Careers Plan – Year 9 (2026-27)
YEAR 9 CAREERS AIM: to build aspirations and encourage students to explore career opportunities in more detail while developing a broad understanding of the world of work.
RATIONALE: This year builds on the work in Year 7 and 8, 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: My Career Readiness
In their fortnightly careers sessions, Year 9 students will be guided through where they can access support and guidance around careers during this important year when they begin their GCSEs. As part of this unit, they will complete a career-readiness online questionnaire (the FSQ) so that our careers lead can plan appropriate careers activities and interventions where needed. After that is complete, they will talk to STEM Ambassadors about their jobs, their own GCSE choices, and then how they use their GCSEs within their careers.
Continue reading → - Employer Challenge: Sustainability and STEM Careers
One of our former students, Zara, will be visiting Year 9 students to talk about her job as a sustainability advisor at Collins Construction. She will be talking about the importance of sustainability and its relevance within future careers, and will also be setting a challenge for the students. The winners will get the chance for a day’s experience of a workplace as part of a visit to Collins.
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Term 2
- .CAREERS SESSIONS: Stereotypes in Careers
In their fortnightly careers sessions, Year 9 students will explore their preconceptions about careers sectors in order to support their understanding of how their studies relate to the world of work. They will explore the impact of stereotypes on individual career choices, as well as understanding that a range of careers can exist within a sector beyond the ones they may know.
Students will also revisit Morrisby, taking the aspirations questionnaire to update their career interests.
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Term 3
- .CAREERS SESSIONS: Work Experience Launch
In this term’s careers sessions, Year 9 students will begin preparations for their 2-day work experience in Term 6. Students will explore how they might make use of this opportunity to support their learning and future plans. They will be introduced to the idea of personal networks and how they might make use of those to find opportunities.
This term also includes National Apprenticeship Week, which Year 9 students join for the first time this year.
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Term 4
- .CAREERS SESSIONS: Careers Fair
This term, Year 9 students will attend the school’s careers fair for the first time. Careers sessions will focus on the purpose of events like this, as well as how to make a good impression and how to find real examples of the careers vocabulary they’ve been building (like apprenticeships, A levels, vocational courses and graduate programmes).
Continue reading → - Workplace Experience: MOVE IT 2027 – Dance Day Trip
Open to all students in Years 7, 8, and 9 to expose students to the wider professional dance world. It offers a fantastic experience, presenting students to career paths in the dance world, networking opportunities, live performances, practical dance sessions and stalls from top dance schools and vendors. Students can watch live performances, network with dance colleges and schools, and participate in dance classes led by industry professionals.
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Term 5
- .CAREERS SESSIONS: Enterpreneurship Challenge
Year 9 students will undertake an entrepreneurship challenge across their fortnightly careers sessions, and have the opportunity to understand the different elements involved in being self-employed. They will also be supported by the Year 9 and Careers Teams in arranging their work experience placements for next term.
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Term 6
- .CAREERS SESSIONS: Work Experience
This term’s focus is on work experience for Year 9. They will be supported in their preparation, understanding of workplace expectations, and in their reflections they will learn how to write about their achievements following the CAR format (Challenge, Action, Result) that will be added to their CVs in Year 10.
Continue reading → - EXPERIENCE OF THE WORKPLACE: Work Placement
Work Placement Day is in Term 6 and offers our students in Year 9 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 their two-day placement. Students can undertake placements with family members or apply for placements independently, but they are all encouraged to be pro-active in deciding what they would like to personally get out of the experience.
A small number of students who are unable to take part will be in school, taking part in an employer-led challenge.
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