Careers Plan – Year 8 (2025-26)
YEAR 8 CAREERS AIM: to encourage students to explore their interests and motivations and focus on developing a broader understanding of the world of work.
RATIONALE: This year builds on the work in Year 7 and the focus is on their understanding of the workplace and their rights and responsibilities within it. We aim to further embed their understanding of how both careers and character education are linked, but also to help them understand that they will play an active role in a workplace.
Term 1
- .CAREERS SESSIONS: Rights within the workplace
In their fortnightly careers sessions, Year 8 students gain a greater understanding of the world of work. They will be introduced to what is involved when calling in sick to work and how this might affect pay, or might need supporting documentation. They also look at disability rights in the workplace and are introduced to the concept of reasonable adjustments – this builds on their introduction to the Equality Act 2010 in Year 7.
Continue reading →
Term 2
- .CAREERS SESSIONS: The changing world of work
In their fortnightly careers sessions, Year 8 students will learn about the speed at which the type of work we do is changing. They will focus on the impact of climate change and the drive for sustainable working practices, along with the ‘green careers’ that are appearing in the labour market. There will also be a focus on the need to be agile in their future careers, develop character and ‘soft skills’ along with the value of continuing professional development.
Continue reading → - .CAREERS SESSIONS: Veterans and careers
As part of remembrance week, Year 8 will consider the secondary careers that veterans often choose and why. They will look at different roles within the armed forces and how these choices can prepare a person for other career sectors and roles. This is an important part of helping our students to understand that their career is a journey and that different life events and priorities might mean they need to adapt and show creativity and resilience.
Continue reading →
Term 3
- .CAREERS SESSIONS: PSHE and Careers
In their fortnightly careers sessions this term, Year 8 will be focusing on activities that support the PSHE content that is being delivered. This includes rights in the workplace as well as examples of LGBTQ+ workplace diversity schemes and the Stonewall top-ranked employers.
In this term, students will also sign up to Morrisby, our online careers platform, which will allow them to explore their career interests with completely up to date information, as well as access their personalised career records.
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.
Continue reading →
Term 4
- .CAREERS SESSIONS: Work/life balance
In their fortnightly careers sessions, Year 8 students explore the role that work/life balance has in our lives and how the wage or salary is not the only consideration to make when deciding on a career. We will also introduce the role that occupational health professionals make to supporting individuals in their access to work.
Continue reading →
Term 5
- .CAREERS SESSIONS: Entrepreneurship challenge
Year 8 students will undertake an entrepreneurship challenge across their fortnightly careers sessions, and have the opportunity to understand the different elements, skills and character strengths involved in being self-employed.
Continue reading →
Term 6
- .CAREERS SESSIONS: Preparing for Year 9 Decisions
In term 6, our focus is helping Year 8 students to understand the transition that will happen over the next year. We will look at why we choose GCSEs and what exactly they are, in preparation for Year 9 Choices.
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 → - OUTDOOR LEARNING: Carroty Wood
Every year, our Year 8 students have the opportunity to take part in adventure and outdoor education at Carroty Wood. The activities at this residential trip help students with their personal development, focusing on positive psychology, strength-based learning and resilience building. The aim of this event is to support students to have transformational experiences that go beyond the classroom and help them develop the character to succeed in their future. For the students who attend, it is one of the highlights of their time at Wrotham School.
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.
Continue reading →
