Skip to content ↓
Woodlands School

WoodlandsSchool

Careers Programme

Careers Lead

Elly Downing 

elly.downing@woodlands.school 

01939 232372 

Introduction 

Woodlands offers an effective Careers programme which includes:  

  • opportunities across the curriculum to develop transferable life and social skills that support careers, employability and enterprise  

  • the development of students’ self-advocacy, negotiation, decision-making and transition skills  

  • purposeful interactions with a range of trusted and familiar adults including school staff and visitors - partnership with parents and carers  

  • recognition of the learner voice and the active involvement of young people in decisions that affect their future, both individually and collectively  

  • information, advice and guidance  

Aims  

The aims of careers provision are the same for all young people:  

  • independent living and working 

  • choice 

  • hope and optimism 

  • adaptability and resilience 

  • access to and engagement in decent work in all its forms (personal, gift and paid work), opportunities to learn and make progress 

  • the pursuit of wellbeing and happiness 

Resources 

Pupils at Woodlands are offered a variety of careers activities in PSHE lessons and tutor time 

Assemblies on various careers options relevant to our pupils are offered throughout the year 

All pupils in Years 9-11 have regular individual and/or group careers meetings with our Careers Lead 

All pupils in Year 9-11 are offered one-to-one careers advice from an independent specialist careers adviser 

Pupils in Year 10 and 11 are offered employability workshops with Rachael Morgan from Job Centre Plus 

Our Careers Programme offers a variety of interactions with role models, inspiring speakers, employers and further education providers, including College Taster Sessions, work-related courses and work experience. 

Woodlands is supported by Shelley Robinson, Enterprise Co-ordinator 

Careers Programme – Key Stage 3 

 
PSHE lesson content 
Further opportunities 
Year 7 

  • personal targets and goal setting 

  • strategies for safely challenging stereotyping, prejudice, bigotry, bullying, and discrimination in the workplace
 

  • equality in opportunities in learning and work  

  • recognise and challenge stereotypes and/or family or cultural expectations  

  • preferred styles of learning  

  • study, organisational, research and presentation skills 
 

  • strengths, interests, skills and qualities and strategies for further developing them 
 

  • subject specific careers-focused lessons 

  • careers/industry day 

  • careers posters in subject classrooms 

  • skills focused lessons/materials 

  • access to Careers Hub 

  • visits from employers/industry professionals 

 
Year 8 

  • different types of work, including employment, self-employment and voluntary work 

  • laws and by-laws relating to young people’s permitted hours and types of employment and how to minimise health and safety risks 
 

  • different work roles and career pathways 

  • clarifying own early career aspirations 

  • subject specific careers-focused lessons 

  • careers/industry day 

  • careers posters in subject classrooms 

  • skills focused lessons/materials 

  • access to Careers Hub 

  • visits from employers/industry professionals 

  • trips to workplaces/factories/shows 

  • careers guidance 
Year 9 

  • the labour market (local and national employment opportunities, self-employment)  

  • learning options, skills, occupations and progression routes 
 

  • sources of information, advice and support for the decision-making process 

 

  • enterprise skills and qualities 

  • protecting own and others’ reputations, including online 

  • financial decisions and risk 

  • subject specific careers-focused lessons 

  • careers/industry day 

  • careers posters in subject classrooms 

  • skills focused lessons/materials 

  • access to Careers Hub 

  • visits from employers/industry professionals 

  • trips to workplaces/factories/shows 

  • careers guidance 

 

 

 

Careers Programme – Key Stage 4 

 
BTEC Workskills/PSHE Lesson Content 
Further opportunities 
Year 10 

  • personal strengths, areas for development and goal setting  

  • discrimination, and how to challenge it, prejudice and bigotry in the wider community including the workplace 

  • harassment and how to manage this (including in the workplace); the legal consequences of harassment  

  • strengths, interests, skills and qualities and how these relate to future employability  

  • information, advice and guidance available and how to access the most appropriate support 
 

  • study and employability skills (including time management, self-organisation and presentation, project planning, team-working, networking and managing online presence) 

  • the range of opportunities available for career progression, including in education, training and employment 
 

  • the changing patterns of employment (local, national, European and global) 

  • different types of business, how they are organised and financed 

  • Access to Careers Hub 

  • Guidance sessions 

  • Apprenticeship/Careers Show 

  • College Taster Programme  

  • College tours 

  • University visit 

  • Workplace tours 

  • Work experience placements 

  • Work shadowing 

  • ‘Careers Confident’ event 

  • subject specific careers-focused lessons 

  • careers/industry day 

  • careers posters in subject classrooms 

  • skills focused lessons/materials 

  • visits from employers/industry professionals 

 
Year 11 

  • work experience 

  • rights and responsibilities at work 

  • attitudes and values in relation to work and enterprise 

  • confidentiality in the workplace 

  • developing a career identity, including how to maximize chances when applying for education or employment opportunities 

  • influences on financial decisions, (including managing risk, planning for expenditure, understanding debt and gambling in all its forms) and appropriate support for financial decision-making and for concerns over money, gambling etc. 
 
Post-16 

 

  • follow up checks/meetings/support as required 

 

 

Measuring Impact 

Woodlands will assess the impact of its careers programmes on students by completing an annual student survey and analyzing destinations data in line with activities that they have taken part in at school. In addition, the views of students and parents will be surveyed after key events, such as tasters, work experience and guidance meetings. 

FE/Training Provider Access 

Woodlands School believes in giving FE, HE and training providers the opportunity to talk to pupils at the school. Please see our Provider Access Policy on the Policies page.

Policy 

To read the full Careers Policy, please use the following link: Policies

Useful Websites 

https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/ - a comprehensive careers website with job profiles, outlining: the skills required, main tasks, pay levels and career prospects for hundreds of different jobs. In addition, valuable guidance on the different stages involved in getting a job. 

https://www.startprofile.com/ - structured and progressive activities to help students make more informed decisions about future study and career options.  

https://www.scg.ac.uk/courses - information about courses available at Shrewsbury College 

https://www.junipertraining.co.uk/ - study programmes, vocational pathways, training and apprenticeships 

Cookie Policy