When & How?

Work Experience takes place every year for all Year 11 pupils. This year work experience is taking place the week before October half term.

The allocation process begins just before the Easter holidays when pupils are give a letter along with a parental consent form and a student choices form. Pupils are also given a self-canvass form, which they will need to get completed if they wish to provide their own placement. Placements with employers are allocated on a first come-first served basis; therefore it is important that pupils return the forms as quickly as possible.

Check out the work experience blog to get the view from the students >>

What does the Work Experience Process Involve?

Pupils are also required to complete a C.V and are requested to attend an interview with one of our Work Experience Co-coordinators, which will also help to prepare them for work or training after they leave school.

The pupils are given information on employer requirements, how work experience relates to the world of work and also feedback on how the interview has gone.

It takes around three months to complete all the interviews and to process all the information needed. Pupils will receive details of their allocated place just prior to the summer holidays and this information will be accompanied by a second parental consent form. Parental consent must be given before any pupil is allowed to go on work experience. The placement details often request that the student rings their employer 2-3 weeks before the placement is due to commence. If the pupil fails to do this, it could result in loss of the placement.

We have built up a good reputation with employers over the years and we do expect our pupils to be ambassadors for the school and to show excellent behaviour and attitude.

Additional Information

Please be aware that whilst we make every effort to try and get pupils their first or second choice of work placement, this is not always possible. Work areas such as sport, electrical, construction, motor vehicle and journalism/media are particularly difficult to obtain. Therefore, we recommend that any pupils wishing to work in these areas try to obtain their own placements. They would need to use the self-canvass form mentioned earlier and they should try to get these completed during the Easter holidays, as we have to work to very tight deadlines. All self-canvassed placements have to be approved by the Connexions Service and this can take a couple of months to process.