On Friday 29 April, Year 7 students participated in a Thinking About the Future Focus Day.  The main aim of the day was to introduce students to careers; what a career is, what types of careers there are, what skills and qualifications are needed to go into careers and what personal qualities are needed.

In the introduction session students were challenged to find a career beginning with each letter of the alphabet. Our Year 7s were very creative and many managed to find two for each letter! They were then very fortunate to have someone from Bowmer & Kirkland (our new school’s construction company) come in to deliver an assembly on possible careers in construction. This opened students’ eyes to the many different roles available in construction work including surveyors, architects and roles in finance and management.

During Session 2, students took a quiz about their personal skills and attributes which then directed them to possible careers they may be good at and interested in. If you’re interested in taking the quiz follow this link! Careers advice - job profiles, information and resources | National Careers Service. Students then researched their chosen careers and created their own mood board with information including day to day responsibilities, qualifications needed, weekly hours, salary, and possibility for progression. You can see some examples of the fantastic work students produced below:

The next session taught students the importance of being able to work well in a team. After watching a video and discussing the role of team-work in different careers, the students took to the playground to see how well they could work together. The Year 7s took part in a variety of team-building activities including; untie the human knot and trying to get a hula hoop around the whole class without breaking the chain. Overall, the students worked really well together and were able to have some reflection time after about the different roles they took in each activity.

You can read below how some of the students enjoyed their day:

I really found this Focus Day engaging, interesting and useful. It helped me realise that there are lots of different careers and that there is a career for everyone. It was engaging because all the activities showed different skills that are required for lots of jobs which also made it useful. For example, we completed a teamwork activity when we had to work together to complete a task, and it helped me to know that in life teamwork is a special skill and a fantastic one to have when trying for many jobs. I enjoyed every minute of this focus day, and I think that it was fantastic as I learnt so much, and I would love to do something like this again. Dominic, 7 Strand

During Focus Day, we had fun learning about careers whilst also being taught the expectations of a good quality job. We learnt about career interviews, how to prepare for them and what you will need. We were told this and helped to understand by Bowmer and Kirkland, the people who are constructing our school. The Focus Day helped us to experience different people and their personalities, we interviewed each other and rotated who we did it with so that we made more friendships along the way. When we did the activities outside, we were put into random groups, which we did not choose, this helped us to vary who we participated in games with. By linking arms and untying the knot, we found out different strategies to resolve the issue. Overall, I think Focus Day went very well, engaged students and encouraged them to find their career path. Lola, 7 Ludgate

I enjoyed Focus Day because it made you think about your future and what is expected in adulthood which I think every child should learn at a young age. I would definitely recommend for this topic to be shared with the next year 7 classes. Issie, 7 Piccadilly

On Friday 29 April, we had our third Focus Day of the school year. The topic was careers and I found it was very interesting and useful, especially as this time next year we will make our first choices for GCSE subjects. One of the activities was learning about many different careers and we did a quiz where the results suggested jobs that might be suitable for us. Another activity was team building. We worked in large groups outside to solve problems, for example untie the human knot. We ended the day with an inter house competition where we either solved a murder mystery or protected an egg from breaking from a height drop. Overall, I had a really fun day and I cannot wait for the next focus day. Emily, 7 Holborn

I have really enjoyed Focus Day because I have learnt many new jobs that are in the construction industry. Before the focus day I did not know what I wanted to be when I am older. This focus day has filled my brain with lots of new career opportunities I would have never thought or even heard about. Also, the role play about an interview helped me to understand what was right and wrong when being interviewed or interviewing. This focus day has really changed my mind about what I want to do when I'm older, it has given me lots of tips to know about when applying for a job. It has inspired me to do well at school so it will open up more opportunities for me in the future. Joshua, 7 Bow

Thank you to all the Year 7 students for fully engaging with the day and I am sure all students have gone away with lots to think about for the future!