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Combe Pafford School


		11-16 schools

		6th form schools

		Colleges

About the case study

This case study describes how a recent Ofsted inspection commented on the excellent provision of work-related learning at a school. It describes how the school’s Industry Challenge Week contributes to this and plots work-related learning provision across years 10 and 11, including careers modules, college links and work experience, as well as business links with local employers.

The school

Combe Pafford School is a special school with 198 students aged 8-16 at a ratio of two-to-one boys to girls. Maintained by the LEA, it has recently been reorganised to take in students from a special school that has closed. This has changed the profile of the school from one whose students had predominantly moderate learning difficulties to one that now has the challenge of catering for a wide range of special needs including: moderate learning difficulty, physical difficulty, autistic spectrum disorder, visual impairment and emotional and behavioural disturbance.

Work-related learning provision

The school‘s most recent Ofsted inspection was in June 2003. The Ofsted team noted that there was ‘…excellent progress made by students in work-related education’.

This reflects the emphasis that the school puts on this area of the curriculum and how areas are used to support it. For ICT, the team noted:
‘…where it is taught as a specific subject the quality of students’ learning is high and students show good competence in using the technology. For example, some students in year 11 used ICT very well in preparing their presentations for the school Industry Challenge Week’.

In terms of socialisation, Ofsted commented that:
‘…students in year 11, for example, were a credit to the school when they attended their Industry Challenge Week briefing in a local hotel’.

In terms of learning:
‘…students in years 10 and 11 make excellent progress in their work-related education. They achieve the highest standards in this. During the inspection, year 11 students were seen taking part in an annual event called Industry Challenge Week. The purpose of this is to enable students to prepare presentations on behalf of local and nationally based businesses who lend their support to the initiative. The impact on students’ learning and the outcomes of this experience are very high. Students bring all they have previously learned to bear in this single event. They use literacy and numeracy skills as well as artwork and computer skills to prepare their presentations. They work in groups and teams as well as use their own initiative to research information. The outcomes are of high quality when compared to the attainment of these students. In 2002 for example, 25 students left the school and of these seven went directly into employment or related training and with one exception the remainder attended colleges of further education.’

In the last two years companies such as Cavanna Homes, McDonalds Restaurants, Safeway, Marks and Spencer, The Rainbow International Hotel, the Belgrave Hotel and Torbay Council have taken part in Industry Challenge Week.

Ofsted’s view of the quality of teaching at key stage 4 was partly formed by observing how year 11 students used their learning in tackling their projects during the course of the Industry Challenge Week.

Very good contacts with a wide range of employers help to ensure that all students have a work experience placement matched to their needs, aptitudes and career aspirations. The range of placements is excellent, and includes work in hotels, the construction industry, the zoo, local shops, hairdressing, computing, warehouses, garages, schools and nursing homes.

This extends the work students do while attending the local FE College. Irrespective of gender, all students have full access to the range of opportunities. Boys experience working in hairdressing salons while girls work in motor vehicle maintenance.

Year 10

Discrete careers lessons are timetabled and the Connexions personal adviser is fully involved in these.

In vocational studies in the autumn term, year 10 students study a module on retailing. This includes a day’s visit to a local Safeway store.

Spring term is devoted to a manufacturing module that involves a visit to the Express and Echo newspaper offices in Exeter to investigate how newspapers are produced.

In the summer term students revisit retailing, with support from the large local J Sainsbury store. Four Sainsbury’s staff come to the school to go through issues related to health and safety. This is followed by an application process, with form filling and interviews by Sainsbury staff. Three students at a time then do a day’s placement in the store. Objectives are to:
· introduce students to the world of work
· experience the application and interview process
· get used to being assessed
· gauge suitability for the world of retail
· gain an understanding of health and safety issues.

Plans for 2004 are to include Marks and Spencer in the retail module and to include a module on hotel and catering work in the summer term.

Year 11

Students go to the South Devon FE College for a series of four link courses each lasting four weeks:
· a creative course that includes a choice of hairdressing, beauty care or ceramics
· a construction course that includes a choice of bricklaying, painting, decorating or carpentry
· an engineering course that includes a choice of motor vehicle studies, plumbing or engineering
· catering and hospitality studies that include a choice of food preparation, restaurant skills or housekeeping.

Students do two periods of work experience: one in late autumn and one in late spring. Where possible students choose two different occupational areas, unless they have made a clear vocational choice in which case the second period will be with a different employer. This makes a total of four weeks on placement. Before the placements students are fully briefed on all aspects of their work experience. The school sees this as a flagship programme and all students are visited at least twice. There will be at least one visit from the work experience coordinator, who organised the placement, and another from another member of staff. Governors also go on visits. All result in a written report. The students keep a diary on placement and prompts are included to record significant information. The learning frameworks provide a useful and popular tool for mapping key skills to activities. The work experience organisers make extensive use of video to stimulate work in the debrief period in which the Connexions personal adviser also plays a key role.

The Industry Challenge Week or ‘Combe Pafford Challenge’ is a highlight of year 11 and takes place after the entry level examinations while all students are still in the school. A series of challenges are set by local and national businesses. As Ofsted observed, students bring together all the skills that they have acquired and demonstrate their learning through a unique and stimulating activity. Presentations at the end of the week reflect not only the skills students have already acquired but also the added value of the activity itself. Employers are invariably keen to be involved year on year.

Each year 11 student has an individual leaver’s conference towards the end of their time in the school. This involves the student, parents, tutors, teachers and the Connexions personal adviser. The school sees this event as one where the student begins to take charge of planning their next move. Year 11 pupils also complete their Progress Files, and their National Records of Achievement are collated ready for the annual leavers’ presentation in July.

Future developments

Currently the school uses the National Skills Profile, but is looking to offer alternative accreditation. Section C 8 of the school’s development plan is ‘Investigate appropriate accreditation for vocational education, work experience and careers’.

The school is going through re-accreditation of the Connexions Cornwall and Devon awards ‘Investor in Careers’ in 2004 and is seeking the West Country Education Business Services (EBLO) award ‘Investor in Education Business Partnership’ Diploma in 2004/5.