top of page

How can I support my child in making the right choice when they leave Oak Wood School?

We believe this question should not just be asked at the end of your child’s tenure at Oak Wood, but actually right at the very start. We do not expect our pupils to have their sights set on a particular career at the start of their Oak Wood School journey; if they do, that is great! We will try to encourage them to consider how their personalities match particular careers. There are many different ways to ascertain how your personality matches a career, but the one we use is the Buzz Quiz. Try this quiz with your child as a bit of an ‘ice breaker’ when talking about the career they want to pursue when they are older: https://icould.com/buzz-quiz/ 

Be open, honest, and non-judgmental when discussing career paths with your child

A significant factor in choosing a career path is environment.

We are aware that many pupils might feel pressured into going into a particular career because they fit a particular demographic, or because ‘it’s what my friends are doing’. Encourage your child to go into a career path because it suits their strengths, and certainly support them to challenge any stereotypes that may be attached to them. Do not discourage your child from going to university if they have any learning needs, or enrolling in the Army because they are female, for example.

Don’t lock in on one particular career

The range of careers young people can consider is extremely broad, and this can be quite difficult to narrow down. In fact, there’s a good chance that the career your child will decide may have not even been created yet! There are over 65,000 UK undergraduate courses, so narrowing down a career path might be a daunting process. Using the buzz quiz may help to narrow this down.

What will Oak Wood School provide to give your child the best careers programme?

Oak Wood uses a national framework that supports the careers provision of schools and colleges called ‘The Gatsby 8 Benchmarks’. These benchmarks make up different requirements that are necessary for a world-class career guidance system. Oak Wood School is very proud to score above the National Average in achieving most of these benchmarks (October 2021), but are striving to achieve 100% for each benchmark within the next three years. Our aim is to ensure that our young people are provided with the means and opportunity to engage with industry and employers to understand their future job and careers potentials. To support the school ethos we have developed a specific careers vision for Oak Wood School.

Upcoming events 

Oak Wood Careers Fair
3rd November 2022

business-g760384037_1920.jpg
bottom of page