP into the NHS Competition	4 4 2,3,4
	Spring 1	Comp – Cyberfirst competition	3
	Spring 2	PE - Intro to future PE (GCSE/Careers) STEM – Roadshow	2,3,8 3,5,7
	Summer 1	Biology - Biology – Medic Mentor Information	1,4
	Summer 2	Geog - Visit to Dovedale - discussion with a Ranger Comp – Dragons Den app design Drama - Theatre company performance and QA PHSE – Budgeting Enrichment Week - Employability Skills workshop Enrichment Week – Employer Encounter	4,5 3,4,8 5,8 4,6 3,4,8 2,4,5,8
9	Autumn 1	Art – practising artist research Music - Linking composition commissions to the profession PE - Sport Education Approach Physics – Careers link topics	1, 4 4 3,4,8 1,4
	Autumn 2	English - Talk from various authors at Two Cities Book Award (10) PE - Intro to future PE (GCSE/Careers)	4,5,6 3,4,8
	Spring 1	Art – Careers in Industry Project Geog – Careers lessons MFL – Fairtrade Fiesta (6) PSHE - Understanding future aspirations	1, 2, 4 2,4 2,3 1,3,4,7,8
	Spring 2	PHSE - GCSE Options Evening	3,4,8
	Summer 1	Art – Art & Politics	1,4
	Summer 2	Enrichment Week – Oxford University Visit Enrichment Week – Forensic Activity – Forensics & Legal Enrichment Week – Fashion Design Challenge Enrichment Week – Animation Nation	3,5,6,7 3,4,5 6 3,4,5

Students in Key Stage 3 have 3 days of experiences of workplaces; we will aim to increase this.

Key Stage 4

All students can undertake the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme and will gain skills thought the different sections of the Award.

What University? What Career Live? at the NEC is publicised to Year 10 students and parents.

KS4 CAREERS GUIDANCE BOOKLET

Year	Term	Activity	Benchmarks
10	Autumn 1	Art - Practising artist research Music – CBSO links PE - Sport Education Approach Physics – Careers link topics	1, 4 5,6,8 3,4,8 1,4
	Autumn 2	Comp - National Museum of Computing trip PHSE - Understanding economic politics STEM – ICE Pollution challenge (10)	2,3,4,6 4 3,8
	Spring 1	Drama - Design & technical skill - using recorded interviews with professions in lessons) Latin – Roman Museum	3,4,5,8 4,5,6
	Spring 2
	Summer 1	Biology – Meeting with natural Science student (10) Biology – Bio Soc Newsletter Drama - Practical work - Lighting/sound/costume/set design IAG – Careers guidance conversations	1,2,4,5 1,2,4 3,4 8
	Summer 2	PHSE – Senior Citizens Party Enrichment week – Post-18 routes; Apprentice Encounter, Encounters with employers/employees IAG – Careers guidance conversations	4 2,3,4,5,7 8
11	Autumn 1	Art - Practising artist research Drama – Live theatre visit PE – Leadership in Sports Physics – Careers link topics IAG – Careers guidance conversations	1, 4 6,7 1,3,4,8 1,4 8
	Autumn 2	PHSE – Post 16 applications PHSE – Post 16 Options Evening RS – Gurdwara STEM – Arkwright Scholarship (10) IAG – Careers guidance conversations	1,3,4,7,8 3,8 6 3,4,5,8 8
	Spring 1	Biology – Bio Soc Newsletter Drama – Practical work – lighting/sound/costume/set design IAG – Interviews with SLT/HoY to support Post-16 planning	1,2,4 3,4 3,8
	Spring 2
	Summer 1	History – Doctors Show All – Focus on examination outcomes to support next steps	6,7
	Summer 2	PHSE – Work experience No longer in school; however, all students are supported post A Level results day to make the appropriate final destination choices.	3,4,5,6,8 3,8

Students in Key stage 4 can undertake at least 6 days of experience of the workplace.

Key Stage 5

Year	Term	Activity	Benchmarks
12	Autumn 1	Biology - UoB lectures Biology Live (30) Chemistry – WMCTC lectures Eco – PwC speaker visit History – Trip to Parliament Music – Instrumental staff guidance (20) STEM – Davidson Inventors challenge (5)	1,2,5,7 7 2,3,4,5,6,7 2,4,5,6 4,5 3,4,5,7,8
	Autumn 2	Art - Experimental drawing workshops Biology - Bio medical science talk Drama – Live theatre visit Geog – GIS Day PE – Leadership in Sports Physics – UoB lectures Physics – Beamline Physics – Astronomy city lectures STEM – Industrial Cadets (10) STEM – ICE CityZen challenge (8)	1,2,4,5,6,7 1,2,3,4,5,7 6,7 2,4,5,7 1,3,4,8 5,7 5,6,7 5,7 3,5,6,7,8 3,5,8
	Spring 1	Art - Work experience MAC application Art - Photography workshop PHSE - Next steps - university, apprenticeships	1,4,5 1 1,4,5,7,8
	Spring 2	MFL – Trip to Brussels (20) PHSE – Post-18 Day	4,6 1,4,5,6
	Summer 1	Art - Visiting artist talks (50+) Art – Degree Show Trip (15) Biology – Meeting with Vet Nurse (30) Comp – Aston Uni Careers trip (cyber) (25) History – Visit/discussions with B’ham Uni Latin – Visit to UoB lecture day (10)	1,2,5,6 1,4 1,2,4,5 2,4,5,6,7 2,3,4,5,8 4,5,6,7
	Summer 2	Biology – Placement in UoB (6) Biology – Medic Mentor Info Biology – PCR workshop Drama – actor workshop Eco – Trip to PwC PHSE – Work Experience Psy – Shrewsbury Jail Psy – Forensic conference Enrichment Week – Application support surgeries	1,8 1,2,3,4,7,8 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 4,5,6,8 2,3,4,5,6 3,4,5,6,8 4,5,6,7,8 3,4,5,6,7,8 3, 8
13	Autumn 1	Art - Career pathway sessions/portfolio prep Drama – actor workshop (20) Drama – Live theatre visit (8) PE – Leadership in Sports	1,4,5,7,8 4,5,6,8 6,7 1,3,4,8
	Autumn 2	Biology – UoB trip to carbon capture lab Comp – Uni interview Practice Physics – UoB lectures Physics – Astronomy city lectures	1,2,3,4 3,7 5,7 5,7
	Spring 1	Psy – Freud Museum	5,6,7,8
	Spring 2	Eco – support for students (Individual) Maths – HE Day Maths - prep uni applications/entrance tests (10)	3,4,5,6,8 2,3,4,5,7,8 3,5,7,8
	Summer 1	All – Focus on examination outcomes to support next steps
	Summer 2	No longer in school; however, all students are supported post A level results day to make the appropriate final destination choices	3,8

Students in Key stage 5 can undertake at 5 days of experiences of the workplace in Year 12 and the equivalent of another 10 days (2 hours a week for 25 weeks) in Year 13.