Year 7 is all about new beginnings. Within the Autumn term, students will be supported in starting a new school and making the most of this exciting new chapter of their lives. One particular activity is the Forest of Hope task where they will reflect on the current worries, hopes, community and how it affects them.

In year 7, students are also introduced to Unifrog a brilliant website and tool they will use throughout their time here at Arden. You can learn more on the Unifrog page.

 Throughout the rest of the year, they are given opportunities to focus on their strengths and start thinking about their future journey.

Within Futures, year 8 students focus on developing their skills and strengths. In future form times, they are looking at some core skills they need to succeed. These sessions look at how students are already using many of the skills without realising and how they can improve them further.

Year 9 presents students with one of the first time in their educational journey where they get a choice on what they want to do. Options is a brilliant chance for students to dive deeper into their future, how they can make the correct choices for what they want to achieve and how their current decisions can affect their future choices. 

Throughout year 9, students are supported through this options process and given time and resources to ensure they make the right decision. 

To support this during future form time sessions, students complete the Building Your Best Life Booklet, which aims to support students in looking at character and career development. It talks through every stage of a person's 'career' with activities that help students think deeply about values that matter to themselves and how these can relate to their future.

Year 10 brings the start of GCSE content for many subjects. In Futures, we use this year to look at the world of work and continue students' views on looking to the future, including post-16 options. In the summer term, students are offered the opportunity to explore a University and learn about the different pathways available to them after GCSEs and the differences between them. 

This year, students also see the world of work through their work experience. This is a powerful opportunity to apply the skills they have learnt from school to action. You can find more about the process in the Work Experience tab.

As students enter their last year of secondary school. Futures sessions and activities aim to support students in deciding what they want to do after year 11. 

We help students in sessions to look at the different pathways, where they can lead and the individual benefits and drawbacks for each student. 

In year 11, students are also given the opportunity to speak to our Careers Advisor, Mrs Butcher-Johns to get tailored guidance on their next steps.