

	Guidance for subject teachers home


	Print this page

English


		11-16 schools

		6th form schools

		Colleges

Examples of work-related learning at key stage 4.

Case 1

A year 10 English group produce an anthology of their own poetry illustrated with their own photographs of the local area. The first task is to gain sponsorship for their publication from local businesses including booksellers. Students develop a strategy to persuade shopkeepers to stock the book including ‘sale or return’. This enables students to create a budget for the production of the book. They also develop speaking and listening skills and general communication skills. The students are involved in all stages of production, marketing and assessing the profitability of the enterprise. The standards of writing are high and the book is enthusiastically received by the community. Students create a small poster for point of sale display. The students gain valuable insights into some basic business principles. They develop their enterprising skills and use work as a context for learning.

Case 2

As part of their English and English literature course, a year 10 class undertake a project in which each student reads and reviews a selection of novels for a teenage market. They survey the reading habits of other students in the school and research articles from educational journals about the role of reading in a teenager’s development. The class present their findings to an author of teenage fiction, a librarian and a bookseller. The students are divided into three groups, each group spends about thirty minutes with each of the visitors. They use the data collected to write a discursive essay for assessed coursework. Students develop employability skills and learn from contact with working people.

Case 3

Students prepare a five- to ten-minute oral presentation for GCSE assessment following their two-week work placement. Students practise their talk beforehand and in the talk have an opportunity to explain, describe and narrate. They also write a formal letter of thanks to their placement supervisor. Students use a checklist to help them structure the letter. The experience of students during their placements enables them to work on short scripted drama to illustrate some of the humour and tensions they experienced. Students use work as a context for learning.

Case 4

An English department works with the school’s police liaison officer on a series of lessons on crime as a context for students’ written and oral coursework. Students read about two crime incidents from newspapers articles. The police officer explains the role of the police in handling such incidents and the rules governing how the police interview suspects. The officer also discusses the way detection is portrayed in television drama compared to real life. Students have been studying this theme as part of their media work. A second lesson involves role play based around some of the situations described by the officer. During debriefing sessions with the teacher, students are assessed for GCSE speaking and listening assignments. Students hear about career opportunities and learn in a work context from someone from the world of work.

Case 5

English and business studies teachers work with an insurance company to plan a one-day work simulation. In preparatory lessons, students learn about the insurance business and its vocabulary, job roles and processes. During the day, students work on one of four scenarios based on organising an event – a rock concert, a yacht race, a fashion show or an air show. They talk and listen in a range of work roles, and read, interpret and apply technical material to support their case. Local business people act as advisers to the groups. Further follow-up work includes writing promotional leaflets, press releases, reports, accident reports and insurance claim statements. Students practise employability skills, develop business understanding, learn from working people and learn in a work context.

Case 6

Students undertake a number of activities using labour market information as a basis for learning English. They use the Internet to access information on career opportunities in the region. They develop speaking and listening skills through interviewing an employed adult. This process is co-ordinated so that students talk to people from different sectors of local employment. Students read, interpret and discuss charts and written information on the local labour market to help inform their career choices. A careers adviser attends a lesson when students present their findings and offers further information about the local and regional labour market. The project culminates in the production of a piece of written coursework for their GCSE. Students develop their employability skills and learn about career opportunities in the local labour market.

Case 7

GCSE English students visit a local newspaper to find out about the industry and to gain a context for their work. During the visit they meet a journalist and a sub-editor. They learn about how different stories would be handled by the newspaper and they ask the employees questions about their qualifications, experience and work roles. On return to school, students work in teams to deadlines and create their own front pages and articles for a local newspaper, using what they have learnt about how real newspaper offices work. Students experience a working environment and learn from people at work.

Case 8

Each year a school has a Book Week to encourage students in their reading and to broaden their interest in literature. The English department invites local authors to talk to GCSE English groups about their work. In addition to discussing their novels and other writing, the authors talk about the problems they faced in being published. An editor from a publishing company is also invited to talk to students about the various stages and people involved in taking a manuscript to publication. Students learn from people in work roles and how an industry functions.

Case 9

Year 11 students are encouraged to develop a personal statement about the work-related learning they have experienced and the knowledge and skills they have developed for the world of work. Students draw together their statement from a range of sources (for example their work experience diary) using a prompt sheet provided by their English teacher. Students are also encouraged to consider their ideal job or career. The next stage is for students to write a letter of application for the job they want which refers to the knowledge, skills and personal qualities they have developed and recognised through the work-related learning programme. Students recognise their skills for enterprise and employability, and develop their self- and career awareness.

Case studies

> Work-related learning