During the Summer Term every Year 10 student is offered the opportunity to spend one week in a work placement of their choice. The idea is to give students an insight into work and working conditions that will help them:

• make more informed decisions about possible career plans
• understand what employers expect from employees
• align their own expectations more closely with those of the employers
• understand and adapt to the relationships they will form with other people at work
• learn new skills and practices which will help them into work
• use existing skills and knowledge in the work-place
• develop their confidence when meeting and working with employers
• develop their ability to assess their own progress and achievement.

Students write to employers in the Autumn Term to ask for a placement. In 2017 all students that requested placements and were flexible about the type of work involved were successfully placed, with 182 Employers offering a total of 330 Placements to Year 10 students over a two week period in July.

Placements covered a wide range of areas and careers, such as childcare, animal welfare, retail, hotels and leisure, sports, music, gamekeeping, and auto services.