Pupils will be preparing in PSHE lessons:

• They will be encouraged to think about themselves and the skills they already have
• They select 3 different types of work to try within different ‘job families’
• Then comes the first challenge – completing the application form!

• We will guide pupils within PSHE lessons in school but would appreciate your input as well when the form is brought home for consent/signature – details of interests, activities, etc
• Consider the travel to work areas and how to get there. Is your son/daughter comfortable using public transport - how many buses would it take to get to the workplace? Be specific on possible areas e.g. Balby, Bentley, Barnby Dun, Bessacarr. ‘Doncaster’ could mean anywhere in the borough!
• Give full details of any health issues or other concerns you may have; please sign & return the form to me.

• Correct title – Student Arranged Placement or SAP, a green form
• Pupils still need to complete standard white application form (as above).
• The SAP should be fully completed and signed by the prospective employer
• If you are thinking about organising a private arrangement – please do it now, not after a confirmed placement has been received which is not quite what was wanted.
• Student Arranged Placements are entirely dependent on clearance from b&e’s Health & Safety section

All the forms are sent to b&e for matching pupils to available placements, health & safety checks, etc

• Contracts along with a full job description are sent to school for the student’s signature and parent’s consent – this may take several months, most arrive in 6 – 8 weeks time. Please return the signed contract quickly, as it has to go back to b&e
• During the Spring Term – in PSHE lessons pupils will learn about Health & Safety at work, workplace manners and making a telephone call to arrange interview
• Placements are often dependent on a successful interview – all students will need to contact their employer a few weeks before going out into big, wide world for advice on where to go, lunch arrangements, dress code, etc

Each of their teachers is asked to take part in the visit programme – in first few days they phone the employer to check how pupils are coping & they will arrange to visit the pupil at the workplace later in the fortnight

After all these months of preparation, the two weeks on placement seem to fly by & then pupils have to

Return to School - The first morning back in school is spent with their PSHE teacher, comparing experiences, writing thank-you letters, completing evaluations and getting accustomed to being pupils again.

We look forward to your co-operation in encouraging your sons and daughters to attend regularly and in the right spirit. Please be realistic – the pupils are not qualified for many tasks, so it is up to them to prove themselves. If they can demonstrate that they can follow instructions and be trusted to do a job properly they are more likely to be given a wide range of interesting tasks. The important thing to remember is that employers are under no obligation to provide these opportunities – they are not paid for it and their businesses could suffer if clients received an inferior level of service from an enthusiastic but untrained teenager.

Work placement should be a wonderful learning experience for your son / daughter, and as parents whose own children have been through the work experience system already, we are sure that you will also notice how much your children mature into young adults during that fortnight.