Careers Plan – Year 10 (2025-26)
YEAR 10 CAREERS AIM: In Year 10 careers education, students develop their self-presentation skills and their understanding of what employers want.
RATIONALE: This year builds on the work in Key Stage 3, but rather than exploring the world of work as a concept, moves on to more practical considerations of how students can prepare to present themselves effectively to employers, apprenticeship providers, sixth forms and further education providers.
Term 1
- .CAREERS SESSIONS: Civil Service Project with the DWP
This is our third annual Civil Service Challenge!
Year 10 students will be set a challenge that will allow them to explore the different departments within the civil service and also help them to understand how it supports democracy and British Values. They will work in groups and present their proposals to their peers; deciding on the finalists that will be sent to 10 judges from the Department of Work and Pensions.
The winning team will win £10 Amazon vouchers! In an assembly at the end of the four-week challenge, they will learn about the different entry routes into the civil service, including apprenticeships and graduate schemes.
This event supports Wrotham School in fulfilling its statutory obligations under Provider Access Legislation (2023)
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Term 2
- .CAREERS SESSIONS: Recruitment and selection processes – CV Writing
Year 10 will be working on first drafts of their CVs with support from a local employer’s HR and Talent Acquisition team (employer TBC). These local employers are donating their time and expertise in an assembly to Year 10 before they are charged with building their CVs in a series of progress time sessions.
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Term 3
- .CAREERS SESSIONS: National Apprenticeship Week 2026
Year 10 students will engage in a variety of information sessions across their subjects that explore the different apprenticeships that are available in related careers sectors.
Continue reading → - .CAREERS SESSIONS: Post-16 pathways
This term, students will investigate different post-16 options and look at how these might suit different career goals. This includes college, sixth form and apprenticeships (as part of National Apprenticeship Week).
Continue reading → - Launch Work Placement Day – Year 8
Work Placement Day is in Term 6 and offers our students in Year 8, 9 and 10 the opportunity to get real experience of a workplace.
- In Year 8, students accompany a family member to work for a day to shadow them, observing and asking questions. This is intended to build their confidence and encourage open-mindedness when considering what they can learn from the adults in their lives about their strengths and interests.
- In Year 9, students are encouraged to reach out and consider their wider network when either deciding to shadow someone in a different profession or take part in a work experience day.
- In Year 10, students are encouraged and supported to be more independent, reaching out for work placements from the wider community.
In this session, students are introduced to what the day involves and parents/carers are informed of this valuable opportunity for their child.
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Term 4
- .CAREERS SESSIONS: Digital career applications
In this term’s careers sessions, Year 10 students learn about different digital tools that are used in recruitment and interview practices, especially following the impact of the pandemic. This includes online application (and ATS), aptitude tests, situational judgement tests, and online assessment centres/group interviews.
Continue reading → - Careers Fair 2026
Wrotham School’s Careers Fair has gone from strength to strength, building on our relationships with local and national employers, apprenticeship providers, colleges and universities. The fair will feature specialised activities to support our Year 9, 10, 11 and Sixth Form students to make informed decisions about the important transitions they face.
This year, we again welcome our neighbouring school Grange Park School to join our careers fair. Grange Park is a specialist school for children and young people with autism spectrum condition (ASC) from 9-19.
If you would like to find out more information, please visit the ‘Careers Events’ page.
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Term 5
- .CAREERS SESSIONS: Post-16 action planning
This term, Year 10 students are encouraged and supported in creating their own post-16 decision-making plan. They will create a timeline that includes personal research, work experience, virtual work experience, open days, application deadlines and will share this at home with their parents and carers.
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Term 6
- Apprenticeship Academy
A six-week programme run online by a level 6 careers advisor, Jess Pieri RCDP. This is a weekly session, held on Wednesdays from 4.30-6pm for six weeks, and is designed as a bootcamp to take students through the process of choosing, finding, applying, interviewing and managing their apprenticeship applications. Each weekly session has a specific focus and is supported by a current degree-level apprentice and an employer who offers an apprenticeship programme – these speakers will be available to answer questions. Jess is then available to offer advice, check CVs and answer questions via email. This is a service for which the school has subscribed and links will be emailed to students and parents/carers at the appropriate time in the year.
This programme runs in Terms 1 for Year 13, Term 4 for Year 11 and 13, and Term 6 for Year 10 and Year 12.
Continue reading → - Employability skills development: Character Day, Wrotham Walk
Students will have the opportunity to develop their character and employability skills through involvement in a variety of activities including Character Day and the Wrotham Walk. Last year’s character day activities included a range of opportunities to explore interests, work with professionals from different creative careers, and build their strengths through confidence and problem-solving.
Through these sessions, they will understand that the character strengths of creativity, teamwork and resilience are also employability skills.
Continue reading → - Work Placement Day/Enterprise Challenge Day
Work Placement Day is in Term 6 and offers our students in Year 8, 9 and 10 the opportunity to get real experience of a workplace. In Term 6, they take part in sessions designed to help them prepare and then reflect on the day. Each year group takes part in progressively independent activities where they become more pro-active in deciding what they would like to personally get out of the experience.
- In Year 8, students accompany a family member to work for a day to shadow them, observing and asking questions. This is intended to build their confidence and encourage open-mindedness when considering what they can learn from the adults in their lives about their strengths and interests.
- In Year 9, students are encouraged to reach out and consider their wider network when either deciding to shadow someone in a different profession or take part in a work experience day.
- In Year 10, students are encouraged and supported to be more independent, reaching out for work placements from the wider community.
Some Year 8 and Year 9 students will be in-school, taking part in an employer-led challenge with the opportunity for a work place visit at a later date.
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