Our Careers Programme

Welcome to Careers Education at Academy 360 – Primary Phase. We believe that introducing careers-related learning early helps children develop curiosity, confidence, and ambition for the future. Our aim is to give every child the opportunity to explore the world of work in ways that are meaningful and age-appropriate, building the foundations for lifelong learning and success.

Intent

Careers - Related Learning (CRL) is an integral part of our curriculum offer in the Academy 360 Primary Phase. All our pupils, from their arrival into the Early Years and Foundation Stage environment, to their leaving at the end of Key Stage Two, are involved in many key events and experiences. Additionally, they have the opportunity to access the first stages of our Academy 360 all-through CRL offer, which is founded upon our collective belief that a strong and ambitious curriculum can transform the future opportunities of our pupils, by broadening their horizons and raising their expectations of their own progression. 

Our intent is that our pupils' Careers - Related Learning journeys are seamlessly interwoven throughout the fabric of our school; in all subjects' lessons across the curriculum, as well as through specific CRL sessions, pupils are involved in meaningful discussions and acquire a range of skills that will enable their progression into their next steps of education and future employment. 

Furthermore, British Values are an essential element of the curriculum; Academy 360 pupils build skills for employability whilst learning to work in a collaborative and democratic manner. Their understanding of the importance of mutual respect is driven by their experiencing of diverse cultures and backgrounds. Pupils are nurtured and encouraged to gain greater resilience and independence, whilst also embracing the importance of evidence-based reasoning. 

Implementation

Careers – Related Learning is delivered through our school’s provision of a progressive, age-appropriate and context-driven curriculum, which allows pupils to benefit from a progression and broadening of content, taught skills and experiences from Early Years to Key Stage 2. 

• In the Early Years, CRL is facilitated through explorative and imaginative role-play and creative learning opportunities in the continuous provision.  

• Resources such as the ‘ESH Get into STEM Kit’ are accessed by learners from Reception to Year 2, due to Academy 360’s burgeoning partnerships with local employers and counterpart schools. 

• In Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, our CRL provision has received accreditation in recognition of the consistency and depth of our offer; our curriculum is assessed against the Gatsby Benchmarks, ensuring that our cohorts access an extraordinary range of opportunities.  

• During the academic year, a range of meaningful enrichment events are attended by our pupils, either on-site or out of school. These include workshops with local employers and industry representatives and our annual careers fair. 

• Teachers use consistent approaches, including vocabulary that supports our CRL offer and displays that encourage pupils’ awareness and understanding.  

• Oracy is prioritised through our school’s embracing of the Voice21 approach, enabling pupils to build clarity when articulating their aspirations and engaging with opportunities for partner talk and structured discussion. 

• Technology enhances CRL learning, with Y2-Y6 pupils’ access to iPads allowing them to independently research and explore available careers, training and education opportunities and report their findings within the context of their own desired pathway. 

How We Support SEND Pupils in Careers-Related Learning

Inclusion is at the heart of our CRL curriculum, ensuring that each of our learners has the opportunity to participate meaningfully in activities, workshops and educational visits, in turn facilitating their increasing understanding of their own fantastic potential; adaptations made by staff facilitate every pupil's involvement and appropriate scaffolding is consistently in place, removing potential barriers to learning, so that CRL is accessible to all. This is an intrinsic benefit derived from our PedTech strategy, which affords a fantastic opportunity for learners with SEND to receive appropriate additional support, enabling them to participate fully in all aspects of our CRL offer. 

How We Support Disadvantaged Pupils in Careers-Related Learning

Disadvantaged pupils benefit from the tailoring of our CRL curriculum to our local community’s context; our school is fortunate to have the benefit of strong support from all stakeholders. Staff, family and members of our wider community are all ambitious for our pupils, generating an environment where pupils' individual areas of interest, curiosity and strength are celebrated and nurtured, so that the range of opportunities at the fingertips of each generation is wider than those of their predecessors. 

Practical and experiential elements of Careers - Related Learning in the Academy 360 Primary Phase are also specifically focused on our pupils' local contexts; by equipping our students with relevant and specific skills, and affording them a keen awareness of the local careers market, our learners leave KS2 with a secure and confident understanding of the opportunities that they may have access to on a local, regional and national basis. This, in turn, allows our pupils to be ambitious and well-informed, when examining potential pathways into the local jobs market. 

How CRL Relates to Skills Builder

The CRL curriculum at Academy 360 actively develops the Skills Builder essential skills through enquiry based and collaborative learning: 

• Listening and Speaking: communicating preferences and aspirations clearly  

• Problem Solving and Creativity: research used to increase knowledge 

• Planning: planning education and career pathways  

• Teamwork: working collaboratively during workshops 

• Leadership: increasing pupils’ ability to identify their own preferences 

These transferable skills are embedded within lessons, supporting pupils’ wider development and readiness for future learning and employment. 

Impact

The impact of the CRL curriculum is evidenced through pupils’ growing knowledge and understanding of relevant information and skills. 

• Pupil voice demonstrates high levels of engagement, curiosity and confidence in discussing CRL and experiences.  

• Curriculum impact is evident in pupils’ discussion of potential careers, displays and improved levels of engagement with events and opportunities.  

Over recent years, our careers provision has grown considerably in its breadth of coverage and pupil involvement. We now benefit from an established suite of strands, which are carefully designed to support our pupils, regardless of their age, attainment, SEND needs or area of interest. Academy 360 promotes pupils' high aspirations and the widening of their awareness of careers opportunities; all pupils at our school are nurtured and encouraged to realise their potential and raise their aspirations. Learners leave the Academy 360 Primary Phase well-equipped to enter their next stages of academic and practical development.