Careers at Ridgeway School

Preparing for Adulthood, Careers and Employment Programme

The Children and Families act 2015 and the SEND Code of Practice 2015 define four outcomes essential for preparing a young person for their adult lives. These are:

1. Further Education
2. Independence
3. Good Health
4. Friendships, relationships and being part of the community

This document explains what students, their families and professionals can expect Ridgeway School to do to support students to prepare for their adulthood in each of these areas.

Ridgeway school employs a Level 6 Careers Advisor, who attends the school one day a term. She works alongside Lynn Hawkins (Wooden Hill Post 16 Lead, and our Post 16 teachers, to provide careers and transition advice to our learners  and families from Key Stage 3 onwards. More detailed transition advice and information is provided about future options and opportunities to students and their parents/carers from Year 9 onwards and support in contacting, visiting and applying for potential post Ridgeway provisions can be provided.  This is done through annual reviews, individual consultation with students and parents/carers and transition information sessions.

As well as supporting students, parents and carers to identify the most appropriate post school options, Ridgeway arrange and support with transition visits, meetings and the clear and thorough handover of information.

The 6th Form Curriculum is designed in accordance with the ’16-19 Study Programmes Guidance’ (2018) and, together with a deep understanding of individual learning needs and aspirations, is used to plan:

• Structured, challenging and functional learning programmes which help prepare students for adult life, including vocational pathways.
• Programmes which aim to develop students’ character, skills, attitudes and confidence to support progression.
• Programmes to develop independent living skills.

Ridgeway works with SEMLEP (South East Midlands Learning Enterprise Partnership) to work towards fully meeting the Gatsby Benchmarks, which are recognised as the standard for good career guidance in schools.

Ridgeway also works closely with SEND Personal Advisers from the Local Authority that the student resides in (e.g. Bedford Borough Council, Central Bedfordshire). The Advisers provide impartial information, advice and guidance on careers and education.

Ridgeway is also supported by JCP (Job Centre Plus) whose staff deliver yearly workshops on Employability and Skills Development.

As part of the Wooden Hill Federation, Ridgeway and  Ivel Valley School, staff and students share resources, expertise and join together for shared activities such as Careers Week throughout the year. Ridgeway students attend the Careers Fair at Ivel Valley in February, as well as Careers Fairs held in Bedford Corn Exchange and at the Polhill Campus of University of Bedfordshire.

1. Further Education and Employment

6th Form students have the opportunity to participate in transition visits and taster days to appropriate local provisions. These visits are planned by the school in partnership with local Further Education Providers (currently local colleges and Post 19 settings) and consideration is given to individual student aspirations and those of their families, as well as their interests and strengths, when planning link days. These visits provide students with the experience of a different learning environment and contribute towards them developing their thoughts about future options after Ridgeway School.

Work Experience

Where appropriate, a variety of opportunities are planned for students to participate in meaningful work experience and work related learning, which enable students to explore the work environment and potential employment options.  Students’ aspirations, interests and abilities are considered when planning work placements, which include:

• Internal work experience placements (TA, admin, maintenance etc.)
• Enterprise activities - including the on-site farm shop which was opened last year and a Market Stall held outside Sainbury's in Kempston once a term.
• Voluntary work (grounds work, care)
• Visits to local businesses
• Visits to school from local employers

Ridgeway seeks to actively engage parents/carers in the development of careers provision. We would welcome any opportunity to engage with employers who could offer a work placement in any form, to engage and support our young people's hopes and aspirations. We welcome employers to come in and visit, please do not hesitate to contact the Careers Lead below.

Granting and refusing access

We will always try to provide access wherever possible.  Access to students may be granted/refused based on the following criteria;

• The needs of the students
• Suitability of the timing against the needs of our curriculum
• Nature of the request from the provider
• Quality of previous interactions with our students

This list is not exhaustive and each access request will be considered on a case by case basis.  The decision to grant or deny access to students will be made by the careers lead - Lynn Hawkins, lynn.hawkins@ridgeway.beds.sch.uk.

2. Independence

Independent living skills are an integral part of the curriculum and Ridgeway has a strong focus on teaching independence as appropriate to each individual student. Frequent trips to the local community provide the opportunity to teach and reinforce independence skills that include the ability to keep safe.

The school has an on-site bungalow which is set up as a working home environment enabling students to further practice and develop their independent living skills.

Ridgeway also has a close relationship with Children’s Social Care Teams as well as Adult Services and liaise with parents/carers about the support which may be available from Social Care, particularly as students move into adulthood.

We encourage all our learners in our Post 16 to have their own companion bus pass. This supports our extensive travel training curriculum and access in the local community, 

3. Good Health

Good health is also a fundamental part of the curriculum throughout the school, with healthy eating and exercise being important topics; the latter being supported by leisure activities as well as targeted Hydro and Physiotherapy programmes where appropriate. Additionally, as part of the annual review process, the school Nursing Team provide a report on medical needs, and we support with signposting to Adult Health Services.

Students in the 6th Form, receive cooking and daily life skills utilising their fully equipped kitchen on-site and the school bungalow to facilitate the healthy living aspect of our curriculum.

Leisure activities are offered on Friday afternoons, encouraging our young people to transition from PE lessons to developing positive healthy hobbies and activities for their own adult lives. Students also work towards gaining their Duke of Edinburgh bronze award during their time in the 6th form, completing all 4 required sections of Volunteering, Physical Section, Skills Section and an expedition section. 

4. Friendships, relationships and being part of the Community

Students are supported to use community facilities and public transport appropriately and as independently as possible. This may include local shops, library, cafes and sports facilities (gym and swimming).

We have a comprehensive travel training programme. This enables our pupils to unlock the opportunity to learn and navigate safe travel around the local area and beyond. Students are encouraged to explore and experience their communities, both local and a further distance away. This supports students to transfer their learnt skills from the safety of the school building to the community, for example, going out for lunch - supports travel training in how to get there, communication and literacy skills in reading a menu and ordering their lunch, maths and money skills of budgeting their lunch money and paying for it. We are sure you will agree these are important skills for our young people.

Relationship, Sex Education (RSE) is also a key element of our curriculum and is delivered according to individual student needs with a highly personalised approach. Learning about the different types of relationships and how to navigate them and have positive relationships and how to keep safe for their adult lives is at the heart of everything we do and offer. Please speak to the class teacher if you require more information. 

Monitoring, review and evaluation

The Careers Lead is responsible for the monitoring, review and evaluation of the programme. Activities that form part of the Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) programme are evaluated and information is used to inform planning for the next year. Evaluation focuses on how effective the event/activity has been in helping students to achieve the intended learning outcomes and draws information from:

• Staff and parents feedback
• Evaluation of activities as and when they happen for one off activities
• Evaluation of on-going activities at the end of the academic year
• Student feedback e.g. careers day evaluations
• Information on intended destinations
• NEET and destination data

This is then turned into a detailed improvement plan, which will be linked to the overall School Improvement and Development Plan.

The Careers Lead for Ridgeway is Lynn Hawkins who can be contacted at:

lynn.hawkins@ridgeway.beds.sch.uk

Or by telephone on: 01234 402402