Students at Fulston Manor School have undertaken periods of work experience for over 25 years.  The school firmly believes that work experience plays a crucial part in helping young people make decisions about their future careers, and to develop skills that are vital in the modern labour market.  Work experience is an integral part of the school’s wider programme of careers education and work related learning (learning about work, learning through work, learning for work).

The Work Experience Process

All students in Year 12 will be expected to undertake a one week placement in July; work experience for year 10 is also offered but as an option. The process begins in the previous Autumn with an information evening, followed by the distribution of application forms.  As soon as application forms are returned to school the Work Experience Co-ordinator will begin to place students according to their requests (wherever possible or practicable). Where students find their own placements, the school will still require formal confirmation from the employer.

Once students have been placed their details are passed to an independent third party for health and safety checking.  Most placements pass the check, but where a placement fails the student will not be able to attend the placement and an alternative will be sought if time allows.

Immediately prior to the work experience placements taking place, students will be provided with diaries for recording their experiences in.  As part of the planning process students are expected to set targets for themselves in their diaries.

During the Placement

Students are expected to take their diaries with them every day.  During the course of the week most students will receive a personal visit from a member of the school’s staff.  Placements that are further away will receive a telephone call.  The purpose of this is to check that everything is going well from the point of view of the student and the employer.

If a student is unable to attend a placement for some reason, for example illness, they are expected to notify both the employer and the school first thing in the morning.

Evaluation

In the week following placements, students will work in their tutor groups to complete the evaluation sections of their diaries and to collectively plan and give a presentation to the remainder of their form groups.  They are also expected to write letters of thanks to their employers.  All diaries are taken in and reviewed before being returned to students.  All students who attend a placement will receive a certificate of completion.

Important Information

• Students are encouraged to find their own placements, but must still complete and return an application forms to the school.
• Placements that fail the health and safety check will not be allowed to go ahead.
• Employers are not legally allowed to pay students for their work experience, since this would turn the placement from a week of work experience to a week of paid employment.