Applied learning aims to inspire and motivate students through experience allowing them to actively engage in their schoolwork. The school prides itself in offering students a huge range of applied learning activities in all the curricular areas.
Through following an applied learning programme, students will also develop a range of knowledge, skills competencies and attitudes relevant to the world of work. To ensure this is a success local businesses and community leaders are invited to become actively involved in a huge range of activities.
The school is very positive about the benefits gained by engaging with employers. These include: linking understanding and learning activities to job roles; interaction with professionals; real life investigations and active enquiry; learning through doing; interaction with other learners through group work; learning in a different environment.
Careers education is a statutory component of the curriculum in KS3 and KS4. In Years 7 and 8 students focus on the wide range of jobs available in the world of work and their own aptitudes and abilities. This leads to support for students choosing options in Year 9. During years 10 and 11 students will gain careers guidance in PHSE sessions and also each student will have a personal interview with the Connexions Careers Advisor.
During Years 10 and 11 students prepare for and carry out a week of work experience. Students research placements on a web-based data base set up by the Education Business Partnership, select a job, contact employers and attend an interview. During the placement, all students complete a work experience diary in which they record and reflect on what they have learned. Certificates are awarded for completed diaries and prizes given for the best ones.
Students apply for college and work based courses in year 11. College visits and information sessions from college lecturers ensure that each student has the information needed to make informed choices about future careers.
Local business people are actively involved in mentoring. The mentoring scheme at the school has proved to be very important in raising the self confidence and attainment of GCSE students. This has gone from strength to strength over the past 12 years with up to 50 local employers every year working one to one with a year 10 or 11 student.
Enterprise education plays an important part in teaching at the school and is included in whole day timetable crash days. A popular enterprise activity involves each form in year 10 being given £100 to set up a business which generates money to be given to a charity of the students' choice.
The recent successful bid to provide post-16 courses in a 'niche' area combining the two specialisms demonstrates some of the school's core strengths.
- OFSTED 2009