Year 7

In Year 7, students are introduced to the concept of a career, and will explore their own career priorities and preferences. Year 7 students will set up their Unifrog account and will be supported to use the platform effectively. For example, students will be supported to use the Unifrog Careers Library to identify careers of interest, and will record their own extra-curricular activities on their Unifrog profile and reflect on how these activities help them to gain employable skills. Students will understand what makes a successful career, and will reflect on their priorities and preferences for their own career. The career learning that takes place in Year 7 is designed to equip students with the skills and vocabulary they need to explore and reflect on different career paths in Years 8 and 9.

We have also set up a parent login so that parents/carers can explore Unifrog as if you were a student yourself, allowing you to understand how Unifrog supports your child’s career learning, and helping you to support your child in their use of the platform. The sign up code you need is: XXXXX and you can sign up here: www.unifrog.org/code. To create an account, enter the sign up code XXXXXX and then create an account with your own details.

Year 8

In Year 8, students will begin to explore a range of different career sectors, including careers in technology, engineering, architecture and the civil service. Students will learn about different types of workplace, the qualifications and training needed for these careers, and will compare the different skills required to excel in different careers. This is supplemented by guest speakers from selected employers which will give students a direct insight into these sectors. Year 8 students will learn how to use sources of information about different careers, including up-to-date Labour Market Information (LMI) such as the number of people employed in a sector, salary statistics, and average working hours. Curriculum learning is linked to careers throughout; career learning will highlight how the subjects that students study in school link to a range of successful careers.

Year 9

In Year 9, students will continue to explore a range of careers, including banking and finance, healthcare, and law, supplemented by selected guest speakers. Students will understand the different types of qualifications and training needed for different careers, and the skills required to excel in these careers. Students will make use of up-to-date Labour Market Information (LMI) to help them make career decisions. Students will learn how different subjects link to different careers, helping them to make informed choices about GCSE options that will lead to their desired career. Having compared a range of careers and identified those that interest them the most, Year 9 students will be ready for career learning in Year 10 and Year 11 in which they will learn in more detail about the workplace and recruitment, and post-16, post-18 and post-university routes into these sectors.

Year 10

In Year 10, students explore the world of work. This builds upon prior knowledge about different types of workplaces introduced in Years 8 and 9, and complements Year 10 work experience which takes place at the end of the Autumn term. Each Year 10 student will undertake a high-quality work experience placement, Students will undertake preparation for their placement and reflection after their placement as part of their career learning. As part of this preparation, students will learn about writing a CV, workplace behaviour, rights and responsibilities at work, and the recruitment process. By the end of Year 10, students will have a solid understanding of the world of work and are therefore ready to begin planning for the next stage of their career in Year 11.

Year 11

In Year 11, students prepare for next steps after Oxford Spires. They will learn about the range of post-16 and post-18 education and training options open to them including colleges, apprenticeships, universities, and other kinds of qualifications and training providers. Students will learn about how to make use of information about universities including university websites and university league tables. Students will compare different ways of getting a university degree including degree apprenticeships. Additionally, Year 11 students will learn about routes into the workplace after college/university including apprenticeships, graduate schemes and postgraduate study. Our aim is that students are fully informed about their options after OSA, and are therefore able to make informed decisions in order to progress successfully on to the next stage of their education.

All students have access to Unifrog, an online careers platform which allows students to explore hundreds of job profiles, identify different training routes into their chosen career, identify and shortlist universities, and access resources about the world of work and university life. Using Unifrog, students can explore post-16 and post-18 education, career options and learn further about the GCSE and A Level subject options that are appropriate for their individual career paths via a personalised VLE. Using Unifrog is embedded into career learning at all stages in the school.

At Oxford Spires Academy, our Scholars Guide ensures that students are exposed to a wide range of career opportunities throughout each learning cycle (three times a year). By directly linking career insights and pathways to the taught curriculum, we help students see the real-world applications of their studies and inspire them to explore various professional fields. This approach not only broadens students’ horizons but also equips them with the knowledge to make informed decisions about their future.

Oxford Spires Academy is committed to supporting students make informed and ambitious decisions about their futures. We aim to prepare our students to go on to further or higher education, degree apprenticeships to enable them to make a meaningful impact to local, national and the global economy.

Work and life readiness are key attributes that our students will develop from both tutor time and curriculum learning alike. Our bespoke Professional Development programme ensures that our learners will develop key skills throughout their secondary education and this is mapped against the Gatsby Benchmarks and the Career Development Framework from the CDI.

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