October 2007

Dear Parents/Guardians

YEAR 10 WORK EXPERIENCE 30 JUNE – 11 JULY 2008

Next June/July all Year 10 pupils will be taking part in a two-week Work Experience programme as part of their Work-Related Learning.

We recommend that the boys spend two weeks at one placement as it allows them to develop working relationships and more fully understand the dynamics of the organisation with whom they are placed. As a consequence, their strengths become more apparent and they are able to undertake more in-depth tasks and be given more responsibility.

However, in exceptional circumstances, we will consider allowing the boys to complete two separate work placements of one week each, but they should check with Mrs Atkins first. This is particularly relevant if employers can only take pupils for one week or if pupils would like to spend a week helping out at their primary school.

We ask pupils to find their own placement(s), the deadline for which is THURSDAY 13 DECEMBER. They could make use of contacts they have within the family or with friends and neighbours. There will also be a large database located in each form room and in the Careers Library, which pupils are welcome to come and browse through, detailing companies and organisations that have previously taken our pupils on Work Experience.

Placements in some areas of interest are particularly difficult to find so if parents are able to help us by offering placements for a pupil, that would be greatly appreciated. If pupils take up a placement at their parents’ place of work we recommend that they are supervised by a colleague and do not work directly alongside their parents as this can prevent the pupil from developing independence.

Pupils will prepare for their Work Experience, as part of a Work-related Learning programme, during PSHE lessons. This will entail writing a letter to employers, constructing a CV and receiving instruction on Health & Safety in the workplace. We would appreciate parents’ support with the written tasks, if they are not completed during school time, and with postage and telephone calls to employers. A record of any letters, CV or telephone call should be placed in your son’s Work Experience folder, which will be kept in his form room.

Continued/......

&....................................................................................................................................................................

Please return this signed permission slip to Mrs Atkins in the Careers Office as soon as possible.

Pupil’s Name: .................................................………..............................Form: ............………...................

(Please print in BLOCK CAPITALS)

• I agree to my son taking part in the Work Experience Programme from 30 June – 11 July 2008
• I understand that my son must find his own placement by 13 December 2007 and once a placement has been confirmed and allocated to him he cannot make any further changes.
• * I give / do not give permission for my son’s photograph to be taken at his placement and to be published in the school magazine and/or on the school website, where applicable.

* Please delete as appropriate

Parent’s Name: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………....

(Please print in BLOCK CAPITALS)

Parent’s Signature: ……………………………………………….…………….Date: ……………………………

……/continued

Please do not panic if your son has no idea about a career path at present. He won’t be the only one! It must be stressed that the whole experience, no matter what the type of work, will give him a valuable insight into the world of work and not only help to further work-related skills but also his personal development.

After their two weeks’ Work Experience the boys return to school full of enthusiasm! They have grown in confidence and independence, have developed new or improved skills and can see the reason for their education, which might previously have escaped some! Employers are always impressed with our pupils and the real contribution they make, sometimes resulting in a part-time or holiday job offer for when the boys reach 16 years of age.

No payment is to be made to the pupils during their Work Experience placement although some companies occasionally offer to cover travel or lunch expenses, which is acceptable. The school will not be able to pay for travel expenses. If this is likely to cause a problem in relation to the location of your son’s placement please contact me at school.

It is vital that the deadline for finding a placement, Thursday, 19^th December, be adhered to so that our contacts at the London Borough of Sutton have sufficient time to carry out the necessary Health & Safety checks. If your son is having difficulty in finding a suitable placement then please ask him to come and see me and I will be happy to help.

I should be grateful if you could please complete the consent form at the bottom of the previous page and return to me as soon as possible.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me, should you have any queries or if you are able to offer a placement to other pupils, either by telephone 020 8647 2235 or by e-mail gatkins@suttonlea.org.

Yours sincerely

Mrs G Atkins

Careers & Work Experience Co-ordinator