Our Careers Programme

Programme of activities 

Year 7 

During Year 7 pupils are introduced to careers education at Thomas Keble. Within their tutorial sessions they will discuss different types of jobs, and the employability skills needed. We then invite parents in for our very popular ‘Name The Job’ event, where small groups of pupils are encouraged to ask the parents questions to find out what their job is, and what it entails. 

Year 8 

During Year 8 pupils build on their understanding: in tutorial time, we continue to develop pupils' transferable employability skills and they evaluate their current strengths using the CareerPilot platform. They review and reflect on their achievements and use action-planning skills to help them reach new goals, based on their growing knowledge of themselves. Pupils also learn about equal opportunity issues in the workplace, and budgeting for a household using a monthly salary using The Budget Game from Barclays LifeSkills.

Year 9 

Year 9 pupils take part in a number of different activities to help them consider and choose their GCSE options. 

Through tutorials, pupils continue to develop their strengths and recognise the importance of developing their aptitudes. They use the CareerPilot software to find out about career pathways and during lesson time we will confirm the pupils’ knowledge about the qualifications framework. 

The pupils develop an understanding of the basic concepts and terminology of the world of work. They are given the opportunity to further explore the job families they are interested in and are able to focus on specific jobs to find out more about them. The pupils explore their attitudes and preconceptions about gender stereotypes, evaluate occupations based on their own interests, and begin to learn about some of the hard realities of the workplace. The pupils examine the concepts of transition and transferable skills. 

We invite an external provider in to talk about the range of qualifications students can take in the future including A-Levels, T-Levels, vocational courses and apprenticeships, and the entry requirements for each type of course. In 2022, this was run by the University of Gloucestershire virtually to each tutor group, and in 2023 we changed to a face-to-face session from Cirencester College. 

Pupils can request a careers interview with a careers advisor to help with choosing their GCSE options. A letter will be sent home so that they can discuss this with their parents or carers. 

A useful booklet is given to all Year 9 students which details the range of subject options available to them with information about what is studied and how each course is assessed. Options workshops are also run by the careers team to help students make informed subject choices.  

Thomas Keble School holds an “Options Evening" in February for Year 9 students and their parents.  This is an excellent opportunity to speak to subject teachers and to see a careers advisor. 

Year 10 

In tutorial time, Year 10 pupils spend time career planning and are encouraged to use CareerPilot. 

In April, we hold our ‘Ask The Professional’ event. Year 10 pupils spend a day taking part in a number of different activities which are careers advisor- and tutor-led. The activities include preparing for and interviewing a range of different professionals in a “speed networking” style format. 

In June, Year 10 pupils attend taster days at local sixth forms and colleges along with Year 10s from other local schools. Students choose between Cirencester College or Stroud College as a term-time visit, and our local sixth forms such as Marling offer taster days on a Saturday which we encourage pupils to attend. Pupils are able to choose the lessons they would like to attend. This is a great opportunity to try out different subjects and courses which they could study after Year 11 and to spend time in the different environments. 

Year 10 pupils spend a week in a work experience placement in July. This is a fantastic way to find out more about a career area of interest and to gain an insight into the world of work. Ahead of their placement, pupils are helped to prepare so that they can make the most of the experience. 

A Post 16 evening is held by the school in May for students and their parents/carers. Local sixth forms, colleges, alternative education providers and employers are available to speak to and a number of talks will be given during the evening covering topics such as apprenticeships, T-Levels and post-16 application support. 

Year 11 

All Year 11s receive at least two careers guidance meetings with our in-school careers advisor and more follow-up appointments may be made if required. Pupils can also drop into the careers office one lunchtime per week should they wish to speak to the careers advisor. 

In the Autumn, pupils take part in our ‘Life After TK’ day which includes workshops covering CV writing, application writing, apprenticeships, university mythbusting, gap years and writing covering letters. Local employers offer mock interviews for all of Year 11 students, providing excellent detailed feedback for the students to reflect on and improve before college interviews begin. During tutorial time pupils review their plans and their skills, practice their interview technique and learn about the changing job market.

National Careers Week 

Every March we hold a Careers Fair during National Careers Week. A wide variety of local employers and education providers set up stalls in our school hall, and students are encouraged to speak to as many as possible to gain an insight into what they offer. All years from 7-11 have allocated slots throughout the morning where they can visit with their class.  

For 2021, this event became virtual. Local employers and parents sent us a short video explaining their job, and although we are now back to face-to-face careers fairs, these videos are still available and are shown in lessons during National Careers Week to prompt discussion in each subject area. https://www.sites.google.com/view/tk-careers-fair