Work Related Learning : Case Study : St Michaels RC School

St Michael’s RC School, Billingham is doing some pretty amazing things with its work related learning provision.

Enterprise has become a core strength within the school, through the imaginative use of outside agencies augmenting internal initiatives and partnership arrangements with other local schools.

Although not a mandatory requirement, St Michael’s believes there are significant student learning benefits to be gained through a planned investment in work related learning with all year groups.

Anne Jones, Head of Work Related Learning at St Michael’s, has devised a programme for each year group (Year 7 to Year 11) throughout the academic year, which is helping to embed the key work related learning messages and so better equip students for the world of work or further education.

Anne is passionate about encouraging students to develop a positive attitude and believes this is the key to success. All Giant Impact programmes are designed to encourage this positive attitude and include communication, problem solving and team working elements as standard.

Anne has chosen Giant Impact to deliver specific programmes throughout 2007-8 with all year groups, owing to the high quality of delivery and value for money. Through a close working relationship with the school and teaching staff, students have come to see Giant Impact facilitators as ‘friends of St Michael’s’ and respond positively to the material being delivered and the unique method of delivery.

The first Giant Impact programme to be delivered was Job Application, Interview & Recruitment which was run in March 2007 for the whole of Year 10 on the Friday immediately before work experience week. Anne was delighted to report that the school did not receive a single telephone call from any employer placement during the week and saw the timing of the training as significant in this. This programme was repeated in April 2008 with the specific addition of networking and its importance to getting employment.

During 2007-2008 an imaginative programme has evolved, using Giant Impact to animate and reinforce the messages from the school:

• November – Year 11 ‘Study for Work’ – encouraging Year 11 to want to learn and do well in their GCSE exams
• March – Year 10 – ‘Job Application, Interview & Recruitment’ just before work experience, to help students know what employers are looking for
• March – Year 9 – ‘Enterprise’ event which introduces students to the world of work and gets them working co-operatively
• April – Year 8 – ‘Making Money Count’ – giving an introduction to financial awareness as a key life skill
• May – Year 7 – ‘Learning to Learn’ – helping students understand at the start of their high school journey, their personal learning styles and how they are clever

The Senior Team at St Michael’s is fully committed to this planned approach to work related learning and see real benefits from the consistency of approach. The programme will shortly be confirmed for 2008-2009 with further initiatives in the planning stage.

St Michael’s RC School, Beamish Road, Billingham, Tees Valley, is a Specialist Science School with 900 students aged 11-16.

Website: www.stmichaelsrcschool.org.uk
Contact Telephone: 01642 870003
Anne Jones, Head of Work Related Learning