Careers Information
Here at Aureus School, we take our students on a Careers Journey that will equip them for the world of work.Our careers leader is Amy King. If you have any queries, please contact Miss King using her email: a.king@aureusschool.org
Our Personal Guidance interviews are carried out by Adviza: https://www.adviza.org.uk/
We closely follow the eight Gatsby Benchmarks to ensure that our students have a full and well rounded experience, preparing them for life beyond Aureus.
Work Experience
Students go out on Work Experience for a week in Year 10.
The dates for work experience for Year 10 for 2025-26 are: Monday 22nd June - Friday 26th June 2026
Placement Confirmation – Forms Required
To authorise any placement, we require:
A Parent/Guardian Consent Form
An Employer Agreement Form
Living Our Values: Resilience – Ambition – Respect
At Aureus School, we believe that education should prepare students not just for exams, but for life. Our Year 10 Work Experience programme provides an essential opportunity for students to experience the world of work, develop real-world skills, and put our school values into action.
What Is Work Experience?
As defined by the Department for Education:
“A placement on employer’s premises in which a student carries out a particular task or duty, or range of tasks or duties, more or less as would an employee, but with an emphasis on the learning aspects of the experience.”
Work experience helps students understand how the world of work operates, develop key employability skills, and start making informed decisions about their futures.
Why We Offer Work Experience
Work experience is a core part of our Careers Education, supporting students in:
- Setting ambitious career goals
- Developing the resilience to face challenges and rejections
- Showing respect in a professional environment
- Gaining practical skills: communication, teamwork, time management, problem-solving, and organisation
It also helps students better understand how school subjects relate to future career paths.
Year 10 Work Experience – The Key Details
Who?: All Year 10 students
When?: One full week of work experience (week commencing 22nd June 2026)
Where?: Students are encouraged to arrange their own placements in a sector of interest but ask Miss King for assistance if needed
How?: Through support from school, family, and their own initiative
Finding a Placement – Encouraging Independence
We encourage students to take the lead in finding their own placements. This builds real-life skills and resilience as they:
- Research local businesses
- Write professional emails
- Complete application forms
- Attend informal interviews
- Deal with setbacks or rejections positively
Placements should be:
- Safe and appropriate
- Within commuting distance
- Ideally linked to students’ interests or aspirations – but curiosity and exploration are welcome!
Support from Aureus School
We’re here to help every step of the way:
- Assembly Launch: Guidance on how to find placements, when to apply, and what to expect
- Personal Development Lessons (GZ): CV writing, workplace behaviours, and communication tips
- Help & Advice: Our Work Experience Coordinator Miss King is available on a.king@aureusschool.org
It is the student’s responsibility to confirm practical details directly with the employer:
- Working hours
- Dress code
- Lunch arrangements
- Health & safety
The school will follow up if forms are missing, but will not automatically confirm receipt.
Our Values in the Workplace
Aureus Value: What This Looks Like During Work Experience
Resilience: Handling unfamiliar tasks, learning from mistakes, staying positive
Ambition: Asking questions, showing initiative, taking pride in tasks
Respect: Being punctual, polite, professional, and a team player
Final Notes
If students are offered a placement outside the standard week (e.g. by a company offering set dates), they must request permission in advance from the attendance officer or head teacher.
A reminder email with general guidance will be sent to all students, parents, and employers approximately one week before placements begin.
FAQ:
What hours should my child work?
Working hours will usually be the hours worked by young employees of the organisation and may be longer than a school day but should not be more than a standard 8-hour day with a reasonable break for lunch. Hours are flexible, and will usually be suggested by the employer, but can be adjusted to take account of a child’s individual needs.
How will my child travel to work?
Students and parents are expected to make their own arrangements for travel and are responsible for their child’s safety whilst travelling to the placement. Students and parents will need to cover the costs of getting to and from work. Please discuss with your child where they can travel to, and how they will get there – if not close by, will they get a lift to work experience or can they use public transport?
My child has medical/special educational needs. What should I do?
We will ask you on the Parent form to provide information about your child’s health and educational needs, so that school can pass information to employers one week or so prior to the placement. However, it helps immensely if you have already informed employers of anything important at an early stage so that they can be prepared and put in place any relevant adjustments.
What about Health and Safety? Do Employers need to take out insurance?
Most Employers will already have employers’ liability insurance in place which will cover students. Employers are responsible for carrying out their own assessment of the risks and ensuring that appropriate health and safety arrangements are in place. We ask all employers to complete an Employer Placement form to provide details of the placement, including health and safety measures. Employers should explain any risks to students and parents, and provide PPE where necessary or advise students of appropriate clothing. If you or the Employer have any questions about this, please get in touch with us. If you are reading this as an Employer, please also have a look at our Employer page.
What safeguarding measures are in place?
Our school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and we expect all adults working with students to share this commitment. If it is likely that the same individual employee will be working alone with your child for long periods of time, over the course of the whole week, we will ask you to provide further information as to whether you/your child are familiar with that person. In a few cases, we might need to consider applying for a DBS check. Please get in touch with us at an early stage if you think this might be necessary.
If you would like to discuss anything regarding work experience, please do not hesitate to contact our Careers Lead, Miss Amy King at a.king@aureusschool.org or 01235 313713
Employers
Here at Aureus we are proud to work with local employers to bring the very best and up to date information about working in Oxfordshire.
We welcome new relationships with employers who are available to show case what they can offer our young people and would be delighted to hear from you if you would like to support us at one of our events.
Your Fabulous Future in Oxfordshire: https://youtu.be/i5FcJAfeXWc
Find Your Future - Online Careers Platform: https://youtu.be/_df-TzCU4cg
Please see the downloads section below for our School Provider Access Statement.
Our students will take part in the following careers activities at Aureus School:
Year 7
KS3-KS4 Careers Map
- Careers assemblies
- Employer workshops
- Careers INSERT lessons
Year 8
- Careers assemblies
- Information on career routes assembly
- Use of up-to-date career and labour market information to help inform study/career decisions
- Employer workshops and visits (Human Library)
- Citizenship
Year 9
- Careers assemblies
CEiAG Mapping Diagram - Spin-off careers assemblies
- University aspirational visits
- Employer workshops and visits
- Citizenship
- Take Your Child to Work Day
- Support for option choices for students and parents at Options Evening
Year 10
- Careers assemblies
- Spin-off careers assemblies
- Work experience, Boss Day, assemblies
- Assemblies on information about independent training providers
- Use of up-to-date career and labour market information to help inform study/career decisions
- College visits
- University aspirational visits
- Employer workshops and visits
- Open day visits to prestigious colleges
- Citizenship
Year 11
- Mock careers interviews
- Careers fair
- Apprenticeship assembly
- Lunchtime sessions – to complete college application forms
- Sessions for MAS student – completing application forms for prestigious colleges
- Meeting with parents, if requested
- Support & advice in completing college application forms by a qualified careers adviser
- Advice and guidance for college applications
- College visitors to assemblies and drop-ins
- Citizenship
Aureus School uses student and parent voice to assess the impact of the careers programme and continues to adapt and reflect after each year.
Useful Links
Careers:
| Amazing Apprenticeships | This website contains some useful resources for apprenticeships. |
| Career Pilot | Use Career Pilot to research a wide array of different roles and sectors. |
| Labour Market Information | This website helps to understand the sectors in demand within Oxfordshire, by developing Labour Market Information. |
| National Careers Service | The National Careers Service provides information, advice and guidance on learning, training, career choice, career development, job search, and the labour market. It can be accessed online and by telephone. |
| Prospects | Have a look at Prospects for information on different job roles. |
| Success at School | Looking at how subjects link to careers with the Gatsby Subject Guide. |
| The WOW Show | The WOW Show is an online channel creating real-life encounters with the world of work to inspire young people about their futures. |
| UCAS | Take a quiz to find out what jobs are suited to you. |
Jobs:
| All About School Leavers | CV Template |
| E4S | Finding a Job |
| How to write a CV | Job Interviewing techniques |
