Career Detectives: Preparing SEND Learners for the Future Through Play, Curiosity and Real-World Connection – Daventry Hill School
January 29, 2026
At Daventry Hill School, part of Creating Tomorrow Trust, preparing learners for their future starts much earlier than traditional careers education – and it starts with play.
Career Detectives is an innovative, inclusive careers programme designed specifically to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to explore the world of work in an accessible, meaningful and developmentally appropriate way.
Rather than relying on abstract concepts or distant ideas of “jobs”, Career Detectives brings careers to life through hands-on exploration, sensory experiences, role play and structured curiosity – meeting learners exactly where they are.
What is Career Detectives?
Career Detectives is a practical, box-based careers programme embedded across the primary phase at Daventry Hill School.
- Each class receives a Career Detective box every half term
- Boxes are accessed weekly, allowing time for repetition, familiarity and deeper learning
- Each box focuses on a theme or sector (for example: People Who Help Us)
- Activities are designed to be exploratory rather than outcome-driven
The structure allows learners to build understanding gradually, revisit concepts, and make connections in a way that feels safe, predictable and engaging.
Who is the programme for?
The programme is particularly effective for learners following pre-formal and semi-formal pathways.
These learners benefit from:
- Play-based learning
- Sensory exploration
- Visual and tactile resources
- Opportunities to communicate without reliance on written language
While designed with these learners in mind, staff report that even more formal learners are actively choosing the play-based tasks, often engaging alongside peers and sharing sorting activities, games and discussions.
This demonstrates that when careers learning is designed inclusively, it benefits all learners.
Why play-based careers education matters for SEND learners
For many SEND learners, traditional careers education can feel:
- Too abstract
- Too language-heavy
- Too far removed from their lived experience
Career Detectives addresses this by:
- Using small-world play, props and role play
- Offering sensory-rich activities
- Encouraging choice, exploration and curiosity
- Embedding learning through doing, not just listening
Staff highlight that role play and sensory elements are the most powerful, with learners engaging more readily when activities include:
- Chunky, tactile toys
- Costumes
- Real-world objects
- Hands-on problem solving
These approaches support:
- Communication development
- Social interaction
- Emotional regulation
- Confidence and independence
All of which are essential foundations for future employability.
Linking careers to the wider curriculum and future preparation
Career Detectives works best when aligned with classroom topics.
For example, during a Great Fire of London topic, a People Who Help Us box allowed learners to:
- Explore roles such as firefighters and other emergency services
- Make meaningful links between history, community roles and modern employment
- Reinforce learning through repetition and real-life relevance
This cross-curricular approach ensures careers learning is not an “add-on”, but a natural part of the learner’s understanding of the world.
What do staff say?
Staff feedback has been overwhelmingly positive:
- Learners are highly engaged and motivated
- The boxes provide vital exposure to employability concepts
- They offer a valuable alternative at a time when community access and trips are increasingly difficult
- They create natural opportunities for communication, discussion and shared play
Staff have also provided constructive feedback, recognising that:
- Some boxes are stronger than others
- There is a desire for more small-world and role-play resources
- Larger, more durable items would further support engagement
This reflective feedback has helped the programme continue to evolve.
The role of post-16 learners: learning goes both ways
A unique strength of Career Detectives is the involvement of Post-16 learners in maintaining and preparing the boxes.
Post-16 students:
- Work in pairs using checklists
- Practise teamwork, collaboration and problem solving
- Develop communication, speaking and listening skills
- Follow written instructions, supporting Functional Skills English and maths
As the programme has matured, expectations have increased. Students are now encouraged to:
- Quality assure the boxes independently
- Identify missing or broken items
- Apply critical thinking to resolve issues
This adds a meaningful employability layer, allowing older learners to practise real-world workplace behaviours while supporting younger pupils
Preparing learners for the future – one box at a time
Career Detectives shows that preparation for adulthood does not start at post-16.
For SEND learners, future readiness is built through:
- Early exposure to the world of work
- Communication and interaction opportunities
- Confidence through play and exploration
- Understanding community roles and purpose
By making careers education accessible, sensory and meaningful, Career Detectives ensures learners are not excluded from future thinking – but are actively encouraged to see themselves as part of the wider world.
Connecting Early Careers Learning to Apprenticeships
Career Detectives lays the foundation for future vocational pathways, including apprenticeships, by helping learners understand the world of work from an early age. By exploring roles, practising workplace skills such as teamwork, problem solving, communication, and following instructions, learners begin to develop the attributes employers value. Post-16 students supporting the boxes gain hands-on experience in responsibility, organisation, and quality assurance – all transferable to an apprenticeship environment. For SEND learners, who may require more structured and supportive transitions into employment, these early, playful experiences build confidence, independence, and practical knowledge, making the idea of apprenticeships and work-based learning feel achievable and relevant.
Because every learner deserves the chance to be curious about their future.
