Different schools will be at different stages of their journey with career-related learning, and are likely to be already carrying out activities that support pupils’ understanding of careers.
For example, you may already be involving employers in curriculum linked projects, or providing the opportunity for pupils to ask questions about careers when on school trips. Our platform is designed to help teachers embed career-related learning in their classrooms and across the school, regardless of starting point.
Within your school, you will already be working towards some of the principles of good practice for career-related learning, either within planned careers activities or the wider curriculum. We've designed a quiz in partnership with Skills Builder that will help you think strategically about how career-related learning happens in your school. The quiz uses the six principles of good career-related learning and the six principles of essential skills development, to help you to reflect on the best ways to structure your approach. The quiz will help you reflect on where your strengths currently are, and what your next steps could be.
All pupils benefit when career-related learning is coordinated across the whole school. A whole-school approach makes building career-related learning into the curriculum easier and also helps schools plan for progression across year groups.
You can share information about career-related learning with colleagues and important stakeholders by:
The quiz will help you identify ways in which your school can enhance pupils’ career-related learning.
Members of your school community, such as parents, governors and local employers can contribute to career-related learning.
It can be useful for one member of school staff to coordinate a strategy, and support from school leaders is important for ensuring the approach is given due priority across the setting.
The case studies highlight examples of best practice in other schools. You can use these to explain what career-related learning in primary school looks like, to generate ideas and get staff excited about career-related learning.
Look at the Tips for how to embed career-related learning in your setting for ideas to suit you at any point in your journey.
A well implemented whole-school approach to career-related learning can support you as you work towards other priorities.
For example, the six principles of effective primary careers education may complement schools’ efforts to embed character education or respond to Ofsted’s framework. The resources have not been designed with these objectives in mind specifically, but can support your school in achieving its wider aims.
As a school we have learnt more about the power of collaborative learning and that this was the greatest challenge that our children faced this week. We will look at ways that we can incorporate this skill into our curriculum more frequently so that the children can get used to this way of working.
Deputy Head