Work Experience
Students go out on Work Experience for 3 days in Year 9 and one week in Year 10.
The dates for work experience for the Year 2025-26 are:
| Year 9 |
Wednesday 12 to Friday 14 November 2025
|
| Year 10 |
Monday 11 to Friday 15 May 2026
|
The Department for Education (DfE) definition of work experience is "A placement on employer’s premises in which a student carries out a particular task or duty, or range of tasks or duties, more or less as would an employee, but with an emphasis on the learning aspects of the experience."
Our aims for the work experience programme are:
-
developing students' employability and leadership skills
-
creating enthusiasm for work and specific careers
-
building relationships between our school, employers and students
Parents of Year 9 and Year 10 students will receive a letter and further information on work experience in the Autumn term. Students will also have a special assembly on work experience with tips on how to secure a placement and what to do next.
Placements may be something students are thinking about as a career or just something they are interested in and would like to try. In Year 9 the emphasis is on getting some experience of what a real workplace is like, gaining confidence and practicing skills like communication, organisation and problem solving. Students might find a placement with a parent or family member/friend. In Year 10, students may reach out more widely and try to find something related to their career interests or preferred school subjects, so that they can get some experience in a specific sector, talk to different employees in the business, and find out if the career is for them and how they might get into it.
We actively encourage students to find their own placements. The benefits of this approach are that students have control over the type of work they would like to do and make use of their own network of friends and family. It also gives students real experience of everything that goes into getting a job – researching local businesses online, drafting emails to request a placement and in some cases completing application forms or attending informal interviews. Learning to cope with a few rejections can also build resilience.
Placements can be split between two or more different employers, for example if one company can only offer part of the week. Students in Years 10 are also allowed some flexibility to apply to companies with set programmes outside of these weeks. If a placement is found for a different week, please seek approval for this via Mrs Edgington.
Why Work Experience?
Work experience is a key part of a high-quality careers programme, helping to ensure that young people develop relevant skills for work and supporting transitions from education and training into skilled employment. Young people need opportunities to experience a wide range of workplaces to help them make informed decisions about their future.
Government guidance now states that from September 2025 every pupil should have the opportunity to take part in 2 weeks’ worth of work experience/work experience activities before the end of Year 11. At DGS, we do this by offering 3 days’ work experience in Year 9, 5 days in Year 10, and at least two further days of interactions with employers either in school or in the workplace. Please see our Careers Journey which shows how these events fit into the whole school careers plan: Careers Provision at DGS - 51吃瓜网
Help available in school
Students have access to the careers platform Unifrog, which contains a wealth of tools and surveys to help students discover careers linked to their school subjects and interests, and decide which sectors they could target for work experience.
During Year 10, students will be assisted in Personal Development lessons to use Unifrog to create a CV. They can log in and perfect this at home if they would like to. A template letter is available below, which students can personalise and use for their applications.
If students have difficulty in finding a placement, or knowing where to start, they can contact the school's Work Experience Coordinator, Mrs Edgington at eedgington@ridgewayeducation.com.
Once a placement has been found - Forms
Once a placement has been found, we ask for two forms to be completed, one by you as the Parent/Guardian and one by the Employer (see links in the table at the top of this page). Both forms must be completed for school to authorise the placement.
School will not confirm to Students/Parents or Employers once the forms have been received, but will be in touch with you if a form is missing after the deadline. It is up to Students and Employers to confirm the placement by email and confirm arrangements including working hours, dress code, lunch arrangements and safety measures. School will be in touch with Students/Parents and Employers to convey general information about the week, approximately one week before the placement.
FAQ:
What hours should my child work?
Working hours will usually be the hours worked by young employees of the organisation and may be longer than a school day but should not be more than a standard 8-hour day with a reasonable break for lunch. Hours are flexible, and will usually be suggested by the employer, but can be adjusted to take account of a child’s individual needs.
How will my child travel to work?
Students and parents are expected to make their own arrangements for travel and are responsible for their child’s safety whilst travelling to the placement. Students and parents will need to cover the costs of getting to and from work. Please discuss with your child where they can travel to, and how they will get there – if not close by, will they get a lift to work experience or can they use public transport?
My child has medical/special educational needs. What should I do?
We will ask you on the Parent form to provide information about your child’s health and educational needs, so that school can pass information to employers one week or so prior to the placement. However, it helps immensely if you have already informed employers of anything important at an early stage so that they can be prepared and put in place any relevant adjustments.
What about Health and Safety? Do Employers need to take out insurance?
Most Employers will already have employers’ liability insurance in place which will cover students. Employers are responsible for carrying out their own assessment of the risks and ensuring that appropriate health and safety arrangements are in place. We ask all employers to complete an Employer Placement form to provide details of the placement, including health and safety measures. Employers should explain any risks to students and parents, and provide PPE where necessary or advise students of appropriate clothing. If you or the Employer have any questions about this, please get in touch with us.
What safeguarding measures are in place?
Our school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and we expect all adults working with students to share this commitment. If it is likely that the same individual employee will be working alone with your child for long periods of time, over the course of the whole week, we will ask you to provide further information as to whether you/your child are familiar with that person. In a few cases, we might need to consider applying for a DBS check. Please get in touch with us at an early stage if you think this might be necessary.
If you would like to discuss anything regarding work experience, please do not hesitate to contact our Work Experience Coordinator, Elianne Edgington eedgington@ridgewayeducation.com or our Careers Lead, Stuart George sgeorge@ridgewayeducation.com 01235 812092
Documents
| Work Experience |
|---|
