Blackwood Comprehensive School Council 2017-18
Civil rights and freedoms (includes identity, information, privacy/image, freedom of association, assembly, thought, conscience and religion, non-discrimination and remedies) · Education/leisure/cultural activities (includes school, training, skills and employability) · Knowledge of rights/UNCRC · UN Theme
RQ: What can we do to improve job experience for pupils in secondary schools?
Methods: Online survey: pupils throughout the school participated during ICT lessons.
Findings:
- 98% of pupils want the opportunity to take part in job experience with 92% wanting to make their own choices
- The majority of pupils want job experience in Years 9, 10 and 11
- 99% of pupils think job experience is beneficial: experience of real life work atmosphere; helps my GCSE choices; helps to make informed choices about my career
- 62% of pupils prefer job experience in a workplace, over a week or at least 2-3 days
- Pupils expressed in interest in job experience through workshops, courses, job taster days, College and University days
- In other subject areas pupils would most like to learn about; paying taxes; getting a job, writing applications, searching job sites, interviews, CV writing; paying bills and budgeting; applying for real life documents like passport, driving license, insurances; banking relating to mortgages, savings and setting up your own bank account .
Outcomes/Impact
- Research shared with Senior Management Team in Blackwood Comprehensive school leading to agreement with Senior Management to enable this in curriculum, by setting up: 1. Skills Development Week; 2. Enterprise and Skills Challenge for every year group; 3. Emersion Days for Development of Skills.
- Shared and fed back research results and recommendations with pupils, teachers, School Governors and Parents
- Blackwood Comprehensive to contact the Education Business Exchange and engagement teams to help set up job experience opportunities
- Sign up to Swansea University Taster days programmes offering opportunities across colleges
- Pupils engaged in giving feedback to the Children’s Legal Centre Webpage design.
- Pupils attended the Children and Young People’s Democracy event hosted by Swansea University at the Senedd. They shared their research with the Minister for Children Huw Irancca Davies and the Chair of the Children and young People’s Committee Lynne Neagle as well as other key decision makers who attended the event.