National Careers Week 2026

NCW Workshops

Last week, our Year 7, 8 and 9 pupils engaged in a series of workshops as part of National Careers Week. The theme and focus of this year’s sessions was identifying and developing transferable skills that pupils can use in their future careers.

Year 7 began their session by completing a “Who’s the Hacker?” scenario task, where they had to solve various puzzles using numeracy skills to identify codes and access different pieces of evidence. Once pupils had collated all the evidence, they needed to identify the group they believed were the culprits of a cyberhack of a military base.

The Year 8 and 9 pupils took part in a workshop based on the science of Formula E racing. They were tasked with solving a range of puzzles, this time using information about sustainability within the sport, before coming up with a final answer. Both workshops required pupils to develop their problem‑solving, communication and teamwork skills.

Pupils were then treated to a talk by Mr Sadler, our Head of Examinations, who guided them through his fascinating “Winding Career” presentation, showcasing how career paths can change over time and the factors that influence those changes.

For the final workshop for all year groups, they were introduced to a national careers competition run by the NHS. Pupils have been tasked with creating a job advert for a career of their choice within the NHS. They can be as creative as they like with this, some pupils are designing a poster, while others are considering recording a podcast. We look forward to seeing their final creations ahead of the submission deadline on Thursday 30th April.

Careers Event 

Pupils across the school were invited to hear members of the Ashford School staff share their career journeys. Staff represented a wide range of professions, including journalism, chartered accountancy, academic research and many more. The pupils thoroughly enjoyed listening to the varied experiences, giving them plenty of food for thought as they begin to consider their own future career choices.