Gatsby Benchmark 6 states that by the age of 16, every pupil should have had at least one experience of a workplace, additional to any part-time jobs they may have. By age 18, every pupil should have had one further such experience, additional to any part-time jobs they may have.

Under this benchmark, experiences of the workplace can include work visits, work shadowing and/or work experience.

Every year in the summer term, all of our Year 10 and 12 pupils undertake one week’s work experience. Our work experience programme seeks to assist the school in its joint aims of providing opportunities for all pupils to learn and achieve, and promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development; preparing all pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experience of life. This is achieved by providing all pupils with the opportunity to learn about work, learn through work and learn for work.

Pupils organise their own work experience placements, with the help of the Careers Leader if necessary. We use Unifrog and their Placements Tool to log and track our student’s placements.

Whilst on work experience our students;

• Meet a range of people from the workplace
• Engage in extensive two-way interactions between students and employees
• Perform a task or produce a piece of work relevant to their workplace and receive feedback on it from the employer.

Why do we do work experience?

Work experience is most likely the first contact our students will have with the world of work. It is important preparation for any career and can make an application stand out from the crowd for applications for universities, apprenticeships, courses and jobs. Please click here  for advice on how work experience can help you.

Here is an extract from our work experience assembly and PSHE of why our students go on work experience;

Work Experience Preparation

Pupils will prepare for work experience through Careers-themed lessons, often delivered through PSHE lessons and/or assembly to help prepare them for the world of work. This will include health and safety at work, laws surrounding work, informing the students of their expectations whilst on a placement, what to wear and what to do if they are sick etc.

Before the students go on their placements they will have a refresher assembly on what to do before their placement, what to do and what not to do during their placement and what to do after their placement.

Students are given their Work Experience Journals to take home to read through and asked to complete the first few pages during form time. During this time, pupils will identify their own personal learning outcomes based on the age and needs of the student.

During Work Experience

Whilst our students are on work experience teaching and support staff will perform Wellbeing Checks on the students. This can be an in-person visit, a telephone call or an email to the employer.

Work Experience Reflection

All students complete a Work Experience journal whilst they are on their placements. Students may complete the journal on paper or electronically and save the journal in their Unifrog Locker.

When they return to school they will also have a structured reflection assembly and session to reinforce what they have learnt whilst on their placement and if they have achieved their learning outcomes. During this time students are encouraged to review the feedback provided by their placement employer and to provide their own feedback via their Unifrog accounts.

Additional Work Experience Opportunities

We encourage students to participate in as many experiences of workplaces as possible, this can include work shadowing, work visits, virtual work experience, taster days and summer work experience placements.

Students who wish to participate in work experience outside of our dedicated weeks must complete an approved absence form and have it approved by their Head of Year / Director of Sixth Form.

We provide details of additional work experience opportunities to students via our Year 11 and Sixth Form 'Careers' MS Teams groups. We also share these opportunities with students, parents and carers via our Careers Bulletin which is included in the Headlines. 

Work Experience Dates:

Academic Year 2022-23: 

Year 10 Work Experience - 10th -14th July 2023

Year 12 Work Experience - 3rd - 7th July 2023

Academic Year 2023-24: 

Year 10 Work Experience - 8th - 12th July 2024

Year 12 Work Experience - 24th - 28th June 2024

 

Gatsby Benchmark 1

Gatsby Benchmark 6

Gatsby Benchmark 5