The Government’s Careers Strategy asks that schools and colleges are meeting all eight Gatsby Benchmarks from 2020. Employers have a key role to play across all benchmarks especially:

• Benchmark 4: Linking curriculum learning to careers.
• Benchmark 5: Encounters with employers and employees.
• Benchmark 6: Experiences of workplaces.

At Lampard Community School we are extremely fortunate with the amount of support we receive locally from businesses and employers.

Concrete learning experiences of the world of work and meaningful encounters with employers enables our students to learn from employers about work, employment and the skills needed in the workplace. It also helps to raise the aspirations of our students, widens their networks and can help strengthen their future outcomes. We aim to offer a wide range of employer and employee encounters for all students across the school.

 How can you help?

Encounters can cover a range of activities- this does not have to include off-site work experience placements!

• Mock Interviews: Every year we hold a Mock Interview day where our older students have an opportunity to take part in a simulated job interview with a local employer. Everything is planned out for you, all you need to do is ask the questions and give your feedback.

 

• WOW! Visits: We endeavour to organise weekly WOW! (world of work) visits during Work-Related learning (WRL) where employers and employees come and talk to a few small groups of students for approx. 15 mins at a time about their jobs. Recently, we have had dairy farmers, bee keepers, stuntmen, police officers, professional boxers, paramedics, army officers, marine biologists, HGV driver and photographers to name but a few! It gives our students the opportunity to learn first-hand about a wide range of jobs and recognises what skills and qualities are needed for these different roles. It may inspire them to think of different career pathways in the future.

Nathan Aldous (Stuntman) came to school as a WOW! Visit.

Tina Pert (Bee Keeper) came to school as a WOW visit

• Enterprise Competitions- local businesses and employers have helped to judge our ‘Drangon’s Den’ competitions or set enterprise challenges for our students. This is something we are looking to develop further this summer where opportunities to go out in the community may be limited.

The judges in our ‘Dragon’s Den’ style enterprise competition. Each enterprise company had to pitch their ideas or products to them.

Andrew Cross from Plastic Free North Devon came to talk to the students about running a business. In this photo he talking to the enterprise group who were making bath bombs and soap.

Andrew used to work with Sir Alan Sugar!

• Assemblies/ Careers Talks/ Presentation Events:  visiting speakers come to the school to talk about their roles, their business ventures, a specific topic or to talk at our presentation events. Recently we have had assemblies delivered from the police, the marines, Plastic Free North Devon and Edukid. Our last leavers presentation event included guest appearances form Exeter Chief’s player Jack Maunder and local professional boxer Billy Stanbury.

Jack Maunder and Billy Stanbury  at one of our Presentation Events 

Jack Maunder (Exeter Chiefs player) at our Presentation Event 2020.

• Careers talks/ demonstrations linked to subjects: helping our young people to make links between their subjects and future career opportunities it a key part of our careers  programme. We have had local chefs some to do cooking demonstrations for our Food Studies group, musicians perform for our music groups, theatre companies and artists have some to the school and authors have supported the English curriculum.

Walter Moore (Asda Community Champion) visiting our students

PC Barker giving a careers talk to Upper School

 

• Work Experience: work experience forms a key part of our KS4 careers offer and is very popular with our students. Each year we look for placements linked to the interests and careers aspirations of our students. These places are supported by our staff depending on the needs  of our students- but we encourage them to be independent as they can.  Recent placements have included: Barclays, Sainsburys, Tescos, Futures Farm, Barum Gate, Next Step Developments,  Golds Hairdressers, Woolacome Riding Stables, The Pannier Pantry, Petroc College, Northam Lodge, Sunnyside Farm, Kite Mare, Newport Primary School,  Pathfield School, Devonshire Living, Bideford Library, Combe Martin Museum, Combe Marting Wildlife Park, Lynton to Barnstaple Railway, North Devon Hospice and many more besides!! (Please note that all work experience placements are subject to suitable CSW checks, insurances and risk assessments).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Work Place Visits: visits to work placements can be for shorter amounts of times, even for an hour. Our Year 11 Work Skills groups take part in an extended work based learning course where they attend a placement for 6 x 1 days, but visits can be for a much shorter amount of time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are just some of the ways that employers have worked with us to support the careers work at Lampard Community School but there are many more possibilities. We also want to show case the many, many skills and talents that our students have and how they can be part of the workforce of the future.

We want to take this opportunity to say a huge THANK YOU to all the local employers and businesses who continue to support the careers work at school.

If you are a local business, employer or employee that may be able to offer our students a meaningful work experience placement or employer encounter please contact Jo Worsley or Lucy Wells on 01271 345416 or careers@lampard.devon.sch.uk

 

If you would like further guidance on how to support young people and adults with SEND in the work place please contact us and we can signpost you to organisations who can help. We would like to urge employers to see the potential that our students have in the work place and help us improve career outcomes for young people with SEND.