January 2015
Dear Parents/Guardians,
YEAR 10 PUPILS – WORK EXPERIENCE
We are pleased to tell you that we are able to offer all pupils the opportunity of taking part in a Work
Experience Scheme. This scheme could not take place without the support of local employers and we are
grateful to them for making it possible. However, in the current economic climate we are aware that
employers are more likely to offer places to students who approach them directly.
Work Experience offers pupils the chance to try themselves out in a variety of situations and gives them
some insight into the demands which will be made upon them when they leave full-time education. We
will try to support students who have difficulty or are looking for unusual work placements; where such
help is necessary, students should contact us early since we only have a limited number of contacts
available. We are becoming increasingly aware that some professions require a year’s notice and are
putting age restrictions on, so alternative places may need to be found.
Work experience involves young people in carrying out a range of work under supervision. It enables
them to experience the demands of work and to compare their expectations of jobs with reality. It also
provides the opportunity to experience the need for team work and good working relationships and to
develop self-confidence and initiative. The school will be in close contact with the employers concerned
and must confirm all placements for insurance purposes. All placement approval is subject to a Health &
Safety and Insurance check conducted by Worcestershire EPB Ltd. Each placement must hold valid
Employer Liability Insurance (even if it is a family run business) without this insurance students
will not be able to attend their placement. Health and Safety at work is a concern in these circumstances
and it is essential that you and your child knows that without valid Employer Liability Insurance in place
by the employer attendance at the placement will not be possible.
Any placements outside the county of Worcestershire need 12 weeks notice to be checked and may
occur a fee of around £50 on average, which would be payable by the parent/guardian of the pupil.
In these circumstances we would contact you to let you know what the fee would be so that a decision
could be made whether you would wish to proceed with the checks. If placement forms are received
much later than 27th March 2015 there is no guarantee that the necessary county Health & Safety
checks will be undertaken in time which could result in students not being able to attend their
placement.
It is a school requirement that All Key Stage 4 students go out on work experience. Each pupil will
therefore have one week’s work experience in either the week commencing 28th September 2015 or the
week commencing 5th October 2015.
Pupils do not receive any form of payment whilst participating in work experience schemes and travelling
expenses are not normally reimbursed. Pupils will be expected to work the normal hours of young
employees of the organisation concerned. This may include shifts in, for example, the leisure and hotel/
catering industries.
Pupils are required to comply with safety regulations of the organisation they are working with and to
wear any safety clothing considered necessary. All participating employers are asked to complete
insurance and Health & Safety forms which were designed in consultation with the Health & Safety
Inspectorate.
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Because young people taking part in work experience are not entitled to the benefit of the National
Insurance Act, the company providing the placement is required to confirm that it has insurances or will
provide compensation for injury arising out of proven negligence or breach of statutory duty by the
company or its employees. If you would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact the
school.
You can help your child find a suitable placement by:
Before:
 Discussing with them their ideas for their placement
 Once the placement has been arranged, encouraging your child to contact the employer to arrange
a pre-placement interview
Ensure that you and your child know:
 The hours of attendance during the placement.
 How they will get to and from their placement. It is not the schools responsibility to arrange
transport.
 What they should wear
 Break & meal time arrangements (do they need to take a packed lunch?)
 A contact name and number for the placement
Please could you fill in the attached consent form. It should be returned to Mrs. Tozer with your
son/daughter’s choice of placement by Friday 27th March 2015. In the event that arrangements are not
finalised by this date, please indicate this on the Placement Status Form and return it with the signed
Parent Consent Form.
Yours sincerely,
DR. TONY EVANS
Headteacher
MRS. J. TOZER
Head of Careers
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