What can you do as a KS3 teacher to get your students thinking about their future?

Introduce them to career choices, GCSE options, and even look ahead to university with our free downloadable careers planner.

Get your hands on this simple teaching guide packed with lesson ideas for Key Stage 3 classes looking ahead to their future choices and careers.

Download and print our planner (1.14 MB). The planners are designed to print out at up to A3 size, but will also resize to smaller paper sizes.

What's included in the Key Stage 3 careers planner?

Our A3 posters are double-sided, with one side aimed at students and the other for their teachers.

Tools to help Year 7, 8 and 9 students stay on track

Students can use their side as an at-a-glance guide to activities they can get involved with individually or in class. What questions should they be asking themselves? How can they be developing the right skills? How can they make the most of what they're learning at school?

The ultimate careers resource for KS3 teachers

For teachers, we have developed a unique range of activities and resources to help you explore the themes in more depth with your KS3 students. Here are a few examples:

  • What difference would a degree make? Get students to investigate whether a degree could help them land their dream job.
  • What subjects do you need for certain careers? See if students know of any degrees that require certain subjects at GCSE/BTEC/Higher level already. This can lead on to a broader discussion about good and bad reasons to choose subjects for GCSE.
  • What next after 16? First check what students know about current post-16 options, then use our resources to talk it through in detail.                                    

The planner has 27 different activities to explore with your students – each with suggested resources – covering future plans, skills development and money matters. They're easy to follow and our year-by-year guide helps you to slot them in at the right age and key stage.